After cancelling the 2022 under-17s and under-20s women’s tournaments in Indonesia and Uzbekistan due to COVID concerns, it beggars belief that the Asian Football Confederation is pushing ahead with the Women’s Asian Cup in India next year.
India witnessed the world’s biggest COVID surge this year, and though cases have dropped substantially since the May spike, the rampant delta strain and low vaccination rate per head of population mean it remains a high-risk destination.
So why, in 2021, would you double down on holding a continental tournament in India in 2022 when there are potentially safer options available?
Yes, with Japan busy with the postponed Olympics later this month and China looking forward to the winter Olympics next year – not to mention Australia and New Zealand hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2023 – the obvious alternative locations lack availability.
And it’s true that the competition isn’t due to start til January. But if the Indian Premier League is anything to go by, the competition moving to the UAE after a lengthy suspension due to the virus breaching the in-India playing bubble, it’s hard to imagine football won’t face serious problems.
This is not a bid for Australia to host.
We all know we have our own problems, particularly with hosting international events. But with government approval, Australia has world-class infrastructure to host the tournament in a centralised area, as we did in 2006, when Australia hosted the competition for the first time entirely in Adelaide. There’s also the more traditional tournament model of multiple venues in regional hubs and major cities alike, which would provide a safer alternative for all stakeholders.
If you need a replacement host, Australia with government approval and support could provide the two venues rejected for the World Cup bid, Newcastle and Launceston, along with several more in Canberra, Townsville, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
Even if India can pull off hosting the tournament, we run the risk that it will have to be played behind closed doors or with half-filled stadiums, and there’s also the chance top players will skip the competition altogether for concerns about the virus, which would show up the cancellation of those youth tournaments as being for naught.
If the youth competitions were cancelled on safety grounds, then surely India is not yet in a state to be confirmed to host 12 national teams from across Asia.
The next tournament will be in 2026. By all means India should be offered the opportunity to switch to this later year so that the competition’s immediate future can be guaranteed.
Australia would be a good choice in the interim if the federal and state governments can be convinced to work together to make it happen.
The ball is now with you, AFC. Now’s the time to make the tough decisions to ensure this showpiece event can proceed.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I like the idea, but I just can't see it happening. Australia is behind on the vaccine rollout, and the outbreaks are unpredictable in terms of location. The government may try to persist with already scheduled events, but surely won't bid for anything new.
Lachlan Hetherington
Roar Rookie
It is true it would possibly be a logistics nightmare for Australia to host the event. The only other likely scenario would be to push the tournament back as far as possible keeping in mind that it doubles as the Asian section for the women's World cup qualifiers. Hopefully the FA has a discussion with all the players and considers any action it may take to ensure their wishes are heard.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Lachlan, thanks for a thought provoking article. It would seem rather 'strange' for India to host the tournament given the situation they have with COVID at the moment. I am certain many players will have to think long and hard about putting themselves, their families and loved ones at risk. Also and more importantly, the governing bodies or each representing nation will have to do their own due diligence to be 100% certain they are not sending their players into harms way. Whether or not Australia would or should put their hand up for it, is a matter for the FA to discuss with the Federal Government as well as any of the State Governments wishing to act as a host. With such a short time frame between now and when it is planned also creates a logistical head ache.