PANJIM: The John Paul II Foundation for Sports (Goa) will organize the Expo 2014 World Cup Football to coincide with the Exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier for which preparations are underway.
Briefing the press on Wednesday, Fr Alfred Vaz, convener of the decennial exposition said that the impact of the Exposition should be felt beyond the boundaries of the Archdiocese and therefore it was decided that football is a great platform for a global understanding of the event.
Scheduled from December 4 to 14, a total of eight teams from India, Brazil, Columbia, Nigeria, Portugal, Ghana, Egypt and Nepal will compete for this World Cup.
Matches will be held in Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kerala, Director of the Foundation, Kennedy D’Silva said, adding that the opening and semifinal matches will be played at Fatorda stadium.
“We are taking up the Exposition theme’s underlying message of Unity and seeking to promote it at the all India level. We have invited international Church-related football teams to come and celebrate the one faith that unites us into a single family spread across the globe. This attempt will also seek to celebrate the hope for united humankind transformed by its commitment to peace,” he said in the presence of President of Goa Football Association Elvis Gomes.
Several corporate organizations have come forward to support the event while many partnerships will be finalized in the next few days.
