Tag: AFC Asian Cup 2023

Ghalenoei does not believe Team Melli is old!!

“I don’t believe that the national team is old”, the head coach of Team Melli has said.

“We will probably invite four or five young players for the upcoming camp. We have to build support, the same way we did in 2006 when we formed the “B” national team. We don’t have time right now, but luckily the players are in form and have been playing in competitive conditions. They should be with the national team little by little, and in case of changes, it should be done the right time. Many people say that the national team is old, but I don’t believe so. There is no place for youth in the national team“, he said:

“Ehsan Haj Safi played 90 minutes against Marseille. The coaching staff of his team checked the physical condition of this player and gave him the go ahead for the full 90 minutes. Therefore, we should use these players as much as we can. Such players are ethically and technically approved by us and put in a lot of effort. Rejuvenation does not take place in the national team; this should be carried out at club levels. Sepahan does this, I have to thank their technical staff. We will announce the national team list on Sunday and maybe two lists will be announced.”

Such statements is quite a disappointment for the fans while some might deem it shocking. But from track record, especially when Ghalenoei took Team Melli to the Asian Cup in 2007, he always seemed to be apprehensive in giving playing time to the younger players in his teams. The case of one Javad Kazemian is a testament to Ghalenoei’s reluctance and even phobia of younger players playing in the team at major competitions.

Despite living in denial about Team Melli being old, he will always rely on such an aging team for glory in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023 ignoring the fact that lack of pace, particularly at the back, might come to haunt him in Qatar.

So, young talented Iranians such as Amin Hezbavi, Yasin Salmani, Javad Hosseinnejad, Saman Touranian, Arya Barzegar, Saman Fallah, Mohammadreza Bordbar and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh have to wait for a few years under Ghalenoei for their turn in Team Melli. The current head coach is still thinking of players such as Karim Ansarifard (33 years) and Vahid Amiri (35 years) to join the squad!!

Ghgalenoei hits out at his critics.

“Enough is enough” bemoaned Team Melli’s head coach, following widespread criticism of Team Melli’s performance under his command.

” We played 5 games, 4 of which were away from home. We won two finals and conceded only one goal, but look how much we were battered. These attacks are reminiscent of 2006. Manchester City, which has not achieved good results in the last 2-3 weeks after winning the English and UEFA Champions League, has not been attacked as much as we have been!” Ghalenoei said of the recent criticisms of his playing tactics, player selections, poor defensive and midfield composition, and finally his high age average team., all of which he labeled as attacks!

In defense of his record, the head coach of Team Melli said ” If you look at the statistics of the games we played against Jordan, they have managed to defeat us in Tehran and we defeated them in their own country, we beat them at home with a of 2 goals difference. Are these criticisms justified? We have a problem and we accept it, no team or player in the world can play 30 games consistently at the same level, and things happen anyway. In that game, the grass was of poor quality and damaged and one or two players made individual mistakes. In the finals, we also beat Uzbekistan and Qatar, which are great teams, and you will definitely see them in the AFC Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers.”

Ghaleneoi, who has never been too comfortable with criticism and has demanded that for the sake of Team Melli the media and the fans should refrain from mentioning the negatives and instead pray and support the team, continued ” They say that Team Melli is old, but do they produce players at the senior levels? it is the duty of other youth teams to produce the players(…) “

Ghalenoei also lamented the fact that in Iran, greed and jealousy are rampant.

“since 2006, you judged me and did whatever you wanted against me. I was on constant trial. in these 80 days for the sake of the people, support the national team. The way to success is interaction. The difference between other countries and us is that they care about their country and we have love and hate relationship. The pens that were used against me in 2006 were a kind of cruelty. Now they say the same things in a different way” Ghalenoei whined in reference to similar criticism before his departure to Malaysia for the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

It is clear that Ghalenoei is back to his sulking best. He never offered a sensible reason for insisting on selecting the same squad that has failed to achieve any meaningful victory for the best part of a decade now. He had no excuse to have a player like Ansarifard, while Ghaedi, Sayyadmanesh, and many other younger and promising forwards were available. Although he mentioned Japan as an exemplary footballing nation with a long-term plan to produce an abundance of young players, he has yet to explain his clear ignoring of plenty of Omid Team players who deserve trials in Team Melli.

