By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 8 – In a game of nerves, overconfidence and plenty of naive defending Iraq broke Vietnamese hearts with a last-minute free kick from Ali Adnan to win a topsy-turvy Group E game 3-2.
January 8 – Egypt has replaced Cameroon as hosts of this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced today.
January 8 – Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, now in charge of the Philippines, expressed his pride at his side’s performance against hotly fancied South Korea in their first-ever appearance at the Asian Cup Finals on Monday.
January 8 – Turkish Super Lig clubs have been handed a financial lifeline via a deal brokered between the country’s banks and the football federation to allow clubs to restructure their debts.
January 8 – Former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea star Samuel Eto’o says black coaches are seen as “second-class citizens” around the world and don’t get the trust they deserve.
January 8 – Just two months after assuring Guinea that they were still clear to host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, African football boss Ahmad Ahmad is at it again with yet another u-turn.
January 8 – The race for the next occupant of the Asian women’s seat on the FIFA Council has got under way with the Maldives’ candidate, Mariyam ‘Mayan’ Mohamed, meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
January 8 – The Somali Football Federation, which last October began a clean-up of its Mogadishu national stadium in a bid to return it to football usage, has now embarked on the redevelopment of its technical centre.
January 8 – Bayern Munich are to impose a “heavy fine” on former French international Franck Ribery over an obscenity-laced outburst on social media.
January 8 – With his re-election campaign surely very much in mind, Gianni Infantino has embarked on a seven-nation tour of West Africa that started in Guinea last weekend.
January 7 – With Iran having set down an emphatic marker with their 5-0 win over Yemen, the battle between the two other group D teams Iraq and Vietnam assumes even greater importance in the bid to secure the top two automatic last 16 qualifying slots.
January 7 – With the European winter transfer window now open, any club looking to buy at the top end of the player market is going to have to spend over €100 million, and to buy at the very top they would need more than €200 million – if the players were for sale.
January 7 – Iran coach Carlos Queiroz showed his satisfaction with his team’s 5-0 demolition of Asian Cup debutants Yemen in their opening game, warning that the Asian Cup is not a “cheese cake” before picking a fight with Persepolis coach Branko Ivanković back home.
By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 8 – Srecko Katanac, the Slovenian in charge of Iraq, is back in the UAE but this time as manager of Iraq. Charged with rebuilding what was an aging team, he has his sights set on 2022. He spoke with Samindra Kunti.
Iran 5 Yemen 0
By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 7 – Iran asserted their title credentials at the 2019 Asian Cup with a resounding 5-0 demolition of tournament debutants Yemen in their opening Group D game. Medhi Taremi, twice, and an own-goal inside the first 25 minutes set Iran on the path of a comprehensive victory.