Govt extends strong support to AIFF over Asia Cup 2031 bid, says Sports Min Mansukh Mandaviya

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The All-India Football Federation (AIFF) has formally submitted a bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2031, a move that would bring the football royalty of the continent to India. India’s bid to bring the AFC Asian Cup 2031 to the subcontinent was recognised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in its Annual General Body meeting at the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, showed his support for the enterprise on hearing of India’s bid. He said, “Hosting major sporting events has a profound and lasting impact on a nation’s sports ecosystem and infrastructure.

"Sports can serve as a powerful testimony of India’s rising global stature. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading India’s visionary bid to host the 2036 Olympics. There is also growing momentum behind India’s aspiration to host the Commonwealth Games once again.”

He further extended the support of the Government, and said, “Given football’s immense popularity across the country, it is only natural that we are pursuing the opportunity to host the AFC Asian Cup. The government extends its strong support to the All India Football Federation’s bid to bring Asia’s biggest football event to India. Should we succeed, I am confident that football will get a big boost.”

Speaking from Kuala Lumpur, where he attended the 35th AFC Congress, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said, “The AIFF is happy to have the government’s strong support in our bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2031. The Asian Cup is the biggest football tournament in Asia, and it is important for India as a nation to showcase what we have, not just to Asia but to the rest of the world.

"The 2027 tournament would have come too soon for us, so we didn’t push for it. But with six years left to prepare for the 2031 Asian Cup, we have enough time on hand to measure up to the challenge of facing the best in Asia,” he said.

--IANS

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