Officially: Saudi Arabia receives the file to host the 2027 Asian Cup
On Sunday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially submitted its bid to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals to the Asian Football Confederation.
The Saudi delegation went to the Bahraini capital, Manama, to hand over the file to host the tournament to Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Continental Federation and Secretary-General of the Federation Dato Windsor John, instead of traveling to the Federation’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur due to travel restrictions imposed by the crisis of the "new Corona" virus.
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa welcomed the delegation of the Saudi Football Association, expressing his appreciation for Saudi Arabia's efforts to host the major continental event.
The Saudi delegation in Bahrain was represented by the President of the Saudi Football Association, Yasser bin Hassan Al-Mishal, his deputy Khaled Al-Thubaiti, a member of the Executive Office of the Asian Football Confederation, the former president of the Saudi Federation Ahmed bin Eid Al-Harbi, Secretary General Ibrahim Al-Qasim, and former stars of the Saudi national team Majed Abdullah. Saleh Al-Naima, Saleh Khalifa, Shaya Al-Nafisa, Ahmed Jamil and Muhammad Abdul-Jawad
The candidacy file included a "hologram" presentation by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, in which he addressed the main messages of the candidacy file, which bears the slogan "Together for the Future of Asia", and aims to make the 2027 Asian Cup a unique platform to provide new opportunities for the federations. 47 members of the AFC to promote football in their countries.
The president of the Saudi Federation, Yasser Al-Mashal, said in a press statement after the file was handed over: “Today, we handed over the file of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 2027 Asian Cup finals to Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who we thank for the warm reception and generous hospitality, and we are confident that winning the honor of hosting will be our ally. God willing".
Al-Mashal added: "The Saudi file provides an overview of the capabilities that qualify the Kingdom to host the best technical Asian Cup finals, in addition to presenting our own vision in developing a sustainable platform that reflects its positive advantages on the future of football in Asia. We will also work to enhance the participation of all members. The AFC in the tournament, whether in the preparation stage for hosting, or through the exchange of football knowledge, or through the promotion of future growth prospects and opportunities, which would contribute to organizing an exceptional tournament in every sense of the word, and we will also work to uncover more plans to support the hosting file During the coming months. "
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Saudi Federation, Ibrahim Al-Qassem, said that the Saudi file seeks to open new horizons for Asian football, by focusing on providing a unique experience and establishing a new level of exchange and communication between all member federations of the Asian Football Confederation.
Al-Qassem added: “Football is an important part of the lives of the Kingdom’s 34 million people, and we are determined that hosting the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in our history will positively affect everyone inside and outside the Kingdom, and we were extremely happy with the positive reactions we touched. Our portfolio received from all parts of Asia, and we look forward to continuing to develop our plans in line with our file slogan (Together for the Future of Asia). "
The meeting with the leaders of the AFC follows the announcement of a new sponsor for the file, Saudi Arabian Airlines, which reflects the interest and support for hosting the first AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia if it wins the honor of hosting.
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