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n an attempt to boost integration among its people, ASEAN will propose to FIFA that the 10 member countries jointly host the 2030 soccer World Cup.

Foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar — gathered here Sunday for a retreat meeting agreed to table their candidacy this year to jointly host the world’s biggest sporting event.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said it would be a psychological boost for ASEAN people to unite if they could jointly host the World Cup.

“This is a good way to boost our unity,” he said.

Surin said soccer was the most popular sport in ASEAN countries, with tens of millions of fans across the region.

‘The foreign ministers have tasked Malaysia to come up with a proposal so we can successfully bid to host the event,” he said.

The ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup last year hosted by Indonesia and Vietnam resulted in thousands of people standing in line just to get tickets to watch the games.

The frenzy did not end with coffee shop and media discussions. Fans hurriedly bought national team merchandise such as T-shirts and scarves, which quickly became hot selling items.

In Jakarta, fans jostled at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium to secure tickets to every game the national team played, and the enthusiasm led to riots at the stadium after supporters became angry because they could not get tickets for the second leg of the final against Malaysia.

Although Malaysia won the cup, the renewed enthusiasm for the sport and the national team continue to make headlines.

The same phenomena was evident in other ASEAN countries.

However, some journalists expressed skepticism over the ambitious plan to bid to host the World Cup, saying that the countries were too far apart to realistically host such an event.

“How would large numbers of fans and players travel from the Philippines to Thailand for a game? We must also consider the infrastructure here,” a senior journalist said.

Some officials, however, said that by 2030 development in the region would allow for more advanced infrastructure and thus connectivity would not be a problem.

“I think we will be integrated as a region [by 2030]. I am optimistic that distances won’t hamper our ambitions,” an official said. — JP