Seychelles Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 |04 July 2023
High level Fifa delegation arrives for World Cup reconnaissance
Preparations for Seychelles to host the coveted Beach Soccer World Cup in 2025 is gaining momentum with the arrival here today of a high level Fédération Internationale de Football Association delegation.
Led by the director of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) tournaments Jaime Yarza, the delegation will spend three days in Seychelles to inspect the site of the proposed new stadium, training site, hotel facilities and meet government representatives.
The two other high-ranking officials in the three-person delegation are Fifa head of beach soccer Kasra Haghighi, and Fifa Futsal and beach soccer manager (professional game) Paria Shahriyari.
Seychelles was awarded the hosting rights to stage the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in 2025 during a Fifa executive meeting in Doha, Qatar in December last year after United Arab Emirates won the bid for this year’s edition of the competition.
Soon after the announcement was made Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) president Elvis Chetty announced the setting up of a company under the name Seychelles Beach Soccer World Cup (SBSWC) 2025 Limited to ensure the smooth organisation of what is no doubt the most prestigious world class football competition to be organised locally.
This will ensure that the affairs of organising the competition are run independently from the day-to-day operation of the SFF, to facilitate transactions.
A local organising committee is also being set up with Ian Riley as the chief executive and Paolo Torchetti as legal counsel. Other members will join the local organising committee as the duties are finalised and assigned.
The committee will be assisted by current SFF general secretary (GS) Denis Rose and former GS George Bibi, manager of the national team, and on the government side by youth and sports principal secretary Ralph Jean-Louis.
By hosting the Beach Soccer World Cup in 2025 Seychelles will become the first African country to do so.
Seychelles will take part in the tournament for the first time. As the host country, Seychelles’ qualification is automatic.
A total of 16 teams will take part in the World Cup. Qualification will start next year and end in 2025.
Contributed