Sean
Well-Known Member
Asian Cup set to head Down Under
By Tom Smithies
May 27, 2008
AUSTRALIA'S football hope to get confirmation this week that their bid to host the 2015 Asian Cup finals will be approved, giving the game a huge boost as it lays the groundwork for a World Cup bid for 2018.
Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley told a sponsors' lunch last week that Australia believed it was the only bidder for the 2015 tournament, and an Asian Football Confederation spokesman has confirmed that is the case.
No formal decision will be made by the AFC until shortly before the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar.
But the AFC spokesman said that an announcement might be made in November next year, and FFA officials hope to hear something concrete - at least privately - this week, with the AFC top brass in Sydney for the FIFA Congress.
That would cap a frenetic period for the FFA, whose two-day coaching conference continues today, with FIFA's annual parliament beginning on Thursday with a lavish dinner at the Sydney Opera House.
Several key decisions are expected from FIFA, and it is thought that Australia will not be granted the Club World Cups for 2009 and 2010 for which it has bid.
An announcement is expected on Tuesday after the FIFA executive committee meets in Sydney.
But the 2015 Asian Cup finals would give the game in Australia a huge boost, attracting thousands of fans from regional heavyweights such as China, Japan and Korea.
Australia's bid is not beleived to specify in detail where each game will be played, but it is thought to point in general terms to the quality of the country's sporting and tourist infrastructure.
Based on the last Asian Cup, it would be a 16-team tournament, played in four groups of four before advancing to quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
There has to be a minimum of four stadiums used, but not necessarily in four cities, and it's likely that all the games in a certain group would be played in the same or nearby locations to avoid fans having to pay for constant travel.
ANZ Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, the MCG and Telstra Dome in Melbourne, and Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium are the obvious candidates.
By Tom Smithies
May 27, 2008
AUSTRALIA'S football hope to get confirmation this week that their bid to host the 2015 Asian Cup finals will be approved, giving the game a huge boost as it lays the groundwork for a World Cup bid for 2018.
Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley told a sponsors' lunch last week that Australia believed it was the only bidder for the 2015 tournament, and an Asian Football Confederation spokesman has confirmed that is the case.
No formal decision will be made by the AFC until shortly before the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar.
But the AFC spokesman said that an announcement might be made in November next year, and FFA officials hope to hear something concrete - at least privately - this week, with the AFC top brass in Sydney for the FIFA Congress.
That would cap a frenetic period for the FFA, whose two-day coaching conference continues today, with FIFA's annual parliament beginning on Thursday with a lavish dinner at the Sydney Opera House.
Several key decisions are expected from FIFA, and it is thought that Australia will not be granted the Club World Cups for 2009 and 2010 for which it has bid.
An announcement is expected on Tuesday after the FIFA executive committee meets in Sydney.
But the 2015 Asian Cup finals would give the game in Australia a huge boost, attracting thousands of fans from regional heavyweights such as China, Japan and Korea.
Australia's bid is not beleived to specify in detail where each game will be played, but it is thought to point in general terms to the quality of the country's sporting and tourist infrastructure.
Based on the last Asian Cup, it would be a 16-team tournament, played in four groups of four before advancing to quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
There has to be a minimum of four stadiums used, but not necessarily in four cities, and it's likely that all the games in a certain group would be played in the same or nearby locations to avoid fans having to pay for constant travel.
ANZ Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, the MCG and Telstra Dome in Melbourne, and Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium are the obvious candidates.