The fear of failure has already put Ghalenoei on the defensive. Ghalenoei like many other Iranian coaches , has yet to learn how to deal with criticism, normally attacking the critics while offering no solid defense for his actions.

Two young defenders are to be added to Team Melli’s squad.

After lots of criticism of Amir Ghalenoei for his aging squad, the injury to Morteza Pouralgangi, and his subsequent operation which will put him out of action for six months, forced Ghalenoei to pick a replacement for the defender. The Team Melli head coach finally remembered that the team requires f much-needed youth energy to this geriatric team.

Amin Hezbavi, the Omid and the Qatari Al Sadd defender is now included in the squad. The 20-year-old Khuzestani player (born in Ahvaz) joined Al Sadd club in 2023 and has featured in this team as a fixed player despite his young age. Hizbavi has already scored a stunning header for his club in the Qatar Star League. Hizbavi has played for the Omid team and was one of the stars.

The Other addition is Gol Gohar and Omid Team defender, Saman Fallah. Despite the failure of the team under Reza Enayati, Fallah displayed some impressive football work on the flanks as a winger. The 22-year-old player from Sari is playing his football in Peykan but it is only a matter of time before one of the three big clubs in Iran will lure him, or if he gets the proper advice and opportunity, will head towards professional football in the Persian Gulf states or Europe.

Pouraliganji, who was looking for the third appearance in the AFC Asian Cup with Team Melli, will now be a TV spectator watching Iran matches in Qatar.

The selection of Pouraliganji’s successor in Team Melli has become a subject of many discussions in the last few days. Majid Hosseini, the Kayserispor of Turkey, is mentioned as a candidate. However, Amir Ghalenoei opted to invite Amin Hizbavi and Saman Fallah instead. That is quite a move from the head coach of Team Melli, who disappointed many fans and critics with his last selection for the Jordan 4 side tournament. His selection of Karim Ansarifard was a particularly disappointing and a step backward move for a team that is in dire need of rebuilding and decreasing the average age.

Team Melli will play two matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Hong Kong and Uzbekistan this year and then head to Doha for the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

Confidence crises with Iranian coaches.

Amir Ghalenoei has produced his list for Jordan’s four-nations tournament. Not only this list was quite disappointing for those fans and pundits who liked to see new young faces in an aging Team Melli, but it also included a veteran in Karim Ansarifard who has not been in the picture and has hardly shown the public in Iran any proof of his worth in the Cypriot league. Ansarifard is not even a regular starter for Omonia Nicosia

Since his appointment. Amir Ghalenoei has been facing regular criticism, mainly because he is a local coach. There has been a crisis of confidence in Iranian coaches for a long time, particularly in these few months. The reason is that the fans of different sports have witnessed a decline in performance whenever a local Iranian coach is appointed to coach a team. The worst case was Volleyball, followed to a lesser extent, Basketball, and Futsal. All three sports lost their continental titles under local coaches.

It is a fact that the fans do not trust Iranian coaches. It is a fact that was highlighted in an ISNA poll with the majority losing voting against domestic coaches. It is a deep-rooted problem and has been hidden under the carpet, at least in official media. It seems that talking about it is taboo and the reason is, like everything in Iran, it is the policy of the regime, and one cannot disagree with it. Not in public at least.

SUPREME LEADER SERMON

However, volleyball, which was fast becoming the number one team sport in Iran threatening the domination of football, suddenly hit a spiral dive after Ataei was appointed. His promotion to Volleyball Team Melli and rise in value was right after a ceremonial meeting with the supreme leader in which Ayatollah Khamenei explicitly declared that domestic coaches have much better value for the Iranian teams than foreign nationals.

