According to the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, China’s refusal to host the 2023 Asian Football Cup, which is scheduled to be held between June and July, could lead to a move to the Gulf countries.

The AFC announced that China has issued an apology due to “the exceptional circumstances surrounding the Corona virus” and that it will later reveal the venue of the tournament.

A source told the newspaper that the next version is orientated, which means that the first option will be an oriental country instead of China, and it could be South Korea or even Japan, but this is also due to the desire of any of them to host the tournament in light of temporary the restrictions in which he remains. The launch date is only 13 months away.

For its part, the Australian Federation declined to comment on the possibility of bidding to host the tournament instead of China, but indicated that 2023 has a busy schedule in light of co-hosting the Women’s World Cup with New Zealand starting on 20 July.

As for Kushal Das, Secretary General of the Indian Federation, whose country is hosting the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, he confirmed that his country will focus on trying to host a continental championship in 2027 and has no desire to host the 2023 championship.

The KFA spokesman also confirmed that hosting an international tournament first requires discussion with the government and local authorities.

The source also explained to Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that the focus of the Saudi Federation is on the successful hosting of the publication file after the upcoming 2027, when a hosting request was submitted and work began on its completion, the most important of which is the creation of new stadiums for a number of key directions, and strengthening the infrastructure in order to win hosting.

Sources have not ruled out that Qatar will be made available due to the readiness of its stadiums, even if the tournament is held as scheduled next summer due to the availability of air-conditioned stadiums, but it depends on several points, the most important of which is an apology from the rest of the country – a candidate from the eastern region for admission, and Qatar’s willingness and willingness to do so, except for approvals from business partners and sponsors.

Doha will host the next World Cup in about 6 months, which means that its acceptance of the Asian Championship will be a quick decision in light of the readiness of the infrastructure and stadiums to accommodate the new number of Asian teams. on the condition that he withdraw from hosting the Continental Championship in 2027.

It is noteworthy that Qatar won the title of the last edition of the Asian Cup, which was held in the UAE in 2019, beating Japan in the final with a score of 3:1.

Behavior / Donia Haddad