May 4 – The Asean Football Federation (AFF) has signed Malaysian airline AirAsia has as an official supporter of its 2018 Suzuki Cup, the sub-confederation’s blue riband regional championship for its national teams that is played every two years.
Suzuki confirmed it was returning as the title sponsor of the 2018 championship in April, the sixth time it has sponsored the 10-team competition.
“I have always been a big believer in Asean football. I’ve watched every AFF since the inaugural in 1996 and I am thrilled to be able to work with them to support the biggest event in the region’s footballing calendar,” said Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of AirAsia Group. “Football is the people’s game and AirAsia is the people’s airline. We look forward to supporting the sport in Asean in a meaningful way and hope one day soon, we will have an Asean club championship to raise the game here further.”
The 2018 event will be the 12th edition and will be played from November 8 to December 15. Thailand are current champions. This year the revamped competition format will see the 10 teams split into two groups of five and play a round robin system with each team playing two home and two away fixtures. The top two teams from each group will go into a draw for the knock-out rounds.
Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, president of the AFF, said: “With AirAsia’s support, we are confident that this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup will be one of the most successful and engaging for fans across the region.”
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