The 2021 SAFF Championship, known as Ooredoo SAFF Championship 2021 for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the thirteenth edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Initially, it was decided to be hosted by Pakistan in 2020, but was postponed to September 2021 in Bangladesh. However, the tournament was postponed again to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Maldives as 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 |
Host selection
On 11 April 2018, SAFF decided to allow Pakistan to host the tournament after the restoration of Pakistan Football Federation's membership by FIFA and since then it would be country's first international football tournaments.[4][5][6] However, on 15 September 2019, SAFF president Kazi Salahuddin and 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.[7][8]
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed from its original date of 2020 to 2021,[9] and it was supposed to be held in September 2021.[10] Later, Bangladesh withdrew from hosting due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of sponsors,[11][12] after which Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) to "initiate the process" of hosting the tournament in Nepal.[13] In July, the ANFA received an offer to host the tournament.[14][15] Meanwhile, the Football Association of Maldives submitted their bid to host the tournament.[16][17] On 9 August 2021, Maldives was declared as the hosts after an online meeting of the executive committee.[2][3]
Participating nations
The Pakistan Football Federation was sanctioned by FIFA in April 2021, hence they were ineligible to participate in the competition.[18] Bhutan initially abstained from participation as their government refused to permit the national football team to travel abroad.[19][20] However, Bhutan's withdrawal was only confirmed when the fixtures were released on 18 August 2021.[21]
| Country | Appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking 16 September 2021[22] |
|---|---|---|---|
 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
For the list of squads that appeared in the tournament, see 2021 SAFF Championship squads.
Venue
The National Football Stadium in capital Malé hosted all the matches.
| Malé | |
|---|---|
| National Football Stadium | |
| Capacity: 11,850[23] | |
 |
Officials
- 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
After the suspension of Pakistan and the withdrawal of Bhutan, the format was changed to a single group round robin format where the top two teams advance to the final.[24]
Table
| 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[25]
(H) Hosts
Matches
| Sri Lanka | 0–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Barman  56' (pen.) |
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | India |
|---|---|---|
| Arafat 74' | Report | Chhetri 26' |
| India | 0–0 | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Maldives | 2–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Reza 9' | Report | Bista 88' (pen.) |
Final
| India | 3–0 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Champion
| SAFF Championship 2021 |
|---|
 India Eighth title |
Awards
| Most Valuable Player | Top Scorer | Fair Play |
|---|---|---|
| Sunil Chhetri | Sunil Chhetri | Maldives |
Goalscorers
There 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
Prize money amounts were announced in 2021.[26]
| Position | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Champions | 50,000 |
| Runner-up | 25,000 |
| Total | 75,000 |
Broadcasting rights
| Country | Broadcaster[27] |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | T Sports |
| India | Eurosport[28] |
| Maldives | Yes TV |
| Nepal | Action Sports[29] |
| Sri Lanka | Supreme TV and Football SriLanka TV |