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Qatar to host AFC Asian Cup 2023™
India and Saudi Arabia shortlisted for 2027 edition The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has today confirmed the Qatar Football Association (QFA) as the host association for the AFC Asian Cup 2023™.



Chairing the 11^th AFC Executive Committee meeting, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated the QFA on their successful bid and also conveyed the appreciation of the Asian football family to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Korea Football Association (KFA) for their commendable proposals.
He said: “On behalf of the AFC and the Asian football family, I want to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on being awarded the hosting rights of the upcoming edition of the AFC Asian Cup™.
“We must also thank the Football Association of Indonesia and the Korea Football Association for outlining their intentions to stage the tournament.
“Qatar’s capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe.
“I must also commend the AFC for showcasing utmost professionalism in conducting a fair and transparent expedited bidding process and I thank all our commercial partners and sponsors for their patience during these unprecedented times.
“Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel.”
Qatar is the reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions and will be hosting the Continent’s most prestigious men’s tournament for the third time after staging the 1988 and 2011 editions.
The AFC Executive Committee also deliberated upon the bidding proposals for the AFC Asian Cup 2027™ and shortlisted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) as the final two bidders with the hosting decision to be taken by the AFC Congress at its next meeting in February 2023.
The decision brings to a close the bid proposal of the QFA who were considered to have withdrawn from the 2027 race following their successful 2023 bid in accordance with the applicable bidding regulations.
Football Australia withdrew from the AFC Asian Cup 2023™ bidding process on September 1, 2022, while the Uzbekistan Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran officially withdrew their bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027™ on December 14, 2020, and October 13, 2022, respectively.
The AFC President added: “Again, we thank our three Member Associations – the All India Football Federation, the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation – for submitting strong bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027™.
“We must also acknowledge the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran and the Uzbekistan Football Association for signalling their intent to host the 2027 edition and Football Australia for indicating their interest in the 2023 tournament.
“Across our competitions, we are seeing our digital engagement and TV viewership grow in record numbers and it is our responsibility to ensure that each tournament surpasses the achievements of the previous edition.
“In the All India Football Federation and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, we have two exemplary bids, and I am confident that the Qatar Football Association will strengthen the foundations for the eventual 2027 hosts to build upon.”
At the outset, heartfelt condolences were offered by the members to the PSSI as well as the families and loved ones of the precious lives lost at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang city, Indonesia, earlier this month.
Rich tributes were also paid to the late Football Association of Singapore President, Mr. Lim Kia Tong, who was also the Chairperson of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.
Leading the eulogies, the AFC President said: “It was indeed a painful loss, and our hearts and support go to the families and friends of the victims and the Football Association of Indonesia.
“Last month, we also lost our dear brother and friend, Lim Kia Tong. We will miss him, and Lim will live on in our hearts and continue to inspire us with his legacy of integrity, professionalism, and love for the game.”
Further, Shaikh Salman expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming response received for his candidacy for re-election to the position of the AFC President.
“Let me thank all of you for your incredible support and convey my gratitude for all your contributions as we approach the final stages of this Executive Committee’s term (2019 to 2023),” said the AFC President.
“The rapid development of Asian football would not have been possible without your support and unity of purpose so clearly demonstrated time and again.”
The AFC President also used the occasion to thank FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the unstinted support received by the Asian football family and reiterated the AFC’s support for President Infantino’s re-election to the position of FIFA President.
The AFC Executive Committee also ratified the decisions of all the Standing Committees since its last meeting, most notably the AFC Competitions Committee’s recommendation to award the hosting rights of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024™ to the QFA.
Similarly, the AFC Development Committee’s recommendation to introduce the new consolidated AFC Enhance Programme Regulations was also ratified.
The AFC Social Responsibility Committee Chairperson Zaw Zaw was appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dream Asia Foundation by the Executive Committee who were also apprised of the finalisation of the AFC Social Responsibility Strategy.
Continuing in the social responsibility sphere, the AFC’s recently approved member of the United Nations Football for the Goals initiative was also highlighted and welcomed by the Executive Committee.



