Preliminaries & Play-offs: Ones to watch

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Preliminaries & Play-offs: Ones to watch

Kuala Lumpur: The qualifying rounds for the 2020 AFC Cup begin this week with key games taking place in the ASEAN, South and West Zones on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

With the group stage of the AFC Cup in sight ahead of the five games across the Continent, the-AFC.com has picked out five players to look out for in the first legs of the Qualifiers.

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Exciting 2020 AFC Cup journey begins

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Exciting 2020 AFC Cup journey begins

Kuala Lumpur: Aspiring Asian clubs will begin their quest for AFC Cup glory when Palestine’s Hilal Alquds Club host Sur Club from Oman at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium at 2pm local time on Tuesday.

Hilal Alquds Club, aiming for a second straight appearance in the group stage of the AFC Cup, square off in the first leg of the play-off against Sur Club who are making their return to the competition for the first time since 2008.

The 2020 AFC Cup will be immensely significant for the participating teams, as for the first time-ever, the champions will automatically qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League in the play-off stage.

ASEAN and East Asia Domestic Wrap: Melbourne City close gap

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ASEAN and East Asia Domestic Wrap: Melbourne City close gap

Kuala Lumpur: With runaway A-League leaders Sydney FC not in action at the weekend, second-placed Melbourne City narrowed the gap to eight points and left Newcastle Jets looking increasingly stranded at the foot of the table. 

Elsewhere in ASEAN, Yangon United and Hantharwady United are the early pacesetters in Myanmar as they maintained their 100 percent records at the start of the season.

In East Asia, meanwhile, there was league action in Hong Kong and Guam, so join the-AFC.com as we review the latest round of fixtures across the two zones.

South Asia Domestic Wrap: ATK lead ISL, Mohun Bagan open six-point gap in I-League

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

South Asia Domestic Wrap: ATK lead ISL, Mohun Bagan open six-point gap in I-League

Mumbai: ATK defeated Goa 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday to take a share of the lead in the Indian Super League.

Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, edged east Bengal 2-1 to open a six-point lead at the top of the I-League while in Maldives, Maziya continue to dominate the Dhivehi Premier League.

Join the-AFC.com as we review the domestic action in South Asia in the week gone by.

Bringing the passion for football back to Sri Lanka

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Bringing the passion for football back to Sri Lanka

Colombo: After a lengthy hiatus from the game, Sri Lankan football is on the cusp of a burgeoning revival. 

Having not played a competitive international game in the country for nearly a decade, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), with the assistance of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has been busy making up for lost time through the AFC President’s Development Initiative.

Marañón: We have nothing to lose

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Marañón: We have nothing to lose

Bangkok: Ceres Negros striker Bienvenido Marañón has insisted the Filipino side travel to Thailand with no pressure as they prepare to face off against Port FC in the 2020 AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 2 at PAT Stadium on Tuesday. 

Ceres overcame Myanmar’s Shan United 3-2 in Manila in Preliminary Round 1 last Tuesday, with the Spaniard unsurprisingly amongst the goals as he began his fifth Continental campaign with the Bacolod City club.

And while Thai League 1 opposition in the form of Port will likely offer a sterner test, the 33-year-old revealed that the mood is upbeat in the Ceres camp as they aim to cause a major upset and move one step closer to a first appearance in the AFC Champions League.

Participants praise AFC Referee Academy

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Participants praise AFC Referee Academy

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Referee Academy programme continues to educate potential match officials, with the initiative benefitting more than 100 aspiring referees from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Member Associations since 2017. 

With the aim of producing more world-class match officials, participants undergo a structured programme focused on practical, theoretical, classroom sessions, technical education and fitness. They are also educated on the latest amendments to the Laws of the Game.

It was a successful year in 2019 with Batch 2017 completing five modules of the Intermediate Level, while Batch 2018 underwent the full Introductory Level and kicked off the first module of the Intermediate Level from December 8 to 12, 2019.