Sport authorities took that as a Fatwa that needs to be strictly adhered to not just a pip talk from the supreme leader. It has quickly become a perceived policy of maintaining the values of the Islamic revolution through the appointment of Iranian coaches.

Although Ayatollah Khamenei did say that he is no expert in sports and did not interfere in the appointment of coaches in that meeting with the Iranian national volleyball team, who dares to disagree and work independently selecting coaches based on merits, international standards of competence, experience, and ability rather on patriotism or politics?

Right after the free fall of volleyball, pundits mentioned that Behrouz Ataei, the Iranian head coach of the national team, showed that “we have not yet reached a level with domestic coaches where we can compete closely with the world’s volleyball powers, and we need the presence of a skilled foreign head coach so that the domestic coaches can learn and experience major world events alongside him and improve their own technical abilities. Maybe this issue is not pleasant for some, but it is a fact that many veterans and fans of volleyball acknowledge.”

In football, Ghalenoei, or any Iranian head coach is bound by many limitations.  In a bi-polar football culture, his first felony is that he is a Blue so he will have an apparent bias towards Esteghlal players. This has been observed many times over with Iranian coaches, although Daei was an exception during his tenure.

DEMANDS AND PRESSURE TO SUCCEED

Iranian coaches have a fear of defeat and setbacks and that is not entirely their own fault. They are facing masses of supporters and press that demand immediate results. A nation hungry for success that eluded it since the revolution over 40 years ago. There is no time for experimenting and being a maverick. Ghalenoei is no exception. Fear of failure pushes him to rely on the most battle-hardened warriors, counting on the experience of senior players to achieve success.  He has just taken over an aging team, the oldest in the last World Cup 2022, in fact, to increase the average age by adding yet another over-33-year-old player!

It is true that the U23 team, which is supposed to be the backbone of senior Team Melli, has been poorly performing for many years, but under a sub-standard unqualified coach in Reza Enayati, the real potential of the team was never going to materialize. Nonetheless, there were a few good players in that team that deserve a trial and call-up. Only one made Ghalenoei’s list.

POLITICS

There will always be political pressure on the national team. The regime’s interest supersedes any other objectives. Players not showing total loyalty to the regime, will have to be excluded and any sign of political dissent must be swiftly dealt with. Under a foreign coach filtering players based on politics is that much more difficult especially if you have a strong character coach.

DISCIPLINE

One of the biggest shortfalls of Iranian coaches will always be DISCIPLINE. Time and again, the local coaches have failed miserably in self-discipline and that of their own players’. Never mind what they preach in public, the Iranian coaches in general feel obliged to be protective of the players even when committing the silliest or most damaging of acts.

The regional teams realize that Iranian footballers play with strong emotion, and the opposition takes advantage of that even provoking their Iranians whose self-control and emotional intelligence are suspect. This could be a game changer comes major championships like the Asian Cup.

Finally….. Do you think Ansarifard’s call to team Melli is justified?

Here is his record this season. Note that he played only one 90-minute game in the league.

Karim Ansarifard

ClubDivisionminutesgamesstartSub inSub outbenchgoalsYC2 YCRC

Omonia Nicosia		1.D277734341200

Iran-Angola : Match preview

Team Melli will face Angola in the second match of FIFA Day of September in front of empty seats at the aging Azadi Stadium on Tuesday evening.

As part of preparation for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, Amir Ghalenoei will have another opportunity to have a closer look at the players and perhaps engage in some tactical and personnel changes against Angola.

Against Bulgaria, which Iran won by a solitary goal of Mohammad Mohebi, the signs were positive with the team playing silky smooth football with lots of inter-passing and players finding their teammates easily. If there was a criticism. it was the profligacy of the players and poor finishing touch on fine moves.

