"Hosting the Asian Cup is not easy," Japanese Football Association President Makes Bold Remarks... Saudi Arabia Also in Talks with AFC, Will It Ultimately Be Postponed by One Year?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Will the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup ultimately be postponed by one year? Amid continuing security instability in host country Saudi Arabia, even the head of the Japan Football Association (JFA) has expressed the view that it will not be easy to hold the tournament as scheduled.

Reuters reported on the 23rd (Korean time), "JFA President Miyamoto Tsuneo Yasu stated that due to continuing security instability in Saudi Arabia, it will not be easy to hold next year's Asian Cup as planned."

According to the report, President Miyamoto spoke about the current situation in Saudi Arabia after meeting with reporters following his attendance at an AFC extraordinary general assembly held in Tokyo, Japan.

He said, "Based on what I have grasped through news reports, the situation is still not safe," adding, "At this point, I think it will not be easy to host the AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia."

The tournament is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5 next year. However, doubts about whether it can proceed normally have grown as the security situation surrounding Saudi Arabia has recently deteriorated.

In particular, with attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels intensifying, several major sports events scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia have been canceled or postponed. The atmosphere is now such that the fire is spreading even to the Asian Cup, Asia's largest football festival.

President Miyamoto also disclosed that he had a direct meeting with Saudi officials on this day. He explained, "I had a meeting with the Saudi side," adding, "The Saudi side said they are prioritizing the safety of players, fans, and everyone attending the tournament."

Saudi Arabia was not simply insisting on the original schedule either. President Miyamoto conveyed, "The Saudi side said they would cooperate with the AFC to determine whether the tournament can proceed as planned," adding, "They also mentioned that it would take some time to make a decision."

For this reason, the possibility of the Asian Cup being postponed to 2028 is also being publicly discussed.

Previously, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa stated last week that postponing the Asian Cup to 2028 was a possibility if necessary, considering the situation in Saudi Arabia.

In fact, if a postponement is decided, the tournament originally scheduled for January 2027 will be pushed back by approximately one year.

However, whether the Asian Cup will be postponed remains uncertain. Reuters reported, "The local organizing committee in Saudi Arabia has stated its intention to hold the tournament according to the original schedule even after President Salman's remarks."

Ultimately, it appears that the AFC and the Saudi side will make a final judgment on whether the tournament can proceed normally after monitoring future security conditions.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original