By Paul Nicholson
January 5 – Fears that the Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 could be postponed have been allayed by the AFC who are confident in the security of their coronavirus bubbles around teams and officials.
January 4 – The AFC will get straight into its new competition season this week with a 31-nation draw on Thursday (6 January) for the confederation’s Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022, a competition that has missed a cycle due to the pandemic.
December 30 – Chinese authorities have banned national team players from sporting tattoos in order to set a “good example for society” – and will kick them out if they don’t oblige.
December 30 – Syria will continue to play their home matches in Qatar 2022 qualifying at neutral venues, including the crucial upcoming game against South Korea on February 1 which will likely decide the World Cup fates of both nations.
December 23 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Brunei Football Federation (FABD) to strengthen the ties between the two associations.
December 22 – The Asian Football Confederation has convened its General Secretaries’ Conference 2022 for January 13-15 in Saudi Arabia.
December 21 – The 30 days to go countdown has begun for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 which will be played across three venues in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune from January 20 to February 6.
December 17 – The AFC has launched an educational and well-being initiative designed to help coaches and players manage their emotions and ultimately improve their performances on the pitch.
December 13 – The AFC Social Responsibility Committee has proposed a percentage of prize money from AFC competitions should be withheld and channelled into the Dream Asia Foundation. The funding would increase the foundation’s ability to provide support to vulnerable communities across the Continent.
December 8 – Jordan completed the line-up of the Arab Cup quarter-finals following a 5-1 victory against Palestine to clinch second spot ahead of Saudi Arabia in Group C.
December 7 – AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (pictured) has emphasised the value of the confederation’s revamped financial assistance programmes saying that they will “empower” federations.
December 1 – There are just 50 days to go before India hosts the expanded AFC Women’s Asian Cup, a crucial tournament for the development of the national women’s game in the confederation which could see as many as eight teams at the next Women’s World Cup in 2023 being hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
December 1 – Hosts Qatar kicked off the Arab Cup, a World Cup dress rehearsal, with a 1-0 victory over Bahrain in the tournament’s curtain-raiser, courtesy of a second-half goal from Abulaziz Hatim. Two World Cup venues were inaugurated over the evening of football.
By Paul Nicholson
November 30 – The AFC has taken major steps to opening up its club competitions with a relaxation of foreign player rules and a realignment of its calendar which will switch from the calendar year to the European model of playing from Autumn to Spring.
November 30 – Mauritania and Tunisia kick off the FIFA Arab Cup tonight, a tournament that will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 World Cup organisers.