SAFA have confirmed that they will not make an official bit to host this year’s FIFA Club World Cup in South Africa.
The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Japan, but the Asian nation withdrew their interest due to challenges relating to COVID-19.
South Africa had been rumoured on being a potential replacements but there were question marks over the country being red-listed by the UK and fans being allowed back into the stadiums.
As a consequence of these issues, SAFA decided not to pursue the issue any further and confirmed they will not host the event.
“SAFA will liaise with the government regarding the return of fans to the stadiums that is a prerequisite for hosting the Club World Cup,” SAFA said in a statement.
“For South Africa to host the Club FIFA World Cup, the nation needs to reach the 70 percent vaccination threshold. South Africa is currently red listed by Great Britain where European champions Chelsea will come from, another possible hindrance to the process.
“Therefore, SAFA NEC resolved that they will not be pursuing the matter of hosting this event.”