Five countries in race to host Soccer’s 2027 Asian Cup
Shashank Manohar relinquished the post of the ICC Chairman after completing the two terms of two years each successfully, it was announced by the cricket’s world governing body through a statement on Wednesday.
He played a vital role in the restructuring of the council and curbing the dominance of big three – India, England and Australia – in the world cricket.
He became the ICC president in 2016, was elected unopposed for the second term. Manohar wanted to step down after completing his first stint but was persuaded by the ICC to carry on for another term.
Singapore’s Imran Khwaja will be the interim head of the ICC after Manohar stepped down voluntarily, the game’s governing elaborated further.
Khwaja is currently the deputy chairman of the ICC and former president of the Singapore Cricket Association. He will assume the responsibilities of the chairperson until the next head is elected.
“The process for the chairperson election is expected to be approved by the ICC board within the next week,” the ICC said in a statement.
Apart from electing a new chief, the other major decision, which may headline the next ICC congress is deciding the fate of the World T20 , to be held in Australia later this year.
“Everyone in the ICC extend their thanks to Shashank for the commitment he has shown to our sport. There is no doubt that cricket owes Shashank a debt of gratitude for all he has done for the sport. He has left cricket and the ICC in a be completing his commitment with the BCCI first.
Meanwhile, the other front-runner for the job is Colin Graves of English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). In the latest development, former West Indies Cricket Board Chairman Dave Cameron has also shown interest for the ICC chief position. He wants to chart out a map for the fair distribution of the windfall among all the Full Time Members and Associate Nations for the sustainable growth of the sport.
“The big three are getting most of the events and enjoy the biggest chunk of the windfall. The small nations always depend on the ICC. We don’t want equal share of the revenue but and equitable share,” he was quoted as saying by the media.
Earlier, Manohar took over as ICC chief from N Srinivas, who was removed from the post owing to the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal in which his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was held guilty of betting charges.
Although, Srinivas was not personally indicted in the scandal but he was scolded by RM Lodha committee, which was appointed by the apex court to probe the scandal, for failing to stop the elements, which brought disrepute to the game.
Following the committee’s report, IPL fanchise Chennnai Super King (CSK) were banned for two season. Meiyappan was the Team Principal of the squad. However, after serving a two-year ban the franchise was reinstated into the tournament.
KUALA LUMPUR: Following the invitation to all Member Associations to express their interest in hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2027 by June 30, 2020, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed on Wednesday it has received expressions of interest from five Member Associations.
The five Member Associations who have signalled their intentions to stage Asia’s premier football tournament are (in alphabetical order by country): All India Football Federation, Football Federation of Iran, Qatar Football Association, Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Uzbekistan Football Association.
Uzbekistan’s Football Association entered the contest by the June 30 deadline.
The AFC will now work with each Bidding Member Association on the delivery of the necessary bidding documentation in accordance with the bidding process and will announce the host for the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup in 2021.
AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa thanked the five Member Associations for showcasing their support and hailed their ambitions as a great testament to the evergrowing stature of the AFC Asian Cup.
Shaikh Salman said: “The AFC Asian Cup is the pinnacle stage for Asia’s finest and the record breaking and biggest-ever edition in the UAE in 2019 laid the foundations for Asian football to strengthen this legacy and we have no doubts that China will not only match but also surpass all our expectations in 2023.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to thank all our Member Associations for stepping forward to express their desire and for sharing our ambitions to host a world-class stage for our players, teams, officials and fans and I wish all of them the very best in the bidding process.”
Of the five Member Associations expressing an interest, two nations have already hosted the tournament twice since its inception in 1956. Reigning champions Qatar staged the competition in 1988 and 2011, as well as the Iran, who are the only nation in Asian football history to have won the coveted crown twice on home soil in 1968 and 1976.
Three-time champions Saudi Arabia and India, who were recently awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, as well as Uzbekistan, this year’s host for the AFC U-19 Championship, are all vying to stage Asia’s football crown jewel for the first time.
The global activist group Sport & Rights Alliance has urged the AFC to apply the same rights standards in bidding for and hosting the Asian Cup as FIFA set for the 2026 World Cup that the United States, Mexico and Canada will co-host.