1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship

1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship
1st FIFA U-17 World Championship for the FIFA/JVC Cup
1991 FIFA U-17 Campionato del Mondo
Tournament details
Host countryItaly
Dates16–31 August
Teams16 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)6 (in 6 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Ghana (1st title)
Runners-up Spain
Third place Argentina
Fourth place Qatar
Tournament statistics
Matches played32
Goals scored81 (2.53 per match)
Attendance37,000 (1,156 per match)
Top scorer(s)Brazil Adriano
Best player(s)Ghana Nii Lamptey
Fair play award Argentina
← 1989
1993 →

The 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the fourth edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Florence, Montecatini Terme, Viareggio, Massa, Carrara, and Livorno in Italy between 16 and 31 August 1991. Players born after 1 August 1974 could participate in this tournament.

Saudi Arabia, the 1989 champions, were not able to defend their title as they withdrew from the final round of the AFC qualifying tournament, citing the Blue Diamond Affair.

The tournament was originally to be scheduled in Ecuador, but due to the cholera outbreak earlier that year, it was moved to Italy, which hosted the previous year's World Cup. This was the second time a FIFA event was moved from its original hosting country, after the 1986 World Cup was moved from Colombia to Mexico.

Cities & Stadiums

Città Stadio
Florence Stadio Artemio Franchi
Livorno Stadio Armando Picchi
Massa Stadio Gianpiero Vitali
Carrara Stadio dei Marmi
Montecatini Terme Stadio Daniele Mariotti
Viareggio Stadio Torquato Bresciani

Qualified Teams

Confederation Qualifying Tournament Qualifier(s)
AFC (Asia) 1990 AFC U-16 Championship  China
 Qatar
 United Arab Emirates
CAF (Africa) 1991 African U-17 Qualifying for World Cup  Congo
 Ghana
 Sudan
CONCACAF
(Central, North America and Caribbean) 		1991 CONCACAF U-17 Tournament  Cuba
 Mexico
 United States
CONMEBOL (South America) 1991 South American U-17 Championship  Argentina
 Brazil
 Uruguay
OFC (Oceania) 1991 OFC U-17 Championship  Australia
UEFA (Europe) Host nation  Italy1
1991 UEFA European Under-16 Championship  Germany
 Spain
1. ^ replacing Ecuador.

Squads

For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship squads

Referees

Group stages

Group A

Teams Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Status
 United States 6 3 3 0 0 5 1 4 Advanced to the quarterfinals
 Argentina 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 0
 Italy 2 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 Eliminated
 China 1 3 0 1 2 4 7 −3
Italy 0–1 United States
(Report) Dunne 18'
Attendance: 3,200
Referee: Ulisses Tavares da Silva (Brazil)
China 1–2 Argentina
Gao Fei 58' (Report) Verón 50'
Castellani 77' (pen)
Attendance: 350
Referee: Leif Sundell (Sweden)
Italy 2–2 China
Del Piero 30'
Giraldi 67'		 (Report) Liang Yu 14'
Huang Yi 73'
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Miguel Angel Salas Castillo (Mexico)
United States 1–0 Argentina
McKeon 23' (Report)
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Rachid Ben Khedija (Tunisia)
Italy 0–0 Argentina
(Report)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Philippe Leduc (France)
United States 3–1 China
Beachum 6'
Montoya 37'
McKeon 71'		 (Report) Gao Fei 32'
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Nizar Watti (Syria)

Group B

Venue: Carrara

Teams Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Status
 Australia 4 3 2 0 1 6 4 2 Advanced to the quarterfinals
 Qatar 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 0
 Congo 3 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1 Eliminated
 Mexico 2 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1
Congo 0–0 Qatar
(Report)
Attendance: 600
Referee: Jorge Osvaldo Orellana Vimos (Ecuador)
Australia 4–3 Mexico
Agostino 5', 28', 29'
Kiratzoglu 17'		 (Report) Garza 25'
Toledano 69', 74'
Attendance: 500
Referee: Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)
Congo 0–2 Australia
(Report) Healey 63'
Kiratzoglu 74'
Attendance: 200
Referee: Letchmanasamy Kathirveloo (Malaysia)
Qatar 0–1 Mexico
(Report) Toledano 5'
Attendance: 200
Referee: Sabino Farina Cespedes (Paraguay)
Congo 2–1 Mexico
Kibiti 17'
Tchicaya 31'		 (Report) García 71'
Attendance: 400
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Qatar 1–0 Australia
Al Tamimi 76' (Report)
Attendance: 400
Referee: Juan Bava (Argentina)

