Topic
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia. It has 47 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continent. Australia, formerly in the OFC, joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, and the Oceanian island of Guam is also a member of AFC, in addition to Northern Mariana Islands. Hong Kong and Macau, although not independent countries are also members of the AFC. One of Fifa's six continental confederations, the AFC was formed officially on May 8, 1954 in Philippines. The main headquarters are located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The current president is Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.
Hong Kong’s first home international fixture for three years should be remembered for its play, not the booing of the national anthem by a minority of fans.
The success of China’s female footballers has again put their male counterparts in the shade, and their strength of character deserves to be rewarded.
The holding of an important regional football competition would help restore Hong Kong’s positive and safe image, but residents must be assured that players and officials will abide by coronavirus rules.
- Hong Kong drawn in demanding group, with coach Szeto Man-chiu admitting: ‘There were some weaker teams in the pots, but unfortunately we did not draw them’
- 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams will progress to finals in Qatar
Sports must do more to halt it, corruption detection expert says, with football hit by betting and alleged fixing storms and basketball seeing ‘explosion in fixing’.
Jorn Andersen’s team drawn in Group C for tournament, will face 3-time winners Iran, United Arab Emirates and Palestine. China given tricky draw, placed in Group A alongside defending champions Qatar.
Football chief Pui Kwan-kay believes ‘it will be easier for our players to adapt’ with the expected temperature similar to that of Hong Kong.
‘If Fifa and the AFC allow it and there’s a benefit for Asia then I don’t think there’s a problem with that,’ Saudi Arabia’s sports minister says.
HKFA vice-chairman Eric Fok says Hong Kong clubs being part of Chinese system important for growth of game in the city.
Du Zhaocai finishes last out of seven candidates in re-election with just 18 votes. Hong Kong football boss Eric Fok voted back in unopposed for AFC executive committee post.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo faces a wait to make his Al Nassr debut because the Saudi club have exceeded their quota for foreign players.
Portuguese superstar calls himself ‘unique player’ during introduction to Saudi club’s fans and says his work in Europe was done.
Portuguese star’s new club Al Nassr gets 2.5 million new followers on social media within 24 hours of announcing signing.
The Russian Football Union’s executive committee is expected to meet on Friday to talk about switch, with club and national teams banned from competition over country’s invasion of Ukraine.
As Saudi Arabia fuels speculation that it could host a future Summer Olympics, Qatar is rumoured to be mulling its fourth bid for the Games. But what about those ‘sportswashing’ charges?
Asian Football Confederation confirms India’s decision to pull out of selection process, but does not elaborate as to why.
Desert kingdom is already in the running to stage the men’s tournament in 2027, and national team coach Monika Staab says successful bid could ‘inspire a generation’.
Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman highlights ‘existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities’ of desert nation, which is hosting World Cup next month.
All gates should be unlocked 10 minutes before the end of a match, but on Saturday, 7 minutes after the final whistle, several doors were still locked, contributing to the disaster.
Sheik Salman of Bahrain will lead region’s governing body for final term until 2027, while Yasser Almisehal, the Saudi football federation president, is aiming to give his country its first member on the decision-making council since 2016.
The prospect of a new challenge with Eastern Long Lions proved too hard for Tamirlan Kozubaev to resist.
South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar left in running to host competition next summer. Football Australia bosses had previously said any bid would depend on event being moved to early 2024.
Japanese clubs will look to return to prominence when the Asian Champions League resumes on Thursday, with three J-League outfits among the eight teams remaining in the eastern side of the draw.
India’s highest court disbanded the All India Football Federation in May and appointed a three-member committee to govern the sport.
Australia, Jordan and Uzbekistan other countries to express interest in hosting the 12-team competition.
Deadline for four associations to submit bid documents is August 31, with Indonesia and Qatar also expressing an interest, according to Asian Football Confederation.
Deadline for submission of bids is in two days and Japan had previously been said to be interested.
James Johnson says tournament would clash with Women’s World Cup, which but Australia is co-hosting with New Zealand, but leaves door open for negotiations if Asian Cup dates change.
Brazilian scores in second half as Hong Kong Premier League side down Tainan City 3-1, meaning side could move on to next round depending on result of match between Eastern Long Lions and Tainan on Thursday.
Tsui Wang-kit was one of the two Hong Kong players to test positive before the Asian Cup qualifying tournament kicked off in Kolkata
Igor Stimac says domestic game in India at least a decade behind best in the region and calls for drastic changes to be made, including removing foreigners from club football.
9 players and 3 officials stuck in Bangkok after testing positive in transit from India, but 8 make it to Hong Kong and hail first Asian Cup berth since 1968.
