Construction at the Bangkok Futsal Arena in Nong Chok is running at a frantic pace as workers rush to complete the 12,000 seater arena for the Fifa Futsal World Cup tournament scheduled in November.
Final touches on the showpiece venue are being finished to meet the deadline for the prestigious event. The Bangkok Post reported that seats and a scoreboard were being installed and the facade was being spruced up as of press time.
Torrential rains and heavy flooding in Bangkok over the last couple of weeks contributed to the delay in the arena’s construction. However, the Bangkok Governor himself, Mr Sukhumbhand Paribatra assured the public on Friday that there will be no more delays. He said the arena will be ready for the Oct. 21 handover to FIFA.
FIFA officials are set to arrive on Saturday, Oct. 20 and assess if the arena is ready for the 24-nation tournament by Oct. 25. The opening ceremony has been scheduled for Nov. 1 and will end on Nov. 18. Because of the construction delays however, FIFA officials have decided to hold the opening ceremonies at the Indoor Stadium Hua Mak, which has a 15,000 seating capacity.
The Bangkok Futsal Arena is the main site for the tournament,but it will only be used during the quarterfinal matches. The first one is scheduled on Nov. 14. For the qualifying rounds, the Indoor Stadium Hua Mak, Nimitbutr Gymnasium in Bangkok and the Chatichai Hall at Nakhon Ratchasima province will be used.
Team Thailand is part of Group A , along with Paraguay, Ukraine and Costa Rica. Thailand’s first match will be against Costa Rica on Nov. 1.
