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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Monday, December 5, the decision to withdraw its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 edition. The federation cited its "strategic priorities" as the reason behind the withdrawal.
In October 2022, the AFC Executive Committee shortlisted India and Saudi Arabia as the final two bidders in the race to host the continental competition.
However, the AIFF, in a statement, stated that the executive committee has decided against hosting the tournament as it wants to build the foundations for a proper footballing structure in the country.
The Executive Committee said:
“Our current focus is building the foundations of proper footballing structure before thinking of hosting bigger events like the AFC Asian Cup.”
"Focusing on fundamental goals" - AIFF president on the reason behind withdrawing AFC Asian Cup 2027 hosting bid
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey revealed that the decision was taken in accordance with the strategic roadmap of the federation, which will be announced later this month. Chaubey said in a statement:
“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.
"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.”
India has successfully hosted two age-group FIFA World Cups over the last five years. However, AIFF secretary general Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran opined in the said statement that often splurging cash on hosting international competitions can focus away from major issues. Prabhakaran underlined:
“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.”
Meanwhile, India qualified for the 2023 edition of the AFC Asian Cup after beating Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Cambodia in the final round of qualifiers. The continental competition will present the Blue Tigers with an incredible opportunity to test their skills against the top Asian teams.