AFC Asian Cup 2023™ සත්කාරකත්වය දරනු ලබන්නේ කටාර්ය
ඉන්දියාව සහ සෞදි අරාබිය 2027 සංස්කරණය සඳහා කෙටි ලැයිස්තුගත කෙරෙන අතර, ආසියානු පාපන්දු සම්මේලනයේ (AFC) විධායක කමිටුව අද AFC ආසියානු කුසලාන 2023 සඳහා සත්කාරක රට ලෙස කටාර් පාපන්දු සංගමය (QFA) තහවුරු කර ඇත.
11 වන AFC විධායක කමිටු රැස්වීමේ මුලසුන දරමින්, AFC සභාපති Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa QFA ඔවුන්ගේ සාර්ථක ලංසුවට සුබ පැතූ අතර ආසියානු පාපන්දු සම්මේලනය විසින් ප්රශංසනීය යෝජනා සදහා ඉන්දුනීසියාවේ පාපන්දු සංගමයට (PSSI) සහ කොරියානු පාපන්දු සංගමයට ( KFA) ප්රණාමය පිළිගන්වන ලදී.
ඔහු මෙසේ පැවසීය: “AFC සහ ආසියානු පාපන්දු පවුල වෙනුවෙන්, AFC Asian Cup™ හි එළඹෙන සංස්කරණයේ සත්කාරක අයිතිය ප්රදානය කිරීම පිළිබඳව කටාර් පාපන්දු සංගමයට මම සුබ පතන්නෙමි.
“තරගාවලිය වේදිකාගත කිරීමට ඔවුන්ගේ අභිප්රාය ගෙනහැර දැක්වීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් අපි ඉන්දුනීසියාවේ පාපන්දු සංගමයට සහ කොරියානු පාපන්දු සංගමයට ස්තූතිවන්ත විය යුතුයි.
“ප්රධාන ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩා ඉසව් පැවැත්වීමේ කටාර්හි හැකියාවන් සහ වාර්තාව සහ විස්තර සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ සූක්ෂම අවධානය ලොව පුරා ප්රශංසනීයයි.
“සාධාරණ සහ විනිවිදභාවයෙන් යුත් කඩිනම් ලංසු තැබීමේ ක්රියාවලියක් පැවැත්වීමේදී AFC හට ඉහළම වෘත්තීයභාවය ප්රදර්ශනය කිරීම පිළිබඳවද මා ප්රශංසා කළ යුතු අතර මෙම පෙර නොවූ විරූ කාලවලදී ඉවසීමෙන් කටයුතු කිරීම පිළිබඳව අපගේ සියලුම වාණිජ හවුල්කරුවන්ට සහ අනුග්රාහකයින්ට මම ස්තූතිවන්ත වෙමි.
සූදානම් වීමේ කෙටි කාලසීමාව සැලකිල්ලට ගෙන, වෙහෙස මහන්සි වී වැඩ කිරීම වහාම ආරම්භ වන බව අපි දනිමු, නමුත් ඔවුන්ගේ පවතින ලෝක මට්ටමේ යටිතල පහසුකම් සහ අසමසම සත්කාරක හැකියාවන් සමඟ, ආසියාවේ ඔටුන්න හිමි ආභරණයේ කීර්තියට හා පෞරුෂයට සරිලන වටිනා සංදර්ශනයක් කටාර් විසින් පවත්වනු ඇති බව අපට විශ්වාසයි. ”
කටාර් යනු AFC Asian Cup ශූරයන් වන අතර 1988 සහ 2011 සංස්කරණ පැවැත්වීමෙන් පසු තුන්වන වරටත් මහාද්වීපයේ වඩාත්ම කීර්තිමත් පිරිමි තරඟාවලියට සත්කාරකත්වය සපයනු ඇත.
AFC විධායක කමිටුව විසින් AFC ආසියානු කුසලාන 2027™ සඳහා වන ලංසු යෝජනා පිළිබඳව ද සාකච්ඡා කළ අතර සත්කාරක තීරණය සමඟින් සමස්ත ඉන්දීය පාපන්දු සම්මේලනය (AIFF) සහ Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) අවසන් ලංසුකරුවන් දෙදෙනා ලෙස කෙටි ලැයිස්තුගත කරන ලදී. AFC කොංග්රසය 2023 පෙබරවාරි මාසයේදී එහි මීළඟ රැස්වීමේදී.