Today at the Azadi stadium, still undergoing maintenance and building work, it is highly unlikely that Ghalenoei will embark on major changes. The team he inherited from his predecessors Queiroz and Skocis will be fundamentally his main players all the way to the AFC Asian Cup. Introducing new players, even from the Omid team, will only be done as a token measure. In fact, Iran’s local league is of poor quality limiting Ghalenoei’s choices. He will be challenged to find many good players.

The hope and expectation from Ghalenoei, however, is to be more adventurous and introduce an attractive football to ease the pain of Queiroz’s legacy which was built on a solid defense.

As observed from the last match against Bulgaria, Team Melli still has that solid defensive structure, but that can be tested against better teams like what the England Team did in the World Cup 2022. The fear always remains that tactical discipline can break down at any time. Japan at the semi-final of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 is a classic example.

The surprise and the disappointment were in the offensive line, however. It was a profligate, sluggish, and lethargic display by the front line, with Taremi being a shadow of himself against Bulgaria. In the absence of Azmoun, the lineup accommodated one central forward and a pseudo-forward in Mohebbi. The FC Rostov player played well but Moghanlou, introduced in the second half seems to be lost and really not worthy of a place in Team Melli, despite his good work for the club. It remains to be seen how Ghalenoei’s loyalty will be tested with this player. There are many other options available for Ghalenoi to replace Moghanlou notably, Allahyar Sayyadmanish.

The midfield still remains a concern with a lack of quality and pace. Saman Ghoddos was surprisingly excellent against Bulgaria despite a lack of match practice. That was one positive sign for the midfield.

Angola has experienced a significant decline in recent years. It is currently ranked 116th in the FIFA ranking and 27th in the African continent. Angola has only advanced to the quarter-final stage twice in its eight appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations. Among the teams that have faced Iran since the beginning of the Amir Ghalenoei era, Angola is only ranked better than Afghanistan which Iran defeated 6-1, and even this team is 52 places lower than Cape Verde, which was supposed to originally face Iran.

Since the beginning of 2023, Angola has recorded two wins, two draws and two losses in six games and recently participated in the Cosafa Cup (Cup of Southern African Nations) with a team of selected players from its league and withdrew from the competition in the group stage. Pedro Gonsalos, the 47-year-old Portuguese head coach, who has a history of playing in the youth teams of Sporting Lisbon and the under-17 and under-20 national teams of Angola, is currently in charge.

This team hosted Madagascar in the final round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Thursday night, and the game ended in a goalless draw to finish second with 9 points after Ghana.

The challenge ahead for Ghalenoei.

Less than 20 days to go for Amir Ghalenoei’s next trial with Team Melli when the squad travels to meet Bulgaria for a friendly match in Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv. Following that, if we believe FFIRI officials, there will be another friendly international against Angola in the Azadi stadium which is undergoing heavy maintenance!

So far, Ghalenoei’s second stint with Iran has been quite successful. Taking part in CAFA Nation Cup was quite effective, victorious, and a morale-boosting exercise for the squad as a whole. Never mind all those critics, who believe that Iran should only play the likes of Argentine, Brazil, Spain, and England rather than Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It is a combination of ignorance and arrogance that has marred Iranian football for years and is one of the factors that have resulted in the regression of standards. We all know what happened last time Iran met England, right?

Arranging the two friendlies in FIFA Day was an excellent effort by FFIRI, which has been nothing short of a political comic show for years run by dubious characters injected by the regime to serve its political doctrine. We have had very little compliment to offer those men in FFIRI, but arranging the friendlies, playing in CAFA Nations Cup and the Jordan 4 side tournament in the critical time before the AFC Asian Cup 2023, is a fine job and credit must be given to the decision-makers.   

Ghalenoei, then, will have little excuse to complain about the lack of preparations. Although nothing runs smoothly in Iran, at least there are enough matches to give the coaching staff a pretty good idea of whom to play and whom to leave out. Undoubtedly, there will be complaints during the camp as the National Training Centre where the team will be residing, has lots of problems highlighted by other sporting teams.

