Hyderabad: A FIFA and AIFF delegation, along with officials from the Sports Authority of Telangana (SATG), visited Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli on Wednesday, February 26, to assess its suitability for the proposed FIFA Elite Football Academy. The team inspected the stadium’s infrastructure, including sports facilities, accommodation, and training grounds.

The inspection team comprised Ged Roddy (FIFA), Anil Kumar (AIFF general secretary) and A Sonibala Devi, managing director, SATG.

The delegation later met Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary to the Telangana government, sports department to discuss the academy’s roadmap and FIFA’s ‘Talent Development Scheme’, which aims to create a structured high-performance elite training academy in Hyderabad.

With the FIFA elite training academy possibly coming to Hyderabad, the city is a leading contender to be home to India’s second FIFA academy, following Bhubaneswar.

A detailed roadmap will be prepared to finalize the project, with FIFA, AIFF, and the Telangana government collaborating to establish a world-class football development hub aligned with Vision 2047, an official statement read.