අදාළ ලංසු තැබීමේ රෙගුලාසිවලට අනුකූලව ඔවුන්ගේ සාර්ථක 2023 ලංසුවෙන් පසුව 2027 තරඟයෙන් ඉවත් වූවා යැයි සැලකෙන QFA හි ලංසු යෝජනාව මෙම තීරණය අවසන් කරයි.
පාපන්දු ඕස්ට්රේලියාව AFC Asian Cup 2023™ ලංසු තැබීමේ ක්රියාවලියෙන් 2022 සැප්තැම්බර් 1 වන දින ඉවත් වූ අතර, Uzbekistan පාපන්දු සංගමය සහ ඉරාන පාපන්දු සම්මේලනය ඉස්ලාමීය ජනරජය 2020 දෙසැම්බර් 14 වන දින AFC Asian Cup 2027™ සත්කාරකත්වය සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ ලංසු නිල වශයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්කර ගන්නා ලදී. 2022 ඔක්තෝබර් 13, පිළිවෙලින්.
AFC සභාපතිවරයා තවදුරටත් මෙසේ පැවසීය: “නැවතත්, අපි අපගේ සාමාජික සංගම් තුනට – සමස්ත ඉන්දීය පාපන්දු සම්මේලනය, කටාර් පාපන්දු සංගමය සහ සෞදි අරාබි පාපන්දු සම්මේලනය – AFC Asian Cup 2027™ සත්කාරකත්වය සඳහා ශක්තිමත් ලංසු ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම ගැන ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙමු.
අභාවප්රාප්ත සිංගප්පූරු පාපන්දු සංගමයේ සභාපති, AFC විනය හා ආචාර ධර්ම කමිටුවේ සභාපතිවරයාද වූ Lim Kia Tong මහතාට ද උත්තමාචාර පුද කරන ලදී.
ප්රශංසාවට නායකත්වය දෙමින් AFC සභාපතිවරයා මෙසේ පැවසීය: “එය ඇත්තෙන්ම වේදනාකාරී පාඩුවක්, අපගේ හදවත් සහ සහයෝගය විපතට පත් වූවන්ගේ පවුල්වලට සහ මිතුරන්ට සහ ඉන්දුනීසියාවේ පාපන්දු සංගමයට ලැබේ.
“පසුගිය මාසයේදී අපට අපේ ආදරණීය සහෝදරයා සහ මිතුරා වූ ලිම් කියා ටොං ද අහිමි විය. අපට ඔහුව මග හැරෙනු ඇත, ලිම් අපගේ හදවත් තුළ ජීවත් වන අතර ඔහුගේ අඛණ්ඩතාව, වෘත්තීයභාවය සහ ක්රීඩාවට ඇති ආදරය සමඟින් අපව දිරිමත් කරනු ඇත.
තවද, ෂෙයික් සල්මාන් AFC සභාපති ධුරයට නැවත තේරී පත්වීම සඳහා තමාට ලැබුණු ඉහළ ප්රතිචාරය පිළිබඳව කෘතඥතාව පළ කළේය.
“මෙම විධායක කමිටු වාරයේ (2019 සිට 2023 දක්වා) අවසන් අදියරට එළඹෙන විට ඔබගේ ඇදහිය නොහැකි සහයෝගයට ඔබ සැමට ස්තූතිවන්ත වන අතර ඔබගේ සියලු දායකත්වයන් සඳහා මගේ කෘතඥතාව පළ කිරීමට මට ඉඩ දෙන්න,” AFC සභාපති පැවසීය.
“ඔබගේ සහයෝගය සහ අරමුණේ එකමුතුකම නැවත නැවතත් පැහැදිලිව පෙන්නුම් කළේ නම් ආසියානු පාපන්දු ක්රීඩාවේ වේගවත් සංවර්ධනයක් සිදු නොවනු ඇත.”
AFC සභාපතිවරයා FIFA සභාපති Gianni Infantino වෙත ආසියානු පාපන්දු පවුලෙන් ලැබුණු අසීමිත සහයෝගයට ස්තූති කිරීමට ද මෙම අවස්ථාව භාවිතා කළ අතර FIFA සභාපති ධුරයට Infantino නැවත තේරී පත්වීම සඳහා AFC හි සහයෝගය නැවත අවධාරණය කළේය.