Ghalenoei, like coaches before him, has inherited a team, that has no shortage of talent, experience, and quality despite some sensitive divisive issues. Apparently, there is still some bitterness between the two camps of players during the Dragan Skocic removal saga. That aside, Ghalenoei has to deal with more pressing issues.

The squad is getting old and that was apparent in the last World Cup. Only one player is under 25, while many have gone over that critical 30 years line. The direct impact of an aging team is, of course, stamina and pace. Historically, Iranian teams for some odd reasons, never had a good pace in their sides. Players like Khodadad Azizi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, and before them, legends like Hassan Rowshan  were the odd ones out and are not in abundance in Iranian football these days. That is a big disadvantage, that Ghalenoei can do little about in the coming period. Teams like Japan and Korea, with a combination of pace and skill, can be a serious threat to the laggard Iranians.

While Team Melli is well endowed in defense and offense and to a certain extent, goalkeeping, it is the middle of the field where Team Melli falls short of the opposition. Saeid Ezatollahi and Saman Ghoddos have been big disappointments, especially the former. Amiri is aging and not a 90-minute player, Nourollahi and Gholizadeh huff and puff but never manage to take a game by the scruff of the neck, Hajsafy in his dynamic roles, sometimes in defense and sometimes midfield, is also suffering from a lack of pace and stamina. That leaves Jahanbakhsh and Mohebbi as the two players in the middle of the field, and flanks, who must take this heavy burden of supporting the forwards. Both are essentially attacking players.

There is no creative midfielder in this current Iranian team. Even if Ghalenoei tried to introduce such quality in midfield, he will have a hard time finding such talent in a league that lacks quality, creativity, and inspiration.

While expecting a major facelift in Team Melli in less than 5 months is unreasonable, the building period for future Team Melli has to start after the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. But for now, it is a sure bet that Ghalenoei will not contemplate any major changes. Like any other coach, he might prefer players that can serve his purpose and tactics, so we will not be shocked by excluding some current Team Melli starters come the Asian Cup 2023.

It is essential that Ghalenoei does not lose control of the discipline and make an example of players like Kananizadegan whose childish antics were in front of all to see. Losing such control could be the Achilles Heel of the squad.

More Team Melli preparatory matches arranged

According to Mehdi Taj, the Head of IRIFF, Team Melli will meet Capo Verde for a match on 12th September as part of FIFA Day, a few days after playing Bulgaria.

Capo Verde, (Cape Verde) is an archipelago off the western coast of Africa, until three-fourths of the 20th century, was under the governance of Portugal. It is ranked 66 in the FIFA Ranking and has produced good quality footballers that played in Europe, particularly Portugal.

The match against Capo Verde will most probably be held in Iran although the venue is not finalized yet. This is the first time, the two meet at any level.

Taj also confirmed that Iran accepted the invitation of the Jordanian FA for participation in the Jordan four nations tournament 2023 which will be held in Amman. Apart from host Jordan, Oman, and Iraq will join Iran in this tournament, the second of its kind after last year’s. Iran will play Iraq on the 13th of October in the first match. The winner of this match will meet the winner of Jordan vs Qatar on the 16th of October.

With four international friendly matches scheduled, and possibly more, AMir Ghalenoei will have plenty of opportunity to arrange his desired lineup for AFC Asian Cup 2023 which will start on January 2024.

Javad Nekounam denies the rumors.

Javad Nekounam reacted to the gossip regarding his presence in Team Melli coaching staff in an interview during the training session of the Foolad Khuzestan football team. First of all, regarding the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023 and Iran’s elimination from the group stages at FIFA the World Cup, Nekounam said: “I have nothing to say about the national team. I hope this team is successful.”

