Maldives wins bid to host 13th SAFF Championship

Maldives has won its bid to host the 13th SAFF Championship, scheduled for this October.

Initially set to be held in Bangladesh during September 2020, the SAFF championship was delayed to be held this ongoing year, in the face of Covid-19 threats.

The competition was to be held in Bangladesh from September 14 to 25, according to a decision reached during a virtual meeting held between the South Asian Football Federation’s (SAFF) committee in December 2020.

However, Bangladesh withdrew from this task due to the worsening coronavirus situation across the country. Another reason Bangladesh withdrew from hosting the championship was due to delays in the search for a sponsor.

With this, the Maldives alongside India and Nepal expressed interest to host the tournament this year, during the most recent meeting held on July 23.

The only other country to have officially submitted a bid to host the tournament, other than Maldives, was Nepal. Maldives officially submitted its bid in early August.

In a statement released on Monday, Nepal Football Association revealed that Maldives won the bid to host the championship.

During the SAFF meeting held on Monday the decision to host the championship from October 1 to 13 was reached as well.

The bid was secured by Maldives, as the Covid-19 situation in the island nation is more controlled than in Nepal.

While the SAFF region comprises of seven countries, Bhutan had earlier withdrew from competing in this championship due to Covid-19 concerns. Reports indicate that Bhutan still has a chance to take back its decision and rejoin the championship. Pakistan however, is unable to compete in the championship due to a FIFA suspension.

This is the second time Maldives will be hosting the highly-anticipated SAFF Championship. The first time was in 2008, where co-hosted with Sri Lanka. That time Maldives brought home the championship for the first time. The last SAFF championship was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2018 where Maldives and India made it to the finals. Maldives took home the championship that year as well.