AFC විධායක කමිටුව සිය අවසන් රැස්වීමේ සිට සියලුම ස්ථාවර කමිටුවල තීරණ අනුමත කරන ලදී, විශේෂයෙන් AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024™ හි සත්කාරක අයිතිය QFA වෙත ප්රදානය කිරීමට AFC තරඟ කමිටුවේ නිර්දේශය.
ඒ හා සමානව, නව ඒකාබද්ධ AFC වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමේ වැඩසටහන් රෙගුලාසි හඳුන්වාදීම සඳහා AFC සංවර්ධන කමිටුවේ නිර්දේශය ද අනුමත කරන ලදී.
AFC සමාජ වගකීම් කමිටු සභාපති Zaw Zaw, Dream Asia පදනමේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයේ සාමාජිකයෙකු ලෙස පත් කරන ලද අතර, විධායක කමිටුව විසින් AFC සමාජ වගකීම් උපායමාර්ගය අවසන් කිරීම පිළිබඳව ද දැනුවත් කරන ලදී.
සමාජ වගකීම් ක්ෂේත්රයේ ඉදිරියට යමින්, AFC හි මෑතකදී අනුමත කරන ලද ඉලක්ක සඳහා වන එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ පාපන්දු සාමාජිකයා ද විධායක කමිටුව විසින් උද්දීපනය කර පිළිගනු ලැබීය.
கத்தார் AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2023™ நடத்த உள்ளது
இந்தியா மற்றும் சவூதி அரேபியா ஆகியவை 2027 பதிப்பிற்கான பட்டியலிடப்படும், அதே நேரத்தில் ஆசிய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பின் (AFC) நிர்வாகக் குழு இன்று கத்தார் கால்பந்து சங்கத்தை (QFA) AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2023க்கான நடத்தும் நாடாக உறுதிப்படுத்தியுள்ளது.
11வது AFC செயற்குழு கூட்டத்திற்கு தலைமை தாங்கிய AFC தலைவர் ஷேக் சல்மான் பின் இப்ராஹிம் அல் கலீஃபா QFA அவர்களின் வெற்றிகரமான முயற்சிக்கு வாழ்த்து தெரிவித்தார் மற்றும் ஆசிய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு இந்தோனேசியாவின் கால்பந்து சங்கம் (PSSI) மற்றும் கொரியா கால்பந்து சங்கம் (KFA) அவர்களின் பாராட்டுக்குரிய திட்டங்களுக்கு பாராட்டியது.
அவர் கூறினார்: “AFC மற்றும் ஆசிய கால்பந்து குடும்பத்தின் சார்பாக, AFC ஆசிய கோப்பையின் வரவிருக்கும் பதிப்பை நடத்தும் உரிமையை கத்தார் கால்பந்து சங்கம் வழங்கியதற்காக நான் வாழ்த்த விரும்புகிறேன்.
“போட்டியை நடத்துவதற்கான தங்கள் விருப்பத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தியதற்காக இந்தோனேசியாவின் கால்பந்து சங்கம் மற்றும் கொரியா கால்பந்து சங்கத்திற்கு நன்றி தெரிவிக்க விரும்புகிறோம்.
“முக்கிய சர்வதேச விளையாட்டு நிகழ்வுகளை நடத்துவதில் கத்தாரின் திறமைகள் மற்றும் சாதனைகள் மற்றும் விவரங்களுக்கு அவர்களின் உன்னிப்பான கவனம் ஆகியவை உலகம் முழுவதும் போற்றப்படுகின்றன.
“நியாயமான மற்றும் வெளிப்படையான விரைவு ஏல செயல்முறையை நடத்துவதில் மிக உயர்ந்த தொழில்முறையை வெளிப்படுத்தியதற்காக AFC ஐ நான் பாராட்ட வேண்டும், மேலும் இந்த முன்னோடியில்லாத காலங்களில் பொறுமையாக இருந்த எங்கள் வணிக பங்காளிகள் மற்றும் ஸ்பான்சர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் நன்றி தெரிவிக்க வேண்டும்.
