Iran, India miss bid deadline for 2011 Asian Cup

AFP - Iran has missed the deadline to submit its bid to host the 2011 Asian Cup and India has pulled out of the race, leaving Qatar as the only candidate left.

Qatar handed in its bid on June 19, two days before the deadline, but India and Iran failed to follow suit, the Asian Football Confederation said Monday.

The All India Football Federation said it would not be able to meet the huge and stringent infrastructural requirements necessary to host Asia's premiere football event, but there was no reason given for Iran failing to submit a bid.

All three countries had expressed a desire to host the event.

A decision will be rubberstamped on July 29, the day of the final of the 2007 Asian Cup in Jakarta. This year's event is being co-hosted by Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, with Japan the defending champions.

Qatar, which successfully held the Asian Games in Doha in December last year, has played host to the Asian Cup once before, in 1988 when it was won by Saudi Arabia.