Nepal receives conditional offer to host SAFF Championship in October

The South Asian Football Federation sent out a formal letter offering the country to host the tournament.

The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has received a conditional offer to host the 13th SAFF Championship later this year. SAFF General Secretary Anwarul Huq penned the letter addressing the association on Sunday, ANFA General Secretary Indraman Tuladhar revealed.

The decision comes after Nepal's interest to host the biennial tournament in a virtual meeting on July 23. India and Maldives also expressed their interest to host the tournament.

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ANFA will now have to send a proposal addressing SAFF, detailing the intended structure and plans. Prior to this, ANFA had already enquired the Nepalese government about hosting possibilities. Former Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had instructed the National Sports Commission and ANFA to be ready to host the regional tournament.

After Bangladesh pulled out as SAFF Championship hosts due to a spike in COVID cases, the organization is yet to decide on an alternative. SAFF's executive meeting will decide on the hosting nation in the first week of August. The tournament is set to be held in the first week of October.

"All the countries want the tournament to be held this year," said SAFF General Secretary Anwarul Haque Helal. “The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has told us they cannot organize the tournament due to the COVID-19 situation."

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Nepal has already hosted the tournament twice in 1997 and 2013. India finished as the winners in 1997 and lost in the final against Afghanistan in 2013.

Ever since its inaugural edition in 1993, the SAFF Championship has been South Asia's most coveted football tournament. India, with seven titles is the most successful nation, followed by defending champions Maldives.

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