Blatter praises YOG football tournament 10/09/2010 |
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Fifa president Sepp Blatter has hailed the success of the football tournament at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore last month.
The event proved to be one of the hits of the Games, mainly thanks to host nation Singapore winning the bronze medal in the boys’ event and the progress of Haiti.
The youngsters from the earthquake-hit country, whose team was formed only six weeks before the tournament kicked-off, reached the final before being beaten by Bolivia.
"We decided to open up the football event at the Youth Olympic Games to national associations that would not normally have much chance of qualifying for the Olympics or for the final stages of Fifa tournaments," Blatter said.
"We chose the under-15 category because we've already got the Fifa under-17 and under-20 World Cups."
Blatter added: "I attended four matches in Singapore and saw some good football. I was very impressed by the Singapore boys’ team – they produced some entertaining play.
"But first and foremost, the competition was about opening up these young players’ horizons.
"They had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, from different cultures – there was a real spirit of openness and conviviality. This is what football does best."
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