The2021 SAFF Championship,known asOoredooSAFF Championship 2021for sponsorship reasons,[1]was the thirteenth edition of theSAFF Championship,the biennial international men'sfootballchampionship ofSouth Asiaorganised bySouth Asian Football Federation(SAFF). Initially, it was decided to be hosted byPakistanin 2020, but was postponed to September 2021 inBangladesh.However, the tournament was postponed again to October due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,withMaldivesas host.[2][3]
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Maldives |
| Dates | 1–16 October |
| Teams | 5 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  India(8th title) |
| Runners-up |  Nepal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Goals scored | 22 (2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Sunil Chhetri (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Sunil Chhetri |
| Fair play award |  Maldives |
←2018 2023→ | |
Host selection
editOn 11 April 2018, SAFF decided to allowPakistanto host the tournament after the restoration ofPakistan Football Federation's membership byFIFAand since then it would be country's first international football tournaments.[4][5]However, on 15 September 2019, SAFF presidentKazi Salahuddinand general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal along with representatives of seven member countries decided to host the regional tournament in Bangladesh. This was to be the last edition to be held in even years, as it was decided that the subsequent editions would be held in odd years.[6][7]
However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,the tournament was postponed from its original date of 2020 to 2021,[8]and it was supposed to be held in September 2021.[9]Later, Bangladesh withdrew from hosting due to theCOVID-19 pandemicand lack of sponsors,[10][11]after whichNepalese Prime MinisterKP Sharma OliaskedAll Nepal Football Association(ANFA) to "initiate the process" of hosting the tournament in Nepal.[12]In July, the ANFA received an offer to host the tournament.[13][14]Meanwhile, theFootball Association of Maldivessubmitted their bid to host the tournament.[15][16]On 9 August 2021, Maldives was declared as the hosts after an online meeting of the executive committee.[2][3]
Participating nations
editThePakistan Football Federationwas sanctioned by FIFA in April 2021, hence they were ineligible to participate in the competition.[17]Bhutan initially abstained from participation as their government refused to permit the national football team to travel abroad.[18][19]However, Bhutan's withdrawal was only confirmed when the fixtures were released on 18 August 2021.[20]
| Country | Appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking 16 September 2021[21] |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bangladesh |
12th | Champions(2003) | 189 |
| India |
13th | Champions(1993,1997,1999,2005,2009,2011,2015) | 107 |
| Maldives |
11th | Champions(2008,2018) | 158 |
| Nepal |
13th | Third-Place (1993) | 168 |
 Sri Lanka |
13th | Champions(1995) | 205 |
Squads
editFor the list of squads that appeared in the tournament, see2021 SAFF Championship squads.
Venue
editTheNational Football Stadiumin capitalMaléhosted all the matches.
| Malé | |
|---|---|
| National Football Stadium | |
| Capacity:11,850[22] | |
|
Officials
edit- Referees
Yousif Saeed Hassan
Ammar Ashkanani
Majed Al-Shamrani
Feras Taweel
Sajëçon Zayniddinov
Akhrol Riskullaev
- Assistant Referees
- Ahmed Sabah
- Ahmed Sabah Qasim Al-Baghadi
- Yaquob Al-Mutairi
- Omar Ali Al-Jamal
- Mohamad Kazzaz
- Farhod Kuralov
- Husniddin Shodmonov
Group stage
editAfter the suspension ofPakistanand the withdrawal ofBhutan,the format was changed to a single group round robin format where the top two teams advance to the final.[23]
Table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 8 | Advance to the final |
| 2 | Nepal
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Maldives(H)
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bangladesh
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Sri Lanka
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head to Head; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored[24]
(H)Hosts
Matches
edit| Sri Lanka | 0–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Barman 56' (pen.) |
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | India |
|---|---|---|
| Arafat74' |
Report | Chhetri26' |
| India | 0–0 | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Maldives | 2–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Reza9' |
Report | Bista88' (pen.) |
Final
edit| India | 3–0 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Champion
edit| SAFF Championship 2021 |
|---|
 India Eighth title |
Awards
edit| Most Valuable Player | Top Scorer | Fair Play |
|---|---|---|
| Sunil Chhetri
|
Sunil Chhetri
|
Maldives
|
Goalscorers
editThere were 22 goals scored in 11 matches, for an average of 2 goals per match.
5 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Source:Soccerway
Prize money
editPrize money amounts were announced in 2021.[25]
| Position | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Champions | 50,000 |
| Runner-up | 25,000 |
| Total | 75,000 |
Broadcasting rights
edit| Country | Broadcaster[26] |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh |
T Sports |
| India |
Eurosport[27] |
| Maldives |
Yes TV |
| Nepal |
Action Sports[28] |
| Sri Lanka |
Supreme TV and Football SriLanka TV |
References
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- ^"Nepal receives an offer to host SAFF Championship 2021".Online Khabar English. 25 July 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2021.Retrieved28 July2021.
- ^Male, K. (2 August 2021)."Maldives officially submits bid to host SAFF Championship 2021".raajjee.Archivedfrom the original on 2 August 2021.Retrieved2 August2021.
- ^"Maldives Submits Bid To Host SAFF Championship 2021".goalnepal. 31 July 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 2 August 2021.Retrieved2 August2021.
- ^"FIFA suspends Chad and Pakistan football associations".FIFA.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2021.Retrieved7 April2021.
- ^"সাফ ফুটবলে খেলবে না বলছে ভুটান"(in Bengali). Daily Prothom Alo. 1 July 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2021.Retrieved24 July2021.
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- ^"Men's Ranking".FIFA.Archivedfrom the original on 16 September 2021.Retrieved16 September2021.
- ^"National Stadium Maldives".Soccerway.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2018.Retrieved11 August2021.
- ^Mukherjee, Soham (9 September 2021)."SAFF Championship 2021: Everything you need to know".Goal.Archivedfrom the original on 13 September 2021.Retrieved13 September2021.
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