SAFF Championship likely in Dhaka in November, says general secretary

The South Asian Football Federation is considering rescheduling the SAFF Championship to November, with Dhaka remaining the likely host city, according to SAFF general secretary Purushottam Kattel.

“We had an initial plan to hold the Championship in September-October in Dhaka, but now we are considering shifting it to November, tentatively from November 4 to 17 following India's desire to participate in the ASEAN Cup,” Kattel told reporters during a press briefing ahead of Tuesday's SAFF Women’s Championship semifinal between Bangladesh and Nepal at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.

Kattel said the regional body is also exploring the possibility of staging the tournament across two venues, although no final decision has been taken.

“We are considering holding the championship in two venues, though nothing has been finalised yet,” he said.

The SAFF chief also revealed plans to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the first time in the tournament's history, describing it as a “progressive start”, despite the fact that no SAFF member nation currently operates the costly technology in its domestic competitions.

Kattel further said SAFF is aiming to conduct the draw for the seven-team tournament later this month.