New Delhi, Dec 16 (UNI) India on Wednesday officially announced its bid for the hosting rights for 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
The logo for the official bid for AFC Asian Cup, along with the slogan 'Brighter Future Together', was also revealed.
India have hosted the FIFA Under- 17 World Cup in 2017. The country is also confirmed as the hosts of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup and will also host the 2021 FIFA Under- 17 Women's World Cup, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
'It has taken a lot of hard work to reach the level we are at today, where we can think of hosting international events year-on-year,' said Praful Patel, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), who was present during the official announcement.
'The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India left an indelible mark on our country and we're now working towards ensuring FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup go down as two of the most successful women's international football tournaments,' added Mr Patel.
He said that AIFF is continuously working on infrastructure upgradation and football development.
'India would be honoured to be selected as the host for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. It is an unparalleled opportunity to take Asian football to new heights and create a brighter future together, for India, for the AFC and for our whole continent,' the AIFF chief further said.
Speaking on the occasion, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said, 'Hosting Asia's biggest football event, the AFC Asian Cup 2027, will be a huge milestone for Indian sports.
'Our nation is perfectly poised to host a mega sporting event of this magnitude. We have extensive experience over the last two decades of successfully planning, organising and staging some of the world's biggest sporting events and are looking forward to hosting two more big events in 2022 - the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
'The India 2027 campaign's powerful logo represents the ambition, commitment, focus and spirit of the bid, epitomised by the royal tiger.
'The tiger is also an emblem of India's national team, the Blue Tigers. The slogan, Brighter Future Together, highlights the exceptional opportunity the bid presents for AFC and AIFF to work in partnership and take both the Indian, as well as the Asian football, to the next level,' the AIFF said in a statement here.
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