Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Carlos Quieroz admits winning the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 will be a tough challenge but the Islamic Republic of Iran head coach has vowed his team will be ready.
Iran won the last of their titles in 1976 and Quieroz said this is a wait that must end.
“My responsibility as a coach is to lead my team to our target. Our biggest challenge in the UAE is winning the title. We’ve not won the title since 1976,” the former Real Madrid coach said to the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran website.
Iran are in Group D alongside Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen and their first target will be to navigate into the knockout stage in UAE 2019 on January 5-February 1.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With 100 days to go to AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, the-AFC.com kicks off a series of articles to determine your all-time best AFC Asian Cup side.
We begin with nine candidates for the two spots up front. Review the nominees and then choose your favourite targetmen to lead the line for this all-star XI in the poll below.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) determination to embrace technological advances for the development of football in Asia has been underlined with the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system at some stage in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 – which is just 100 days away.
After approval from FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and consultation with the AFC Competitions and Referees Departments, the AFC Executive Committee approved the implementation of VAR at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 – pending final confirmation that all necessary preparation is in place.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC President, said: “Asian football is determined to embrace technology for the good of the game and we are looking into the introduction of VAR at some stage during the AFC’s pinnacle competition – the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
“We saw the VAR first hand during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and it was clear to everyone that there needed to be a great deal of training of officials and investment in facilities to make sure that the system was effective and a positive addition to the game.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: Two-time AFC Asian Cup winner and three-time AFC Player of the Year, Majed Abdullah along with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Tournament Director, H.E. Aref Hamad Al Awani, Anne-Claire Richomme Bergoffen, Marketing Director and Area Sales TAG Heuer Middle East, were joined by delegates from each of the 24 competing nations to mark the 100-day countdown with the unveiling of a ceremonial countdown clock next to Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium in the UAE on Thursday.
The ceremony was held in conjunction with a two-day Teams' Workshop currently taking place in the UAE, which aims to equip all 24 participating teams with the necessary tools to ensure a successful tournament through a series of sessions for team managers, doctors and officials, covering essential matters such as sports integrity, refereeing, media, team services as well as medical information, among others.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With seven AFC Asian Cup titles and 11 FIFA World Cup qualifications between them, Japan and Saudi Arabia are among the continent’s most successful national teams, and along the way there have been some classic encounters between them.
The emergence of Saudi Arabia and Japan as Asian powerhouses was fairly late, with both not making their AFC Asian Cup debuts until the 1980s, Saudi Arabia in 1984 and Japan four years later.
Both nations needed little time afterwards to establish themselves; the Green Falcons instantly climbed to the top, winning the trophy at the first time of asking, while the Samurai Blue got their first title on home soil in 1992, only their second appearance.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The Islamic Republic of Iran dropped one rung to 33 but remain Asia’s top team in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday.
Australia, who had relinquished the top spot to IR Iran in the August rankings, remain as Asia's second best team at 43rd while Japan moved up one spot to 54th.
Korea Republic improved to 55th, up two places and are the continent's fourth best ranked team.
Saudi Arabia complete Asia's top five, moving down one spot to 71st.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
As teams step up their preparations for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, we look at those who stood out during the most recent round of international friendlies.
The international break saw as many as 11 fixtures bringing 2019 AFC Asian Cup participating sides head to head, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Japan and Korea Republic opted to face opponents from the Americas.
Non-qualified Asian teams including Kuwait, Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia were all in action too. Looking back at 10 days of international football, here are five players who impressed for their respective countries.