குறுகிய தயாரிப்புக் காலத்தைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு, கடின உழைப்பு உடனடியாகத் தொடங்கும் என்பதை நாங்கள் அறிவோம், ஆனால் தற்போதுள்ள உலகத் தரம் வாய்ந்த உள்கட்டமைப்பு மற்றும் ஒப்பிடமுடியாத ஹோஸ்டிங் திறன்களுடன், ஆசியாவின் மகுடமான மாணிக்கத்தின் கௌரவம் மற்றும் ஆளுமைக்கு ஏற்ற வகையில் கத்தார் ஒரு தகுதியான நிகழ்ச்சியை நடத்தும் என்று நாங்கள் நம்புகிறோம். “
கத்தார் நடப்பு AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை சாம்பியன்கள் மற்றும் 1988 மற்றும் 2011 பதிப்புகளை நடத்திய பிறகு மூன்றாவது முறையாக கண்டத்தின் மிகவும் மதிப்புமிக்க ஆண்கள் போட்டியை நடத்தும்.
AFC செயற்குழு, AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2027™க்கான ஏல முன்மொழிவுகளையும் விவாதித்தது மற்றும் நடத்தும் முடிவோடு, அகில இந்திய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு (AIFF) மற்றும் சவுதி அரேபிய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு (SAFF) ஆகிய இரண்டு இறுதி ஏலதாரர்களாக தேர்வு செய்யப்பட்டன. AFC காங்கிரஸ் பிப்ரவரி 2023 இல் அதன் அடுத்த கூட்டத்தில்.
சம்பந்தப்பட்ட ஏல விதிமுறைகளின்படி 2023 ஏலத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்றதைத் தொடர்ந்து 2027 போட்டியில் இருந்து விலகியதாகக் கருதப்பட்ட QFA இன் ஏல முன்மொழிவை இந்த முடிவு முடிக்கிறது.
கால்பந்து ஆஸ்திரேலியா AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2023™ ஏல செயல்முறையிலிருந்து செப்டம்பர் 1, 2022 அன்று விலகியது, அதே நேரத்தில் உஸ்பெகிஸ்தான் கால்பந்து சங்கம் மற்றும் ஈரான் இஸ்லாமிய குடியரசு கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு ஆகியவை AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2027™ ஐ 14 டிசம்பர் 2020 அன்று நடத்துவதற்கான ஏலத்தை அதிகாரப்பூர்வமாக திரும்பப் பெற்றன. முறையே 13 அக்டோபர் 2022.
AFC தலைவர் மேலும் கூறியதாவது: “AFC ஆசிய கோப்பை 2027™ ஐ நடத்த வலுவான ஏலத்தை சமர்ப்பித்ததற்காக எங்கள் மூன்று உறுப்பினர் சங்கங்களான அகில இந்திய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு, கத்தார் கால்பந்து சங்கம் மற்றும் சவூதி அரேபிய கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு ஆகியவற்றுக்கு மீண்டும் நன்றி தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறோம்.
சிங்கப்பூர் கால்பந்து சங்கத்தின் மறைந்த தலைவர் திரு லிம் கியா டோங் அவர்களுக்கும் அஞ்சலி செலுத்தப்பட்டது, அவர் AFC ஒழுங்குமுறை மற்றும் நெறிமுறைக் குழுவின் தலைவராகவும் இருந்தார்.
புகழுக்கு தலைமை தாங்கிய AFC தலைவர் கூறினார்: “இது உண்மையிலேயே வேதனையான இழப்பு, எங்கள் இதயங்களும் ஆதரவும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களின் குடும்பங்கள் மற்றும் நண்பர்களுக்கும் இந்தோனேசிய கால்பந்து சங்கத்திற்கும் செல்கிறது.
“கடந்த மாதம் நாங்கள் எங்கள் அன்பான சகோதரரும் நண்பருமான லிம் கியா டோங்கை இழந்தோம். நாங்கள் அவரை இழப்போம், லிம் நம் இதயங்களில் வாழ்வார் மற்றும் அவரது நேர்மை, தொழில்முறை மற்றும் விளையாட்டின் மீதான காதல் ஆகியவற்றால் நம்மை ஊக்குவிப்பார்.
மேலும், ஷேக் சல்மான் AFC தலைவராக மீண்டும் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டதற்கு கிடைத்த அமோக வரவேற்பிற்கு நன்றி தெரிவித்தார்.
