What’s the story?
American pop star Justin Bieber who is scheduled for his first ever India tour on May 10, confirmed in a tweet that he will perform at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The stadium is also one of the venues for the upcoming Under-17 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on October 6 this year.
The DY Patil stadium is currently undergoing renovation and repair so as to ensure the best facilities to the teams participating in the World Cup. Following the concert, the FIFA committee will inspect the stadium on March 20, where it will certify the progress and likely present it as an official match stadium.
Also Read: DY Patil Stadium praised, Navi Mumbai ratified as venue for U-17 WC India 2017
In an interview with Goal.com, Javier Ceppi, the tournament director at Local Organising Committee of the FIFA U17 World Cup spoke about the matter: "We have discussed in detail with DY Patil how important will this concert be on the preparation for the World Cup. There is no better test than a full stadium, where everything gets stretched, where you can see the people flow movement, all the services tested to its limit.”
In case you did not know...
The Dr. DY Patil Sports Stadium, designed by Hafeez Contractor, was officially inaugurated on 4 March 2008. With a capacity of 55,000, it is the ninth largest cricket ground in India and the largest sports venue by capacity in Mumbai. The stadium has bucket seats and cantilever roofs that eliminate the need for columns.
The cantilever roof provides the spectators with an unobstructed view of the game from any place within the stand. The stadium also comprises 9 tennis hard courts, 4 indoor badminton courts and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
The heart of the matter
Hosting the concert will be a huge step for the operation and the logistics team in their preparations ahead of what is Indian football’s biggest global tournament. Tournament Director Javier Ceppi revealed the importance of the event for the preparations for the U-17 World Cup, “We are happy that DY Patil is hosting this concert and we hope that the other stadiums can arrange similar high profile events to test the operations. This is key for the success of the tournament."
The stadium’s capacity to accommodate 55,000 spectators, will likely be increased in view of the World Cup.
What’s next?
According to Goal.com, the DY Patil stadium will pass all the regulatory checks imposed by the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), by March 20th. This is the final date by which the FIFA committee will certify all progress on the venue and finally present it as an official match stadium.
A carpet will be used on the ground during the concert to negate any adverse impact on the grass.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Hosting the musical concert is a brilliant decision by the officials ahead of the World Cup as it would act as a test run prior to the grand event. A full-scale concert like this, with a huge crowd, will put all the facilities to test and ensure the best standard of service provided during the championships.
