BANGKOK, Oct 31 — The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) expressed gratitude to the football governing body FIFA for approving use of the Bangkok Futsal Arena in Nong Chok as a venue for the 2012 Futsal World Cup.
BMA spokesperson Wasan Meewong said that FIFA has finally agreed to use the arena in the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final of the 2012 Futsal World Cup on Nov 14,16 and 18 respectively.
Permission was granted on condition that the stadium’s flooring would be completed by Nov 5 for final inspection.
All FIFA security procedures will also be in place including submitting an emergency evacuation plan, provision of insurance to cover all risks, and finalisation of a CCTV security system.
City Hall is responsible for construction of the Bangkok Futsal Arena as it is on BMA land.
The 12,000-seat Bangkok Futsal Arena in Nong Chok was slated as the main venue for the tournament Nov 1-18. It will host the opening ceremony and matches from the first round.
But construction delays, particularly the delayed arrival of imported flooring, forced FIFA to re-arrange the schedule. The opening ceremony will now be at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.
The other venues are Bangkok’s Nimitbutr Gymnasium and Nakhon Ratchasima’s Chatichai Chunhavan Arena.
Mr Wasan said that flooring imported from Malaysia and Taiwan has arrived and flooring from Italy is scheduled to arrive Friday.
It was expected to take about 1 to 2 days to complete the pitch installation.