Group C

Venue: Massa

Teams Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Status
 Brazil 6 3 3 0 0 7 0 7 Advanced to the quarterfinals
 Germany 3 3 1 1 1 5 5 0
 Sudan 2 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 Eliminated
 United Arab Emirates 1 3 0 1 2 3 10 −7
Sudan 4–1 United Arab Emirates
Nemairi 34'
Ibrahim 36'
Ahmed 37'
Elmustafa 47'		 (Report) Mohamed 59'
Attendance: 250
Referee: Arlington Success (Antigua & Barbuda)
Germany 0–2 Brazil
(Report) Argel 18'
Adriano 39'
Attendance: 800
Referee: Fabio Baldas(Italy)
Sudan 1–3 Germany
Ahmed 78' (Report) Sarna 48'
Jaekel 62', 75'
Attendance: 200
Referee: Angelo Amendolia (Italy)
United Arab Emirates 0–4 Brazil
(Report) Yan 20'
Nene 26'
Adriano 58', 62'
Attendance: 200
Referee: Jan Damgaard(Denmark)
Sudan 0–1 Brazil
(Report) Adriano 73'
Attendance: 500
Referee: Angelo Amendolia(Italy)
United Arab Emirates 2–2 Germany
Abdulrahman 12' (pen)
Ibrahim 44'		 (Report) Lutz 8'
Sarna 51'
Attendance: 500

Group D

Venue: Livorno

Teams Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Status
 Spain 5 3 2 1 0 9 3 6 Advanced to the quarterfinals
 Ghana 5 3 2 1 0 5 2 3
 Uruguay 2 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 Eliminated
 Cuba 0 3 0 0 3 3 10 −7
Ghana 2–1 Cuba
Lamptey 8', 51' (pen) (Report) Sánchez 26'
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Omar Al Mehanna (Saudi Arabia)
Uruguay 0–1 Spain
(Report) Dani 64'
Attendance: 1,400
Referee: Nizar Watti(Syria)
Ghana 2–0 Uruguay
Gargo 36'
Lamptey 52'		 (Report)
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Errol Forbes (Trinidad And Tobago)
Cuba 2–7 Spain
Marten 56'
Casamayor 66'		 (Report) Robaina 5', 23'
Emilio Carrasco 13'
Murgui 43'
Velasco 52'
Palacios 58'
Ramón 74'
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Fabio Baldas (Italy)
Ghana 1–1 Spain
Opoku 42' (Report) Gálvez 62'
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Ulisses Tavares da Silva(Brazil)
Cuba 0–1 Uruguay
(Report) López 72'
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Lim Kee Chong (Mauricio)

Knockout stage

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
August 25 - Montecatini Terme
 
 
 United States1 (4)
 
August 28 - Viareggio
 
 Qatar (pen.)1 (5)
 
 Qatar0 (2)
 
August 25 - Carrara
 
 Ghana (pen.)0 (4)
 
 Brazil1
 
August 31 - Florence
 
 Ghana2
 
 Ghana1
 
August 25 - Viareggio
 
 Spain0
 
 Australia1
 
August 28 - Massa
 
 Argentina2
 
 Argentina0
 
August 25 - Livorno
 
 Spain1 Third place
 
 Spain3
 
August 30 - Montecatini Terme
 
 Germany1
 
 Qatar1 (1)
 
 
 Argentina (pen.)1 (4)
 

Quarter-finals

United States 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 pen.)		 Qatar
Kelly 3' (Report) Bu 14'
Attendance: 2,000
Australia 1–2 Argentina
Azconzobal 75' (o.g.) (Report) Comelles 29', 55'
Attendance: 1,100
Referee: Fabio Baldas(Italy)
Brazil 1–2 Ghana
Leandro 42' (Report) Lamptey 36'
Gargo 58'
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Leif Sundell (Swedish)
Spain 3–1 Germany
Murgui 59'
Robaina 72'
Josemi 80'		 (Report) Babatz 15'
Attendance: 1,100
Referee: Nizar Watti (Syria)

Semi-finals

Qatar 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 pen.)		 Ghana
(Report)
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Fabio Baldas(Italy)
Argentina 0–1 Spain
(Report) Murgui 22'
Attendance: 1,100
Referee: Jan Damgaard (Denmark)

Third place play-off

Qatar 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(1–4 pen.)		 Argentina
Al Bedaid 60' (Report) Akselman 80'
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

Final

Ghana 1–0 Spain
Duah 77' (Report)
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Leif Sundell (Swedish)

Result

 FIFA U-17 World Championship 1991 winners 

Ghana
First title

Awards

Golden Shoe Golden Ball FIFA Fair Play
Brazil Adriano (4 goals) Ghana Nii Lamptey  Argentina

Goalscorers

Adriano of Brazil won the Golden Shoe award for scoring four goals. In total, 81 goals were scored by 59 different players, with only one of them credited as own goals.

4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Own goal

Final ranking

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Ghana 6 4 2 0 8 3 +5 10
2  Spain 6 4 1 1 13 5 +8 9
3  Argentina 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 6
4  Qatar 6 1 4 1 3 3 0 6
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  United States 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 7
6  Brazil 4 3 0 1 8 2 +6 6
7  Australia 4 2 0 2 7 6 +1 4
8  Germany 4 1 1 2 6 8 –2 3
Eliminated at the group stage
9  Congo 3 1 1 1 2 3 –1 3
10  Sudan 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 2
11  Mexico 3 1 0 2 5 6 –1 2
12  Italy 3 0 2 1 2 3 –1 2
13  Uruguay 3 1 0 2 1 3 –2 2
14  China 3 0 1 2 4 7 –3 1
15  United Arab Emirates 3 0 1 2 3 10 –7 1
16  Cuba 3 0 0 3 3 10 –7 0