AFC Cup 2020: "government will not bear any costs of hosting"

While Maldives has won the bid to host the Group E matches of the AFC Cup 2020, Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof has said that the government will not have to shoulder any of the expenses.

The minister made the statement after being presented to the People’s Majlis for questioning, at Tuesdays sitting.

Responding to a question imposed by a lawmaker regarding how the country will bear the expenses, Mahloof said that the government will not have to cover the costs.

He added that all costs will be handled by the Asian Football Confederation and the Football Association of Maldives (FAM).

Hence, he stressed that the ministry’s budget will not be touched.

While the sports ministry handles the expenses of local clubs competing the AFC Cup, Mahloof said that hosting the matches is a benefit in this aspect, as well as for the country’s tourism industry.

FAM submitted the bid to host the group stage matches with the support from the sports ministry. Speaking regarding this, Mahloof said that the ministry made the decision to support the bid as two local clubs have qualified for AFC Cup 2020, to motivate them to reach the next stage.

The two locals clubs are; Maziya Sports and Recreation Club and TC Sports Club. India’s Chennai City FC and Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings complete the South Asian teams’ group.