“இந்த செயற்குழுக் காலத்தின் (2019 முதல் 2023 வரை) இறுதிக் கட்டத்திற்குள் நுழைந்து, உங்கள் அனைத்து பங்களிப்புகளுக்கும் எனது நன்றியைத் தெரிவிக்க அனுமதிக்கும் போது, உங்கள் அபாரமான ஆதரவிற்கு அனைவருக்கும் நன்றி” என்று AFC தலைவர் கூறினார்.
“உங்கள் ஆதரவையும் நோக்கத்தின் ஒற்றுமையையும் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் தெளிவாக வெளிப்படுத்தியிருந்தால் ஆசிய கால்பந்தின் விரைவான வளர்ச்சி ஏற்பட்டிருக்காது.”
ஆசிய கால்பந்து குடும்பத்தின் அசைக்க முடியாத ஆதரவிற்காக FIFA தலைவர் கியானி இன்ஃபான்டினோவுக்கு நன்றி தெரிவிக்க AFC தலைவர் இந்த சந்தர்ப்பத்தைப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொண்டார், மேலும் FIFA தலைவராக இன்ஃபான்டினோ மீண்டும் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்படுவதற்கு AFC இன் ஆதரவை மீண்டும் வலியுறுத்தினார்.
AFC செயற்குழு, அதன் கடைசிக் கூட்டத்தில் இருந்து அனைத்து நிலைக்குழுக்களின் முடிவுகளுக்கு ஒப்புதல் அளித்தது, குறிப்பாக AFC U23 ஆசிய கோப்பை 2024™ இன் ஹோஸ்டிங் உரிமைகளை QFA க்கு வழங்குவதற்கான AFC போட்டிக் குழுவின் பரிந்துரை.
இதேபோல், புதிய ஒருங்கிணைந்த AFC மேம்பாட்டுத் திட்ட விதிமுறைகளை அறிமுகப்படுத்துவதற்கான AFC மேம்பாட்டுக் குழுவின் பரிந்துரையும் அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்டது.
AFC சமூகப் பொறுப்புக் குழுவின் தலைவர் Zaw Zaw டிரீம் ஆசியா அறக்கட்டளை அறங்காவலர் குழுவின் உறுப்பினராக நியமிக்கப்பட்டார், மேலும் AFC சமூகப் பொறுப்பு உத்தியை இறுதி செய்வது குறித்து நிர்வாகக் குழுவுக்கும் விளக்கப்பட்டது.
சமூகப் பொறுப்புணர்வுத் துறையில் முன்னேறி, செயற்குழு, AFC யின் சமீபத்தில் அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட ஐ.நா. கால்பந்து உறுப்பினர்களின் இலக்குகளை முன்னிலைப்படுத்தி வரவேற்றது.
News
BALL BLASTER 2026: SRI LANKA’S BIGGEST SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER
24 Schools, 15 Venues and Three National Trophies as Ball Blaster Enters Its Third Year
COLOMBO — Ball Blaster, Sri Lanka’s premier school football tournament, is set to return in 2026 with its biggest edition yet, organized by Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and the Ministry of Education.
Now entering its third year, Ball Blaster has grown from 2023 with 20 schools into one of the country’s largest youth football events. The 2025 edition featured 16 schools competing across four groups, drawing national broadcast attention through Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO TV. For 2026, the tournament expands significantly, with 24 schools set to compete across 15 venues nationwide, in a season spanning six weeks and 84 matches.
A NEW FORMAT: THREE TROPHIES, THREE CHAMPIONS
The standout feature of Ball Blaster 2026 is a new three-tier trophy format. Schools will be drawn into four groups of six, playing a round-robin group stage before advancing into one of three parallel championships based on their group finish: the Cup Trophy for group winners, the Bowl Trophy for runners-up, and the Plate Trophy for second runners-up. The format ensures every participating school remains in contention for a national title deep into the tournament.
All three championships will reach their conclusion on the same finals weekend, with third-place playoffs and grand finals for the Cup, Bowl and Plate trophies all being played at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.
“Ball Blaster has always been about giving young footballers a stage,” said a spokesperson for Aasgard Sports. “This year, we’re expanding that stage to every corner of the island, and making sure every school that takes part has something real to play for, right to the final whistle.”
