FIFA U-17 World Cup: After deflated balls, Mali colts left in the dark

Mali aren’t too chuffed about the arrangements in Margao. (Express photo by Kevin D’Souza)

MALI SIMPLY haven’t had things going their way in Goa. A day after they landed here with 20 deflated balls and no electric pump, they landed up for practice at the Utorda Stadium only for the floodlights to fail them. The groundstaff informed them that while the generator was switched on, it simply couldn’t take the load of the lights.

After being stuck in pitch darkness for nearly half an hour, the Malians then had to travel to Benaulim to ensure they don’t have their practice cancelled for the second day running. Here again, they had to endure a bumpy 45-minute bus ride despite being told that the other practice venue was just 10 minutes away.

The runners-up from the last edition two years ago weren’t too chuffed about the arrangements. “They are one of the top-most teams at this level in the world. It’s like nobody cares here,” said a team official.