Nekonam then emphasized that the mention of his name to join Team Melli created tension amongst Foolad fans and management who feared he will abandon the club. “First of all, I should say that no one should speak on my behalf in an interview. I have not received an offer. The federation has no plan on recruiting me. The first talks were not a definite plan just discussions. It is the same now as we speak. People just create rumors and this time it is about whether Nekunam will go or not. No one has spoken to me from FFIRI. If something happens, I will officially come in and talk to you (the media). If necessary, we will make a statement in coordination with the club. “

The head coach of Foulad continued: “I don’t feel that I need to deny or speak this subject every time someone fancies asking the same question. I say honestly, No one has spoken to me. Everyone’s dream is to become a coach of the national team, but when there are no exchanges, It is pointless to keep asking”

Nekounam served for a short time under Carlos Queiroz, but soon found himself out of the TEam Melli coaching staff before the squad departed to Russia for FIFA World Cup 2018

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Team Melli ready for an Iranian coach.

It is high time this federation, aka the regime, thinks of appointing a National coach to lead Team Melli in the next stage which is the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and beyond.

It is now over 11 years since an Iranian head coach has managed Team Melli. The last one who could speak Farsi was Afshin Ghotbi, who left his post following the elimination of Iran in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup 2011.  Before him, it was Mayeli Kohn who was fired as soon as he was recruited, and before that Ali Daei.

The disappointing failure in the FIFA World Cup should ring some alarm bells in the FFIRI or the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the de facto ruler of football in Iran. There is nothing to suggest that Carlos Queiroz has anything more to offer Team Melli. In fact, his sudden return was an act of desperation by one man whose recent return has created controversy as head of the Football Federation. Mehdi Taj took a gamble by listening to several senior players who thought that Queiroz would be a much better option than Dragan Skocic with less than 3 months to go to the World Cup. That gamble failed, and Team Melli left Doha with two defeats, the first of which was a painful humiliation for Iran’s football.

The return of Mehdi Taj is not a good omen for Iran football. The man is a political appointee and his priority is certainly not toward football development or growth. The object is to safeguard the regime’s interest using the popularity of football as a tool. Such appointments are quite common in Iranian establishments.

The gamble on Queiroz, who was fired from his previous two jobs due to failures,  was part of the plan to preserve the regime while it was suffering the most serious of internal challenges. Queiroz served a purpose and with a handsome payment for a few months, he would abide by the rules.

After  8 years of the Portuguese man and millions spent, Team Melli Queiroz has achieved nothing that a decent local Iranian coach would not achieve. It is now the right time to pick that decent Iranian coach to lead Team Melli in Doha, like the last time under Ghotbi. There is no lack of candidates either, but the best candidate must be Yahya Golmohammadi.

At 51 and after an illustrious football career as Team Melli and Persepolis player, Golmohammadi coached several teams like  Naft Tehran, Zob Ahan, Tractor Sazi, and Padideh before he took over Persepolis in 2020 (for the second time in his career).  Golmohammadi managed to win the league title twice with Persepolis.  While not perfect and has his shortfalls, Golmaohammadi, proved many times that he is a skillful and consistent coach with a winning mentality who can control and lay down the best game plans for his players and could also control rebel players too. Under limited resources and shortages of star players, he lead the team to the title while others clubs with better players and resources failed to do so.  Golmaohammadi therefore must be a leading candidate for Team Melli.

Amir Ghalenoei is consistently ranked near the top of coaches in Iran. The former Head Coach of Team Melli and a record holder of League titles wins as a coach has the attributes and abilities of a successful coach.  His major shortfall has to be the temperament that has put him in all sorts of trouble. This is possibly the only setback with Ghalenoei.

Javad Nekounam is a young and upcoming star in coaching in Iran. His shortage of experience in coaching is covered by his long playing career in Spain under quality coaches. He learned from the best.

In any case, there would be other contenders for the Team Melli head coach job, the important matter is that this federation must give the Iranians the opportunity to manage their own team the way that Morocco, Japan, Australia, and many other teams in the World Cup have done. FFIRI has to put trust in Iranian coaches at some stage, and there is no better time than now. I should be a long-term project too.

