AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: A new logo of AIFF as well as the emblem of FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 was launched by FIFA President Mr. Gianni Infantino in the presence of AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Mr. Vijay Goel, Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs and Mr. Praful Patel, President, AIFF at a glittering function in Panjim on September 28, 2016.

The new AIFF logo represents the Tricolour in the form of a rising flame along with a Football which denotes vibrancy and constant upward movement of Indian Football. The shield on one side of the logo solidifies the entire structure and represents AIFF’s inclusiveness, responsibility and authority towards the game in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Patel maintained that the need for AIFF was to “look contemporary to reflect the changes and reforms that Federation has been undertaking over the past few years. It was needed to get a new younger look.”

“We have a new logo which has energy and it resonates the exhaustiveness of the Nation in one single picture”, he added.

FIFA President Mr. Infantino echoed that the name of AIFF gives the “feeling of the magnitude of the Country.”

AFC President Shaikh Salman, who was also present on the snazzy function, said it was “great to be back in India once again after AFC Awards 2015.”

The Sports Minister Mr. Vijay Goel mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed the U-17 World Cup “as a great opportunity to revolutionise Sports in India.”

Meanwhile, the emblem of the first-ever FIFA tournament in India was designed as a celebration of the country’s richness and diversity of cultures, with the main elements of the Indian Ocean, the banyan tree, the kite and the starburst, which is an interpretation of the Ashoka Chakra, an integral part of the national identity.

Shaped like the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy, the emblem combines the global look of the beautiful game with a quintessentially Indian feel.

During the occasion, Mr. Patel opined, “This is a historic occasion for India and the AIFF. Hosting our first ever FIFA tournament will change the way football is seen in our country forever.”

The FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 will be held across six venues (Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Guwahati and Kochi) across the country during October 2017.