Former Dutch and Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt takes on head coach role at Belgium’s Beerschot
January 3 – Belgian second-division club Beerschot have appointed former Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt as head coach.
AFC kicks off revamped Knowledge Sharing Programme
January 3 – The AFC has unveiled the inaugural AFC Knowledge Sharing Programme 2024, spotlighting its drive to enhance the capabilities of its Member Associations (MA) and Regional Associations (RA) and establish football as the primary sport across the continent.
2015 Asian Cup
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.
Red Star fury over allegations former coach Barak Bahar is owed wages
January 8 – Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) has reacted angrily to reports that the club is to be sued by former coach Barak Bahar (pictured) over unpaid wages.
2011 Asian Cup
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup saw the tournament head back to the desert as Qatar hosted the tournament for the second time.
2007 Asian Cup
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.
2004 Asian Cup
The 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China PR was the biggest tournament yet, with an expanded finals tournament from 12 to 16 nations as the membership of the confederation grew to 45 members.
Asian Cup 2000
The new millennium saw over 40 countries enter the Asian Cup hoping to dethrone holders Saudi Arabia, with the tournament being held in Lebanon for the first time.
1996 Asian Cup
The last AFC Asian Cup of the 20th Century saw more teams that ever enter following the collapse of the Soviet Union and new nations joining the AFC and the tournament itself expanding to a 12-team competition, hosted for the first time in the United Arab Emirates.
1992 Asian Cup
The 1992 AFC Asian Cup was a competition that saw some of the established names fall short and also signalled the emergence of a new force in Asian football.
1988 Asian Cup
The 1988 AFC Asian Cup saw the continued dominance of the competition by West Asian nations, with seven of the 10 qualifying teams coming from West Asia, including the defending champions and the hosts, with the tournament coming to Qatar for the first time.
1984 Asian Cup
The 1984 AFC Asian Cup found a home in Singapore as they stepped up to host the competition for the first time, with all games taking place over a 15-day period at the National Stadium in Kallung.
1980 Asian Cup
The first Asian Cup of the 1980s saw the end of Iran’s dominance of the tournament as matters closer to home took their toll, with Kuwait repeating the benefits on home soil.
Asian Cup 1976
The 1976 tournament was a tournament that was hit by withdrawals, political bickering and expulsions, but ended with 112,000 people in the Aryamehr Stadium in Iran (now called the Azadi Stadium) celebrating as Iran became Asian Champions for the third time in succession.
1972 Asian Cup
The 1972 tournament saw an increase in the number of final teams, with eight teams due to be involved in the final competition in Israel, who would be hosting the tournament for the second time and who had qualified automatically alongside 1968 winners Iran.