SAFA bids to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Safa have been one of the front runners in showing interest to host the women’s football spectacle after being granted permission in principle by the SA government to bid.
HE SA Football Association (Safa) have been given less than 27 days to submit their bidding registration to Fifa for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which is set between 10 July and 20 August.
Yesterday, Fifa confirmed that nine football member associations, the biggest ever in 29 years, have shown interest in hosting the masses in four years’ time.
According to a statement from Fifa, they have received a record number of expressions of interest in hosting the 2023 World Cup.
“Following invitation to all member associations to express their interest in submitting a bid to host the final competition of the Women’s World Cup, Fifa has received a total of nine expressions,” Fifa confirmed in a statement.
Countries that Safa will have to compete with are:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Japan
- Korea (expressing interest in a joint bid with DPR Korea Football Association)
- New Zealand
“This is the largest-ever list of member associations to have submitted formal expressions of interest to Fifa, with a view to hosting the Women’s World Cup – the first edition of which was held in 1991,” Fifa said.
Safa remains the only African football federation to have put up its hand to host the tournament.
This came as no surprise as South Africa have all the facilities in place, and infrastructure is ready to welcome the world again after hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
But Safa’s greed of trying its luck of hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) hit a snag as they were thrashed and embarrassed by Egypt, who beat them hands down. But in any case, the SA government never gave them their guarantees of support should they have won the bid, anyway.
Just late last year, Safa boss Danny Jordaan emphasised their interest in hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup after meeting Fifa president Gianni Infantino in Paris, France.
“The fact that we hosted the 2010 World Cup strengthens our position. In 1994, the United States hosted the men’s World Cup and the women’s World Cup in 1999.
“In 2006, Germany hosted the men’s World Cup, the women’s in 2011. It’s our time,” he said at the time. According to Fifa, all interested federations have been sent the respective overview and bidding registration documents, and will have until 16 April 2019 to submit their bidding registration to Fifa.
Fifa will publish all the bid books in October and their council will sit and vote for the host(s) of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“The Fifa Council at its recent meeting in Miami confirmed that the result of each ballot and the related votes by the members will be open and made public,” according to Fifa.
Source: Daily Sun