BUILDING ON A STRONG 2025
Ball Blaster’s growth has been underpinned by strong sponsor support. The 2025 edition was backed by Lifebuoy as Title Sponsor, alongside Lemonade as Refreshing Partner and Sky Market Travels as Travelling Partner. Organizers say conversations are already underway with returning and new sponsors ahead of the 2026 season, as the tournament’s expanded scale — nationwide venues, a longer season and three separate finals — offers significantly greater visibility for partners.
BROADCAST AND COVERAGE
As in previous years, Ball Blaster 2026 will be broadcast live via Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO Sports, with matches also available on YouTube and across Sri Lankan Sports TV’s digital platforms.
For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact: Pasindu Mihiranga Sri Lankan Sports TV | Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited 0726 85 18 18 marketing@srilankansportstv.com
www.srilankansportstv.com
Football
Jaswar Umar Hails FIFA Series as Turning Point for Sri Lankan Football
Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar has described the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo as a major milestone for the country’s football development, saying the tournament has given Sri Lanka renewed confidence and a stronger connection with the international game.
Umar, who has been involved in efforts to strengthen Sri Lankan football administration and development, said hosting the tournament demonstrated that developing football nations could compete on the global stage when given meaningful opportunities.
The FIFA Series, held in Colombo in March 2024, brought Sri Lanka together with Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic. The four participating nations represented three different confederations, giving Sri Lanka an unusual opportunity to face teams with different playing styles.
Sri Lanka completed its campaign unbeaten, drawing 0-0 against Papua New Guinea and defeating Bhutan 2-0. Umar said the matches provided valuable experience for the national team and helped players adapt to different forms of international competition.

He stressed that the benefits extended beyond the football field. Sri Lankan officials involved in administration, technical operations, media, medical services and event management gained practical experience in organising matches to international standards.
The Racecourse Ground also received an important upgrade through assistance from FIFA’s Forward Programme. The renovation enabled the historic Colombo venue to host international football and created improved facilities for future events.
Umar said one of the most important achievements was bringing international football closer to Sri Lankan supporters. Young fans were able to watch national players compete against foreign opposition in their own city, helping to inspire a new generation.
He thanked FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino for supporting developing football nations.
According to Umar, the FIFA Series has left Sri Lanka with more than match results. It has provided international experience, stronger administrative capabilities, improved infrastructure and, most importantly, renewed belief in the future of Sri Lankan football.
Cricket
Dulani’s sparkling century powers Sri Lanka to thrilling victory
Imesha Dulani stole the spotlight with a sensational unbeaten century as Sri Lanka Women chased down a formidable target of 177 to register a convincing six-wicket victory over Pakistan Women in the first T20I worked off at Dambulla international Stadium.
Pakistan looked set for victory after posting a competitive 176 for 7 in their 20 overs. Captain Muneeba Ali gave the innings early momentum with a fluent 42 off 24 balls, while Shawaal Zulfiqar anchored the innings superbly with a brilliant 63 from 41 deliveries, striking 10 fours and a six. Eman Naseer added a valuable 21, while Ayesha Zafar and Saira Jabeen played aggressive cameos in the closing overs to push Pakistan to an above-par total.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Kavisha Dilhari leading the way with two dismissals. Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari and Kawya Kavindi chipped in with one wicket apiece, while disciplined fielding produced two crucial run-outs.
The chase belonged entirely to Dulani, who delivered the innings of the match. Displaying confidence, composure and a wide range of attacking strokes, she remained unbeaten on 101 from just 64 balls, smashing 17 boundaries and a six. Her innings combined elegance with controlled aggression, ensuring Sri Lanka stayed ahead of the required rate throughout the chase.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu provided the ideal platform with a sparkling 39 off 22 balls, adding 78 for the opening wicket before Nashra Sandhu broke the partnership. Although Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, Dulani remained firmly in control, rotating the strike effectively before accelerating when it mattered most.
Kavisha Dilhari contributed 11 valuable runs, while Nilakshika Silva remained unbeaten on nine as Sri Lanka reached 177 for 4 in 19 overs, sealing victory with six balls to spare.
Pakistan spinner Nashra Sandhu finished with two wickets, but she could do little to halt Dulani’s memorable knock.
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