The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has backtracked from the proposed new format of home or away, instead deciding to hold the 15th edition of the SAFF Championship at a centralised venue.

An executive committee meeting of the regional football body, in its previous meeting, had in principle decided to hold the tournament in home or away basis. Some 23 matches were supposed to be played in that format, but according a new decision yesterday, the number of matches will be trimmed if held at a centralised venue like the 14 previous editions.

"The SAFF Championship will be held at a centralised venue instead of home or away format. Either Sri Lanka or India is going to be the host but the final decision was not taken at the meeting," BFF general secretary Emran Hossain, who attended the meeting virtually from Dhaka, informed The Daily Star.

The championship is likely to be held between June 20 and July 8.

A source within the SAFF informed that the executive committee, who held a nearly two-hour meeting in Kathmandu yesterday with physical and online presence of participating nations, AFC representatives and marketing agent SportFive, backtracked from the proposed format due to the political uncertainty and election concern in both Bangladesh and Pakistan as well as unavailability of venue in Bangladesh.