The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to hold the knock-out stages of the Santosh Trophy in Saudi Arabia early next year. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey and secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with their Saudi Arabian counterparts to “study the possibility to stage the final stages of the Santosh Trophy in the West Asian country in February 2023”.

“The idea is to host the knock-out phase of Santosh Trophy in select cities of Saudi to encourage state-level players to dream big and connect the Indian community with Indian football and create a win-win situation for both the federations,” AIFF said in a release. The MoU was signed in Dammam.

“The agreement comes as part of the efforts of SAFF (Saudi Arabian Football Federation) and AIFF not only to enhance cooperation among key strategic partners in Asia but also to offer the opportunity to consolidate stronger bonds through football.” SAFF president Yasser AlMishal and general secretary Ibrahim Al Kassim signed the agreement on behalf of the West Asian country.

“It is a remarkable development. Our aim is to create a new platform for Indian football,” Chaubey said Prabhakaran said: “It is an out-of-the-box idea that will help our football to create a niche for itself.”