January 5 – There was some consolation today for Australia’s World Cup disappointment when they were awarded the 2015 Asian Cup.
On the eve of the 2011 tournament in Qatar, the ruling Executive Committee of the Asian Football Confederation unanimously voted to rubber stamp Australia’s bid – the only one for 2015.
The decision had been delayed on more than one occasion since Australia lodged its bid last year, with talks on commercial terms continuing until the last minute.
“We’re thrilled with this, it’s a great event that is growing in stature and importance around the world,” Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief executive Ben Buckley said.
“It’s the pinnacle event for football in Asia.
“As Asian populations and incomes grow rapidly, we anticipate a large number of travelling fans.
“Long term, this will be very good for the game in terms of its profile and footprint in Australia.”
According to studies, the tournament would attract some half a million spectators to the games, close to 50,000 international visitors and will add $23 million (£15 million) to Australia’s GDP.
“The strength and diversity of the game in Australia across all these strategic areas was a feature of our bid and our presentation to the AFC” Buckley said.
“We are confident that the popularity of the game and its broad supporter base across the community will ensure the AFC Asian Cup in Australia will set the benchmark for this tournament for years to come.”
The tournament will take place in January and there will be 32 games in total – 24 in the group stage, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final – with the opening ceremony slated for Melbourne and the final in Sydney.
The games are expected to be scheduled for late afternoon and evening to avoid the worst heat of an Australian summer.
The Socceroos qualify automatically as hosts, and organisers plan for them to play group games in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Matches on the Gold Coast and Canberra are also expected to be scheduled with up to 500,000 spectators predicted to attend the games.
“Australia has a long history of hosting fantastic sporting events and the benefits for Australia to host an event of this kind will not only leave a strong legacy for football in Australia, but also cement Australia’s place in the Asian economic community,” said Frank Lowy, the President of FFA.
“This is a terrific boost to football in Australia at all levels and it comes as our Qantas Socceroos, the highest ranked team in Asia, are only days away from competing in the AFC Asian Cup 2011 here in Qatar.
“Australians are about to see just how big this tournament is with an expected television audience of more than one billion watching sixteen quality teams compete from some of the biggest nations in Asia including Japan, Korea, India and China.
“It is a great coup to host this event and it will be a catalyst for taking the game forward in Australia over the next few years.”
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October 2010: Australia must wait for AFC Asian Cup 2015 decision
July 2010: Australia lodges bid for 2015 Asian Cup