By Samindra Kunti in Doha
January 12 – Hosts and defending champions Qatar take on Lebanon in the curtain raiser of the Asian Cup on Friday with a point to prove on home soil after a disastrous World Cup campaign and the shock dismissal of Carlos Queiroz last month. Captain Hassan Al Haydos believes the team needs to send a message to the fans.
January 12 – Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita will become the first woman referee in AFC Asian Cup history to take charge of a men’s game at the finals when she leads out Australia and India for their opening group game on January 13.
January 12 – The Palestinian squad at the Asian Cup said they want to deliver a message of ‘life’ to the world by qualifying for the tournament knockout rounds, while also bringing at least a little happiness to people trapped in the violence of the war in Hamas.
By Paul Nicholson
January 11 – The Asian Cup 2023 that was originally scheduled for last summer in China but was switched Qatar after the Chinese pulled out, opens in a day’s time and is pretty much bursting to exit the starting gates.
January 11 – The Asian Football Confederation has confirmed the cast of match officials that will oversee the opening match of the Asian Cup Qatar on Friday.
January 11- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has moved to strengthen its referee assessment tools at the 2023 Asian Cup that kicks off Friday as part of its commitment to develop world-class match officials.
January 10 – With the Asian Cup Qatar 2023 just two days away from kick off, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has expressed confidence that the event is ready to go off without a hitch, despite the short time span left to organise the AFC’s blue riband event after China pulled out from hosting.
January 8 – With just four days left before the kick-off on Friday (Jan 12) of the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, there has been a flurry of last-minute fixtures as nations fine tune squads or in some cases desperately seek form and formation ahead of the tournament.
January 4 – One of Japan’s most important players at the forthcoming Asian Cup, Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, wants the tournament shifted to the end of the domestic season in Europe.
January 4 – Roberto Mancini has named his first squad for a major championship opting for a blend of youth and tried and tested experience in a Saudi Arabian squad that is drawn entirely from the Saudi Pro League.
January 3 – In a warm-up match for the Asian Cup that was as much about symbolism as football, Hong Kong beat China for the first time in nearly 30 years in a friendly in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
January 3 – Japan have called up Brighton and Hove Albion standout forward Kaoru Mitoma for their Asian Cup squad despite Mitoma currently being sidelined by injury.
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup saw the competition go down under for the first time as Australia stepped up to host the tournament, with Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney all providing venues and Stadium Australia the venue for the final.
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup saw the tournament head back to the desert as Qatar hosted the tournament for the second time.
The AFC Asian Cup had taken place every year every four years since the first tournament in 1956. However, for the 14th edition of the tournament, the AFC made the decision to change the tradition as the tournament always clashed in the same year as the Summer Olympics and the European Championships, so the next tournament was scheduled for 2007, with the four-yearly cycle continuing from there.