Kolkata: India will host its biggest football match in history as England take on Spain in the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Kolkata on Saturday.
People from all across the globe have started pouring into the City of Joy to watch the iconic match, leave alone the supporters who have gathered from far and wide.
As of now, there is confirmation that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, AIFF supremo Praful Patel and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present for the final. There will also be the FIFA Council members to watch the match.
The entire city has been given a complete new look with special lighting arrangements and the song composed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to promote the international event is being played at most traffic signals.
Banerjee also attended the dinner at Eco Park on Friday evening in which FIFA president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino and other senior executive council members of the football governing body were present.
The delegates reached the Eco Island in boats decorated with lights. A video clipping on Biswa Bangla highlighting different aspects of the state was also played before the gathering.
There were cultural programmes in two phases in which famous Odissi dancer Dona Ganguly, percussionist Bikram Ghosh and vocalist Rashid Khan performed amid loud cheer. In between the cultural programmes, the dignitaries also delivered their speeches. The roughly two-hour-long programme continued till 9 pm.
It may be mentioned that this is the first time when the Executive Council meeting of FIFA is taking place in India, spread over a span of three consecutive days in Kolkata.
There were stringent security arrangements all around the Eco Park with policemen keeping a close watch to avoid any untoward incident.