By Paul Nicholson
July 9 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the first regional body to shut down its international competitions when the Covid-19 pandemic broke – has released a new calendar for the completion of its 2020 club and national team competitions.
By Samindra Kunti
July 1 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Iran and Uzbekistan have all expressed an interest in staging the 2027 Asian Cup, the continent’s premium national team competition.
June 22 – The top tier league win in Palestine by Markhaz Balatah, a team from the Balata refugee camp, is a timely reminder of what can be achieved through football, as well as what football can achieve.
June 19 – The start of the new Chinese Super League season, postponed from February, has been plunged into further doubt because of a new outbreak of Covid-19.
By Paul Nicholson
June 16 – A country that faces more political difficulties and military interference than any other when it comes to getting matches played, has been the first anywhere in the world to crown a league champion by results on the pitch rather than points allocation off it.
June 12 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has issued an RFP (request for proposals) covering broadcast rights for 10 Middle Eastern territories.
June 12 – Saudi Arabia’s domestic topflight will resume on August 4 behind closed doors after it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
June 10 – South Korea’s K League was the first of the world’s major domestic leagues to return to action during the coronavirus pandemic. It is now being joined by other top national leagues across the Asian Football Confederation.
By Paul Nicholson
June 8 – Having been the first of the Confederations to lockdown football in their region as the coronavirus pandemic spread, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is slowly starting to open up, setting dates for a resumption of competition for its 2022 World Cup qualifiers as well as scheduling draws for age group competitions scheduled to take place this year.
By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
June 4 – The Asian Football Confederation says it is “committed” to completing this year’s regional Champions League after the latest round of talks with member federations.
May 21 – South Korea’s professional football league has imposed a record fine on one of its clubs for using sex dolls to fill empty stands at its second game of the resumed K League season last Sunday.
By Paul Nicholson
May 11 – One of Iraq’s most famous footballers has been appointed to the prime minister’s cabinet as Minister of Youth and Sports for the country. Adnan Dirjal, who has capped 121 times for his country and was the driving force behind the recent mass resignation of the Iraqi FA, began work in his new post at the weekend.
May 7 – There is an advantage in being first and South Korea’s Hana1Q K LEAGUE 1 is grabbing it with a the opening match of the league’s return to play on May 8 scheduled to be broadcast in 17 countries.
May 6 – On Friday, football’s spotlight will turn to South Korea and the resumption of the K-League, the first major Asian league to kick off again after the coronavirus pandemic forced the global game into shutdown. South Korea has been widely hailed for its success in combatting and containing the coronavirus.
By Paul Nicholson
April 27 – Qatar is preparing a bid for the 2027 Asian Cup, the AFC’s flagship national men’s team competition, according to local sources. The bid will put the Qataris into direct competition with Saudi Arabia who have confirmed that they will be bidding for 2027.