The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), together with the Qatar Football Association (QFA), have today confirmed Doha, Qatar as the venue for this year’s AFC Champions League single-leg Final, which will be held on December 19, 2020, according to the AFC press service.
“With the successful conclusion of the AFC Champions League 2020 (West) in Qatar recently, as well as the upcoming preparations to host the East region matches next month, the AFC noted that the QFA met all the necessary hosting capability and capacity and medical infrastructure to host the Final of Asia’s premier club competition,” added the AFC.
This is while Iranian fans were expecting the holding of the match in Tehran as Persepolis is one side of the final and the final of 2019 edition had been staged in the East Zone.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made the decision on the venue for this year’s Final more complex particularly in these uncertain times of travel and health restrictions,” AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John said.
“In addition to the numerous restrictions, the AFC also wanted to protect the important principle of sporting fair play. This will be, unlike previous years, a one-off final and we therefore needed to ensure that there was no unfair advantage to one team or the other.”
“The safety and wellbeing of all participating clubs as well as the protection of all stakeholders has been crucial to the AFC so we must thank the Qatar Football Association and the Qatar Local Authorities and Ministries for putting in place the necessary health measures and effective medical protocols,” he said, adding, “The successful staging of the AFC Champions League (West) is testament to the capability of the QFA and the Qatar Government and we now look forward to building on the spirit of collaboration as we prepare to resume the captivating action from the East Group Stage to the Final.”
Additionally, the AFC also had to consider the ability of the host to deliver such requirements among others, the Video Assistant Referee technical arrangements, medical requirements and commercial obligations.
QFA Secretary General Mansoor Mohammed Al-Ansari, said: “Given the success of hosting the centralised West region matches in close collaboration with the AFC, and the preparation for the centralised East matches next month, we are confident that we will be able to deliver an outstanding AFC Champions League Final.”
MAH/PR
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