The South Asian Gold Cup Football Championship which was scheduled to be played last year from September 7 to 19 is to kick off on September 14 and the final is to take place on September 25 at the Bangabandu stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The decision was confirmed at a meeting held by the Asian Football Confederation via zoom with the participation of the South Asian Football Association. Though the dates were fixed for the Championship the matche schedule is to be decided on a later date.
The last Championship in 2018 too was held in Bangladesh which saw the participation of seven countries that are expected to battle it out at the same venue.
The South Asian Football Championship for the Gold Cup which began in 1993 saw only five teams in action in which Sri Lanka were able be the runner-up and won the championship in 1995. Since then Sri Lanka have not been able to reach even the final of this Championship.
Afghanitan entered the Championship in the year 2011 and carried away the title. But for unknown reasons Afghanistan moved away and joined the West Asian Football Championship in 2015
President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka Anura de Silva speaking to the Observer said the Asian Football Confederation called this meeting to bring in few amendments to the Constitution of the South Asian Football Association.
He said the matter was discussed at length and all changes to be made were agreed by all parties who participated. The Amendment to be made to the existing law regarding disciplinary action became the main topic. According to the new Amendment, all disciplinary inquiries have to be forwarded to the AFC and once it is sanctioned the SAF will get the green light to conduct the inquiry in question.
The SAG will not get the sole right to absorb new entries or to expel countries that are already affiliated without consulting the AFC. In order to adhere to this new rule the present Constitution was amended by including the latest version that was passed during the meeting.
“The Sri Lanka Football Federation’s Technical Director and head coach Amir Alargic will be in charge of the national pool at present and is expected to come up with his best as this will be his first major assignment to prove himself and bring back the prestige Sri Lanka had in the early part of the Championship”, said De Silva.
The winner of the South Asian Football Gold is to receive the Cup and prize money to the value of 50,000 US dollars.