SAFF Championship may be advanced to April 2021

By Susil Premalal

The 13th SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championship postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic could be held in April 2021, according to SAFF General Secretary Anwarul Huq.  

The tournament was initially scheduled to be from September 7 to 19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. However, it was unanimously decided to postpone the competition to September 2021.  

However, at an online Congress of the SAFF President held recently, it was suggested that the tournament be advanced by a few months to April.  

Depending on the feedback of member countries, the championship would be held in April in Dhaka.  
The final decision will depend on the stance taken by the region’s powerhouse India, according to the President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) Anura de Silva.  

If the SAFF competition is held in April, it may congest the fixture schedule since many tournaments scheduled to be held this year got postponed, de Silva opined. However, the FFSL would go by India’s decision.  
Meanwhile, the national football pool had commenced residential training since January in preparation for tournaments like the SAFF but it has now been disbanded because of the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.  

FFSL appointed Amir Alagic as head coach on the recommendation of AFC in preparation for future international tournaments. He has also been co-opted as Technical Director at FFSL. His salary will be borne by AFC.  
The SAFF Championship was inaugurated in 1993. Sri Lanka won the SAAC Gold Cup held in Colombo in 1955 but have not been able to win a single trophy at international level since.   India has won the SAFF Championship seven times. Maldives were the last winners of the tournament held in 2018.