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HONG KONG: Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has called for patience to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic as the region's governing body renegotiates its existing and future commercial contracts. In his keynote address during the organisation's congress, which was held online, Shaikh Salman made the request to his confederation's members and said the body will be in a stronger position next year. "As now we have come to the end of 2020, there are difficult decisions still to be made," said the Bahraini, who has been AFC president since 2013. "There is still so much financial instability due to COVID-19 and we are working hard to ensure that the AFC finances are secure to fulfil our vision for the game in Asia... "I hope you will understand it will take some time for us to recover and until such times we will have to manage our finances and budget to protect the AFC, with the help of the finance committee and the … [Read more...] about AFC President calls for patience as COVID-19 takes economic toll

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League after authorities refused to let them travel for the tournament due to COVID-19 restrictions, officials said on Friday (Nov 13). The delayed Champions League East competition runs from Nov 18 to Dec 4 in a bio-secure "bubble" in Qatar, followed by knockout games leading up to the final in Doha on Dec 19. But the Malaysian government decided that JDT, who were second in Group G, would not be allowed to leave the country as its borders remain closed to stem the spread of COVID-19. READ: Players concerned over Qatar trip for Asian Champions League, union says READ: Concerns grow over timing of Asian Champions League Technical director Alistair Edwards said the team were "extremely disappointed", but added: "We respect the decision by the Malaysian government and understand that such safety measures need to be enforced." Malaysia, which has seen a spike in coronavirus infections … [Read more...] about Football: Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim out of AFC Champions League over COVID-19 restrictions

REUTERS: Qatar will host the single leg final of this year's Asian Champions League in Doha on Dec. 19 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Friday. Like most other sports in the world, this year's Asian Champions League was suspended in March due to the pandemic. West zone games in the continent's top club tournament were moved to Qatar when the sport resumed last month and the AFC then moved all remaining games for East zone sides from Malaysia to Qatar. The East zone games will take place from Nov. 18 to Dec. 13. It was, therefore, no surprise that Doha was also awarded the hosting rights for the final. "The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made the decision on the venue for this year's final more complex particularly in these uncertain times of travel and health restrictions," AFC general secretary Windsor John said in a statement. "In addition to the numerous restrictions, the AFC also wanted to protect the important principle … [Read more...] about Doha to host single leg Asian Champions League final

The match to be held on Sunday (February 28) starts at 7.30 pm IST at the GMC Stadium, Goa. ISL FIXTURES | RESULTS | POINTS TABLE This is the final league game of the current campaign and nobody could have written a better scrpit. ATK Mohun Bagan and second-placed Mumbai City FC, who are separated by just three points are locked in a two-way tussle for the top spot that would land them a spot in next season’s Asian Football Condeferation (AFC) Champions League's group stage. NorthEast United are the third team to reach the play-offs following a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters. NorthEast United march onto playoffs with best-ever league finish Fourth placed FC Goa and fifth placed Hyderabad FC are the two teams who are vying for the final play-off spot. The Mariners need only a draw to keep their place at the top and win the ISL Shield and thereby earn the direct AFC Champions League berth. As for Mumbai City FC, they need to beat the Kolkata giants to leapfrog … [Read more...] about ISL Shield: Must-win game for Mumbai, ATKMB needs only a draw

TEHRAN: Persepolis will have waited 11 weeks for their shot at glory by the time the Asian Champions League final kicks off, but assistant coach Karim Bagheri told Reuters it will be worth it if they can bring the continental prize back to Iran. The Iranian champions booked their place in the final in October, but the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic means they are still a long way from knowing who their opponents will be at Doha's Al Janoub Stadium on Dec 19. While East Asia's top clubs have been sharpening their competitive edges against each other in Qatar to decide who takes the other spot in the final, Persepolis have been restricted to the early rounds of their domestic title defence. Iranian football's problems are not limited to those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and Bagheri said Persepolis winning the Champions League would have a lasting impact on the future of the game in Iran. "Winning the Asian Champions League would definitely have very … [Read more...] about Football: Long wait worth the shot at Asian glory for Iran’s Persepolis