India might not have progressed into the knockout stages of the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup, but there are some reasons to rejoice for the home fans. They may be on course to break the event's attendance record, which currently stands at 1,230,976, set in China in 1985 and India as of now reads 1,007,396.
The first edition of the competition in China received great response, but the 2017 hosts, India have already crossed the million mark. The FIFA competition, ever since its inception in 1985, has witnessed 17 editions, and only three nations have broken the million mark, in terms of attendance.
Besides China and India, Mexico acheieved this mark in 2011. Their number stood at 1,002,314.
With the competition having moved into the quarterfinals stage, and eight matches still to go, the attendance could even go even higher, resulting in India eclipsing China's 32-year old record.
"To say that we have been overwhelmed by the response from football lovers from around the country would be an understatement and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you for creating awareness about the event and making it reach out to as many people as it has," the statement from the Local Organising Committee read.
"Over the remaining nine days, the Local Organising Committee would like to make this tournament the biggest FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, the previous record of 1,230,976 was set in the very first edition in China in 1985."
One might not have been surprised to see India's round robin matches being played in front of massive fans, even venues, where India did not play were simply amazing. For India matches the attendance stood at 49,000 while overall the average was 23,000, reported "The Times of India".
Such kind of attendance is a welcome sign for Indian football, especially in a country, where cricket rules the roost. FIFA could even consider giving India other major competitions, which could prove to be a major boost for the sport.
