FIFA U-17 World Cup: Semi-final Between Brazil And England Shifted From Guwahati To Kolkata

The FIFA U-17 World Cup semi-final clash between Brazil and England has been shifted from Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium to Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The decision took place after a thorough assessment of the pitch conditions at Guwahati, which has been affected by severe rainfall over the past few days. The semi-final will be played in Kolkata on October 25 at 5pm (IST). The pitch at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium was severely affected during the quarterfinal match between Ghana and Mali on Saturday which was played under incessant rain.

Ghana coach Samuel Fabian had said that the match should have been postponed and played on another date after his side lost to Mali 1-2.

"Despite the great efforts by all involved parties, including the authorities of Guwahati, to preserve the pitch, FIFA has taken this decision following consultations with both teams in order to safeguard the players' health and to ensure the best playing conditions," the FIFA added.

The second semi-final on that day, between Mali and Spain, will still kick off as planned at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

"Fans with a valid ticket for the semi-final originally planned to take place in Guwahati will be able to request a refund for the purchase value of their tickets, and will also have priority access to purchase tickets for the semi-final in Kolkata," the FIFA.com said.

"Tickets for the rescheduled semi-final match in Kolkata can only be purchased online on the ticketing section of FIFA.com (http://tickets.india2017wc.com/) as of today 23 October, 20:30. All purchasable tickets for this FIFA U-17 World Cup semi-final fixture in Kolkata will be priced at INR 100 and will be made available on a first come first served basis," it said.

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee said it regretted that the match had to be shifted out of Guwahati.

"FIFA and the LOC regret that unforeseen circumstances have led to this decision, which will deprive football fans in Guwahati of this semi-final encounter. Both FIFA and the LOC would like to sincerely thank the city of Guwahati and the state government of Assam for their excellent cooperation throughout the competition," it said.