….to host Asian Cup 2027
Saudi Arabia added to its influence in world soccer on Wednesday, winning a seat on the FIFA Council and then being confirmed as host of the 2027 Asian Cup.
The election win at the Asian Football Confederation’s annual meeting followed Cristiano Ronaldo arrival last month to play in the Saudi league and longstanding speculation about a likely bid to host the World Cup in 2030 or 2034.
Saudi soccer federation president Yasser Almisehal was among six Asian soccer officials elected by AFC members to represent them on FIFA’s decision-making committee through 2027. Saudi Arabia was the only candidate to host the Asian championship.
Qatari soccer federation president Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, whose country hosts the next Asian Cup in January 2024, also was elected to the FIFA Council. Sheikh Hamad earned 40 votes from the 45 federations, while Almisehal got 35.
The 37-member FIFA Council is chaired by Gianni Infantino, the governing body’s president who attended the election meeting in Bahrain.
The election results confirmed Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the heart of Asian soccer politics with the AFC presidency scheduled to be vacant in 2027.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain was reelected by acclamation Wednesday to a final four-year term in a job he has held since 2013. He is also formally No. 2 to Infantino as the most senior of FIFA’s eight vice presidents.
FIFA Council positions — which pay a $250,000 salary in Zurich — were also won by Kohzo Tashima of Japan and Mariano Araneta of the Philippines, who retained their seats, and newcomer Hamidin Bin Mohd Amin, the Malaysian soccer federation leader.
Losing candidates were Du Zhaocai of China and Chung Mong-Gyu of South Korea, a scion of the family that owns Hyundai and who lost his seat in 2019.
The election for a FIFA Council seat protected for a woman was won by Kanya Keomany of Laos.
Later in the meeting, the Saudi bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup was confirmed unopposed. India withdrew its bid in December.
Presenting the bid on stage, Saudi sports minister Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal called the 2027 tournament “a transformational moment in our collective football story.”
Saudi Arabia is a three-time champion of the Asian Cup, in 1984, 1988 and 1996, but has never hosted the tournament.
Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of football’s 2027 Asian Cup on Wednesday, an expected prelude for a World Cup bid as the oil-rich kingdom spends big on sports in an attempt to improve its image.
The three-time winners’ successful bid, a formality after their sole rivals India withdrew, was rubber-stamped at the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Bahrain, held just weeks after Gulf neighbours Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.
“We are excited to deliver the greatest tournament in the competition’s history,” the kingdom’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said after the announcement.
“The kingdom is transforming before our eyes and we are filled with excitement for what it will look like in 2027.”
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has held talks with Egypt and Greece about a joint World Cup bid for 2030, officials said last year.
The conservative country has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars at deals including Al Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Formula One in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV tour that has divided golf.
The Gulf monarchy is often accused of “sportswashing” – using sport to shield criticism of its human rights record. On Wednesday, a report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights said executions had soared under the current leadership.
Speaking to AFP at the AFC Congress, Prince Abdulaziz stressed that there was no World Cup bid on the table, but added: “Everything is possible.”
“As you can see, hosting events in Saudi Arabia is big. And it’s part of our 2030 vision,” he said, referring to the Vision 2030 development project to modernise the oil-dependent economy.
“Anything that will come our way that we see feasible for the vision and the strategy that we have we’ll definitely try to pursue.”
He added: “Now we are focusing on 2027 because we still have to build infrastructure and so on to meet the requirements of the Asian Cup. And hopefully after that we’ll see what comes up.”
The Asian Cup adds to Saudi Arabia’s growing portfolio of major events including the 2034 Asian Games and even the 2029 Asian Winter Games on artificial snow. Saudi is also bidding to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup.
“I’m sure Saudi Arabia will host a fantastic Asian Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at the Manama congress.
No dates were announced for the 2023 edition of the Asian Cup, which will be hosted by reigning champions Qatar after China withdrew because of the Covid crisis.
But AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was elected unopposed to a fresh four-year term, told reporters it seemed likely to happen in January 2024.
