MANAMA: Saudi Arabia has received a bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup, the Asian Soccer Confederation (AFC) stated on Wednesday. The announcement was once made on the AFC Congress within the Bahraini capital of Manama. Saudi Arabia was once the only real bidder after India withdrew in December. “We’re excited to ship the best event within the pageant’s historical past,” the dominion’s sports activities minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal stated after the announcement.
“The dominion is remodeling earlier than our eyes and we’re full of pleasure for what it’s going to appear to be in 2027.” The arena’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has thrown loads of tens of millions at sports activities offers together with the purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo, Formulation One in Jeddah and the profitable LIV Golfing excursion. Within the coming years the Saudis, who watched as neighbors Qatar hosted the Global Cup in November and December, will dangle the ladies’s Asian Cup, the Olympic-sized Asian Video games or even the Asian Wintry weather Video games on synthetic snow.
The wasteland kingdom may be eyeing a Global Cup and Summer time Olympics, most likely even a Wintry weather Olympics, at the side of a swathe of different main occasions. It’s all a part of grand plans by means of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize the Saudi economic system and finish its reliance on oil earlier than the arena strikes directly to different fuels.
“I’m certain Saudi Arabia will host an out of this world Asian Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated on the Manama congress. The 2023 Asian Cup might be hosted by means of Qatar. It was once prior to now set to be held in China however the nation withdrew as a result of COVID. The Asian Cup is staged each 4 years. Qatar received the event’s closing version, in 2019, which was once hosted by means of the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has received 3 AFC Asian Cup titles.
In the meantime, Asia’s soccer leader and FIFA’s second-in-command Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa received a brand new four-year time period on Wednesday. The Bahraini royal, who has led the Asian Soccer Confederation since 2013, was once elected on the Asian Soccer Confederation Congress in his house nation. “I’d love to thanks all in favour of putting your religion in me for some other four-year time period,” he stated after the vote which noticed him stand unopposed. “Asian soccer is coming into a brand new technology.”
The Bahraini royal was once a rival candidate to Infantino when the Italian-Swiss was once elected FIFA president in 2016 after a significant corruption scandal ended the reign of Sepp Blatter. Sheikh Salman, whose confederation comprises 47 of FIFA’s 211 associations, has stated he backs Infantino’s bid for a recent mandate this yr. Infantino congratulated Sheikh Salman and praised the upward thrust of Asian soccer, pointing particularly to the 2022 Global Cup in Qatar.
“Clearly, the lads’s Global Cup in Qatar was once the most efficient Global Cup ever,” Infantino stated. “It is going to be tough to satisfy this benchmark.” The AFC was once in chaos when Sheikh Salman took price after predecessor, Qatari businessman Mohamed bin Hammam, was once banned from soccer for existence. After finishing the closing two years of bin Hammam’s time period, Sheikh Salman was once re-elected unopposed in 2015 and 2019. – AFP