India is all set to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the very first time which begins on October 6th and will end on October 28th. Six cities, namely Kochi, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata will will host the matches of the tournament; the final will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
Nigeria have won the competition most number of times (five) including three back-to-back titles in the last three editions.
Now a very basic question that comes to mind regarding the tournament is the prize money. Do the champions of the U-17 World Cup receive a hefty prize money?
The answer is No! FIFA started this competition in 1985 with the sole intention of developing the sport across the globe and give budding footballers the opportunity to take part at the highest international level.
While the parent body takes care of the operational cost of the participating teams in the tournament, it does not provide prize money to the winning team.
Here is a list of the trophies, awards and medals given at the FIFA U-17 World Cup:
1) An official plaque will be presented to each Participating Member Association. Participation certificates will be presented to each member of each official team delegation.
2) FIFA shall be responsible for the administration of the award ceremony, which shall take place after the final match. A FIFA representative, the head of state of the host country or his/her representative and the heads of delegation of the teams concerned shall be part of the award ceremony.
3) A representative from FIFA will present the winner of the World Cup with the trophy during the award ceremony.
4) A diploma will be presented to the associations ranked first, second, third and fourth in the final competition.
5) Medals will be presented to each of the top three teams in the final competition, i.e. gold medals to the winners, silver medals to the runners-up and bronze medals to the team ranked third.
6) One medal will be presented to each of the match officials who take charge of the play-off for third place and the final.
7) A fair play contest will be held during the final competition. The FIFA Technical Study Group will determine the ranking at the end of the final competition.
At the conclusion of the World Cup, the following special awards will be presented:
A) The FIFA Fair Play Trophy, a fair play medal for each Delegation Member, a diploma and a voucher for USD 10000 worth of football equipment (to be used for youth football development) will be presented to the team finishing first in the fair play contest.
B) The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the final competition. If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists will be decisive. If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the final competition will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first. A Silver Boot and a Bronze Boot for the second and third highest goal scorers will also be awarded.
C) The Golden Ball will be awarded to the best player in the final competition on the basis of a ranking compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group. A Silver Ball and a Bronze Ball will be awarded to the second and third best players.
D) The Golden Glove will be awarded to the best goalkeeper in the final competition on the basis of a ranking compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.
