Saudi Arabia likely to host AFC Asian Cup 2027 after India's withdrawal
The final decision will be taken in February 2023
India has decided against hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2027 since it doesn’t fit into the All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s strategic priorities.
India’s withdrawal means that it is almost certain that the tournament will be awarded to Saudi Arabia, who are the only remaining bidder.
“The Executive Committee of the All India Football Federation has decided to withdraw its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027. As per the strategic Roadmap of the Federation, which will be announced later this month, the AIFF management thinks the hosting of big events doesn’t fit into the Federation’s strategic priorities,” the AIFF said in a statement on Monday.
“Our current focus is building the foundations of proper footballing structure before thinking of hosting bigger events like the AFC Asian Cup,” it added.
Meanwhile, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey also revealed the reason behind the decision which revolved around strengthening football at the local level.
“India has always been a wonderful and efficient host to big tournaments, which was amply demonstrated in the recently concluded FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. However, the EC has decided that the overall strategy of the Federation currently remains on focusing on the fundamental goals to strengthen our football at every level from grassroots to youth development,” said Chaubey.
“At the same time, we must also strengthen our stakeholders, especially the State Associations and work closely with the clubs to bring about a change in every aspect of football at the domestic level. All such aspects will truly be implemented when the Roadmap is announced later this month,” he added.
Additionally, AIFF Secretary General Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran said that developing the game in India is more important than hosting international events at the moment.
“Our strategy is very simple. We must focus on developing the game on a priority basis, before planning to host major international competitions. Hosting competitions requires big resources and sometimes encourages the tendency to take the major issues away from our focus. Right now, our focus should be to take Indian Football forward together,” said Prabhakaran.
The final decision about who will host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 will be taken by the AFC Congress at its next meeting scheduled in February 2023.
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