Qatar to host AFC Asian Cup 2023

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has today confirmed the Qatar Football Association (QFA) as the host association for the AFC Asian Cup 2023™.
Chairing the 11th AFC Executive Committee meeting, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated the QFA on their successful bid and also conveyed the appreciation of the Asian football family to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Korea Football Association (KFA) for their commendable proposals.
He said: “On behalf of the AFC and the Asian football family, I want to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on being awarded the hosting rights of the upcoming edition of the AFC Asian Cup™.
“We must also thank the Football Association of Indonesia and the Korea Football Association for outlining their intentions to stage the tournament.
“Qatar’s capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe.
“I must also commend the AFC for showcasing utmost professionalism in conducting a fair and transparent expedited bidding process and I thank all our commercial partners and sponsors for their patience during these unprecedented times.
“Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivaled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel.”

Qatar are the reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions and will be hosting the Continent’s most prestigious men’s tournament for the third time after staging the 1988 and 2011 editions.

The AFC Executive Committee also deliberated upon the bidding proposals for the AFC Asian Cup 2027™ and shortlisted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) as the final two bidders with the hosting decision to be taken by the AFC Congress at its next meeting in February 2023.
The decision brings to a close the bid proposal of the QFA who were considered to have withdrawn from the 2027 race following their successful 2023 bid in accordance with the applicable bidding regulations.
Football Australia withdrew from the AFC Asian Cup 2023™ bidding process on September 1, 2022, while the Uzbekistan Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran officially withdrew their bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027™ on December 14, 2020, and October 13, 2022, respectively.
The AFC President added: “Again, we thank our three Member Associations – the All India Football Federation, the Qatar Football Association, and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation – for submitting strong bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027™.

“We must also acknowledge the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran and the Uzbekistan Football Association for signaling their intent to host the 2027 edition and Football Australia for indicating their interest for the 2023 tournament.

“Across our competitions, we are seeing our digital engagement and TV viewership grow in record numbers and it is our responsibility to ensure that each tournament surpasses the achievements of the previous edition.
“In the All India Football Federation and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, we have two exemplary bids, and I am confident that the Qatar Football Association will strengthen the foundations for the eventual 2027 hosts to build upon.”
At the outset, heartfelt condolences were offered by the members to the PSSI as well as the families and loved ones of the precious lives lost at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang city, Indonesia, earlier this month.
Rich tributes were also paid to the late Football Association of Singapore President, Mr. Lim Kia Tong, who was also the Chairperson of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.
Leading the eulogies, the AFC President said: “It was indeed a painful loss, and our hearts and support go to the families and friends of the victims and the Football Association of Indonesia.
“Last month, we also lost our dear brother and friend, Lim Kia Tong. We will miss him, and Lim will live on in our hearts and continue to inspire us with his legacy of integrity, professionalism, and love for the game.”
Further, Shaikh Salman expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming response received for his candidacy for re-election to the position of the AFC President.
“Let me thank all of you for your incredible support and convey my gratitude for all your contributions as we approach the final stages of this Executive Committee’s term (2019 to 2023),” said the AFC President.
“The rapid development of Asian football would not have been possible without your support and unity of purpose so clearly demonstrated time and again.”
The AFC President also used the occasion to thank FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the unstinted support received by the Asian football family and reiterated the AFC’s support for President Infantino’s re-election to the position of FIFA President.
The AFC Executive Committee also ratified the decisions of all the Standing Committees since its last meeting, most notably the AFC Competitions Committee’s recommendation to award the hosting rights of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024™ to the QFA.
Similarly, the AFC Development Committee’s recommendation to introduce the new consolidated AFC Enhance Programme Regulations was also ratified.
The AFC Social Responsibility Committee Chairperson Zaw Zaw was appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dream Asia Foundation by the Executive Committee who were also apprised of the finalization of the AFC Social Responsibility Strategy.
Continuing in the social responsibility sphere, the AFC’s recently approved membership of the United Nations Football for the Goals initiative was also highlighted and welcomed by the Executive Committee.