FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Asean eyes joint World Cup

Asean eyes joint World Cup

Study to explore the possibility for 2034

Asean is marching towards its one-community idea at the end of this year by introducing two major sports projects to encourage participation and commitment of member nations.

AKP Mochtan, deputy secretary general of Asean for Community and Corporate Affairs said Asean had reached an agreement to conduct a feasibility study in its bid to jointly host the 2034 World Cup. Mochtan said it was true a world football competition that Asean wished to host was still a long way off – but it needed the preparation and mechanism in order to deal with the requirements of Fifa, the world governing football body, in hosting the event.
Before making a formal bid, Asean would need thorough preparation for financing and selecting the hosting countries. 
The World Cup is hosted every four years and the next competition is in 2018 in Russia.
Mochtan said the preparation and the studies involving the Asean people’s opinions on hosting the event would have to conclude by 2019. Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin of Malaysia, who proposed the idea, said after a meeting of Asean’s sport ministers that the grouping had less than four years to finalise the study and present it to the government.
The report of the study would be submitted to all Asean countries for approval before a joint organising committee was set up to look at the bidding process.
“Four countries will play host and we have made it clear that Malaysia is keen to be one of them. The Asean Football Federation will handle the organisational plans through the respective football associations,” said Khairy.
The minister said Fifa might not accept a proposal for the 10 countries to host the World Cup but it might consider the possibility of four country hosts. 
Mochtan was speaking at a meeting of Asian New Network (ANN) members in Jakarta hosted by the Jakarta Post recently. The ANN is a network of 21 media groups including The Nation newspaper in Asian cities, organised to provide avenues for cooperation and to optimise coverage of major news events in the region. Mochtan also told the meeting about a regional sports contest he said was sooner than the World Cup, Asean Super League (ASL), a football competition among Asean’s football clubs.
“The competition could commence in 2016 or 2017. We are looking forward for it to happen. Sports are a mechanism that could boost people’s participation in Asean’s activities.” Asean Football Federation general secretary Azzuddin Ahmad said last month the federation was aiming to get the regional league off the ground next August. He said Fifa had given the green light for the ASL to go ahead.
Under the Super League, Asean countries – including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar and the Philippines – will take part in the competition and there is no promotion or relegation. A play-off system would determine the winner. Eighteen teams are expected to eventually compete in the league. Competition will be held on a club basis and each team allowed to register two players from an Asean country and six players from a non-Asean nation.
Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin had said the ASL could be an 18-team league and a concurrent cup competition – which would run for 10 months from early 2016 onwards.
FAS general secretary Winston Lee said that every country could submit a team, but they must qualify for it.
RELATED
nationthailand