UAE Football Association submits bid to host remaining World Cup qualifiers

Dubai - The UAEFA has formally submitted its interest with matches to be held in Dubai

The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has officially submitted a request to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the remaining Group G fixtures of the joint World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers, the FA announced on Thursday.

The UAEFA has formally submitted its interest with matches to be held at Al Nasr’s Al Maktoum Stadium and Al Wasl’s Zabeel Stadium, in Dubai.

"The UAE candidacy file meets all the standards, conditions and requirements set by the continental federation, including stadiums, residences, referees and officials of the AFC, in addition to a high-quality health protocol that guarantees everyone’s safety," Mohammed Abdullah Hazam Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the FA, said in a statement.

The AFC had taken a decision last month to postpone the four matches scheduled to be held in March, in light of the Covid pandemic. Match days were pencilled in on March 25 and March 30.

The Asian body had also announced a centralised system of hosting the remaining eight fixtures of the second round and had invited hosting requests from member associations. The AFC has set March 8 as the deadline with the announcement to be made on March 15.

The proposed dates for the matches will see the UAE, who are fourth in the group, play Malaysia on June 3, while Thailand will play Indonesia. Vietnam meet Indonesia on June 7, while the UAE lock horns with Thailand. The UAE then meet Indonesia on June 11, with Malaysia taking on Vietnam. The UAE play Vietnam and Thailand meet Malaysia on June 15.

james@khaleejtimes.com