Asia Archives - Page 10 of 48 - Inside World Football

Indian FA calls for access to wider talent pool after loss to Guam

India vs Guam

By Mark Baber
June 25 – In the wake of tiny island territory Guam (population 165,124) defeating India (population 1.252 billion) in a World Cup qualifier on June 16, attention has turned to the issue of people of Indian origin (PIOs) who may offer salvation for the country’s national team. However, the Indian government opposes their inclusion in the national team, setting up a potentially dangerous confrontation with FIFA.

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Racist Chinese poster increases tensions with Hong Kong

Chinese poster

By Mark Baber
June 18 – A poorly conceived marketing campaign for China’s World Cup qualifiers, which included a poster saying “don’t underestimate black skin, yellow skin, white skin Hong Kong” has led to accusations of racism, an apparent apology from the Chinese FA (CFA) and a sharpening of tensions between the mainland and Hong Kong fans.

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Soosay calls it a day and quits AFC role

Alex Soosay

By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Within weeks of being temporarily suspended as general-secretary of the Asian Football Confederation over claims he was involved in a cover-up during an investigation into corruption allegations dating back to the era of Mohammed bin Hammam, Dato Alex Soosay has quit with immediate effect rather than stay and fight to clear his name.

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Pakistan congress suspends its FA president as civil war returns

pakistan football

By Mark Baber
June 17 – The chaos in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) continues with an Extraordinary Congress on Tuesday reportedly suspending its president and secretary ahead of the elections planned for June 30.

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Vietnamese scandal as briber complains about being sacked

Vietnamese fans

By Mark Baber
June 16 – Fresh from securing a third place finish in the South East Asian Games with a 5-0 victory over Indonesia, Vietnamese football has been hit by scandal as two officials are accused by a disgruntled ex-employee of receiving bribes from him and then sacking him.

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Aussies fear AFC backlash and a return to Oceania

Austalia win Asian Cup

By Andrew Warshaw
June 2 – Australia’s decision to reject a recommendation from the Asian Football Confederation to support Sepp Blatter in last week’s FIFA presidential election has intensified fears that the country may be sent back to Oceania.

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Barca to open academies in Saudi Arabia and UAE with Fitness Time

Barcelona announces links with Fitness Time

By Mark Baber
May 26 – A month after first becoming a sponsor of Barcelona, Saudi based Fitness Time has been chosen as the official partner of FC Barcelona in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates under a partnership agreement which will see Barcelona establish seven football academies for the Fitness Time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Saudi tunnel assault earns Estoyanoff AFC ban and fine

Fabian Estoyanoff

May 25 – Former Uruguay international Fabian Estoyanoff, now playing in Saudi Arabia, has been banned for six matches by the Asian Football Confederation for assaulting a South Korean opponent following an AFC Champions League game earlier this month.

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Israel-Palestine dispute flares as border incident fuels row

Israel vs Palestine flags

By Andrew Warshaw
May 25 – As the behind-the-scenes diplomacy to halt Palestine’s call for Israel to be suspended from FIFA enters its final phase, the head of the Palestine Football Association has provided FIFA with a timely example of why his controversial proposal remains on the table at the forthcoming FIFA Congress.

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AFC draw line through pre-congress gathering

By Andrew Warshaw
May 22 – The Asian Football Confederation, rocked by allegations of a cover-up within its own ranks which is currently being investigated, appears to have cancelled a gathering of its national associations on the eve of next week’s FIFA congress in Zurich.

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Blatter walks Israeli-Palestinian tightrope with new ‘message’ for Ramallah meeting

Israel vs Palestine flags

By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Sepp Blatter remains optimistic, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that he can find a solution to the Palestinian bid to ban Israel from world football that threatens to overshadow his re-election bid at next week’s FIFA Congress in Zurich.

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Malaysian Ultras call for fan boycott of Spurs and Liverpool matches

Liverpool in Malaysia

May 19 – A Malaysian supporters group is calling for a boycott of two lucrative close-season games against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, saying the fixtures are fruitless and serve no other purpose than to fill the coffers of the national federation.

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Rajoub outlines Palestinian grievances as Blatter heads out for crisis talks

Israel vs Palestine flags

By Andrew Warshaw
May 18 – As Sepp Blatter engages in a final piece of shuttle diplomacy in an attempt to stop Palestine officially calling for Israel’s suspension from world football, the Palestinians have sent their proposed resolution to all 208 other FIFA members to counter what they claim are “distorted” allegations regarding the reasons behind the proposal.

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Soosay steps back while AFC opens old wounds with new investigation

Alex Soosay

By Andrew Warshaw
May 13 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), whose leader insisted only two weeks ago was entering a new era of transparency and unity, has been plunged into fresh crisis after its number two official was suspended pending an internal investigation into reports he asked for incriminatory evidence against him to be removed.

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Match-fixing: China and India must face home truths, says Eaton

greece crime scene

By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – China and India may be arguably the world’s two biggest untapped footballing markets but unless they solve the problem of match-fixing and betting fraud they will never catch up.