In Iran's Unawareness, the UAE Hosts the Asian Cup

The Asian Football Confederation selected the UAE as the host for the Asian Cup in 2019. Meanwhile, the Iranian Football Federation was unaware of the host selection meeting and was waiting for AFC representatives to assess Iran's hosting facilities. Thus, aside from Iran's 43-year championship drought in the Asian Cup, if hosting is granted to Iran in 2023, it will have taken 47 years. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand, and Iran were among the countries bidding to host. All countries withdrew except for Iran and the UAE. The Iranian Federation pretended to have reached the final stage of the host selection alongside the UAE, while there was no tiered selection process; it was merely the withdrawal of other countries that left these two. The possibility of Iran hosting and the news of Ali Kaffashian's appointment as the ceremonial Vice President of the AFC were accompanied by a media play by the federation suggesting an elevation of Iran's status in Asian football relations. However, the Vice President of the Confederation was even unaware of the host selection meeting. What was the reality of Kaffashian's vice presidency? The Asian Confederation has five vice presidents for five regions. Only Kaffashian registered from the central region, thus he was elected without a vote. ISNA reported: "The failure to host the Asian Cup erased the little sweetness derived from Kaffashian's position." According to this news agency, the UAE has made significant investments in developing football infrastructure and was a more deserving candidate in every aspect except for spectator reception, while Iran made almost no technical efforts to secure hosting. Four days ago, Ali Kaffashian traveled to Bahrain to consult with Sheikh Salman, the AFC President, and upon returning, he stated that the Confederation had agreed to reconsider the conditions of the UAE and Iran. Kaffashian emphasized that representatives would soon come to Tehran for reassessment. The President of the Iranian Football Federation postponed the host selection to two months later in Ordibehesht. ISNA, in its critical report, wrote: "Kaffashian portrayed the situation as if Iran and the UAE had equal chances. This was enough to create significant hope among the people, and the media also shared in the costs incurred by addressing the issue." On March 6, Kaffashian told the federation's website: "It was decided that five experts would travel to the UAE and Iran during the holidays and present their final reports to the AFC for the final decision. Sheikh Salman emphasized that the strengths and weaknesses of both countries should be displayed side by side on a bulletin board so that members can independently determine the host!" However, Sheikh Salman, in addition to reminding of the limitations and obstacles to holding competitions in Iran, emphasized that if the competitions were held in the UAE, the AFC's advertising revenue would be several times higher than if held in Iran. This, along with issues such as internet, hotels, traffic, weather conditions, stadium facilities, women's presence in the stadium, broadcasting, and other matters, brought Iran's hosting chances to zero. Sheikh Salman, who is Bahraini, said: "I would like to congratulate the UAE Football Federation on its success in securing hosting. The executive committee has complete confidence in the UAE's hosting capabilities. I believe the UAE can provide even better conditions than the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia." In response to the Confederation's decision, Ali Kaffashian said: "We asked the AFC to explain the reasons for not granting hosting to Iran, and I can only express my regret. We had no issues with venues and stadiums, and for those that were incomplete, we committed to completing them, but our biggest problem was broadcasting rights and sponsorship."