06 May

The continued in-fighting within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) could result in the suspension of the world’s second largest confederation. Dato’ Peter Velappan warned that FIFA, the world football controlling body, may even withhold recognition of a split AFC. Painting out the worst-case scenario ahead of Friday’s AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Velappan, the longest-serving AFC former general secretary (1978-2007), said the consequences of the prolonged disunity among the 46 member associations can have unprecedented repercussions. “If Friday’s AFC Congress gets out of hand, there could be a split right down the middle especially if the AFC president (Mohamed bin Hammam) puts his...

10:16 / International / Sports
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03 May

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa made his election-platform clear today: “I don’t want to be the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) president.” He is focused on Friday’s AFC Congress meeting to win the post of FIFA Executive Committee Member (West Asia). Sheikh Salman, the president of the Bahrain FA and a member of the Bahraini royal family, takes on the incumbent, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, who is also the AFC president. “I want to bring about a bigger voice for Asia on the global platform and at the same time, I want change for Asian football,” he said in his first press conference...

10:12 / International
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03 May

More than half of Asia’s 46-member football confederation in calling for “Fair Play” have beseeched FIFA to intervene and monitor the May 8 Asian Football Confederation Congress, which they believe could be tainted with unethical conduct. A total of 24 countries signed a joint memorandum to the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, addressed to president Joseph Blatter, expressing their “fear and concern” over Friday’s upcoming election for a FIFA Executive Committee seat. Their main grouse is their fear that closed circuit cameras could be placed strategically near or over the “voting booths”. The concerned delegates believe that their fears are not unfounded. Lashing out...

10:09 / International
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02 May

YET another early end to yet another campaign and for the FA of Malaysia, it’s back to the drawing board. Malaysia not only failed to make the Asean Championship final but didn’t even advance past the group stage and for national coach B. Sathianathan, the end is near. He failed to meet the target, even if it was sprung on him virtually at the last minute, but as a professional coach, Sathianathan has to accept the consequences and move on. One gets the feeling that Sathianathan is feeling a sense of injustice as his achievements — winning the Merdeka Tournament last year and...

10:03 / Local / Sports
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02 May

The Kuwaitis were told they would be excluded from voting in Friday’s AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur because the confederation did not recognise the temporary committee formed to run the sport's affairs in the country. Five other nations -- Afghanistan, Brunei, Laos, East Timor and Mongolia -- were also barred as a result of not having played in enough of the confederation's competitions over the last two years. AFC insiders said Kuwait were allowed to vote at the last AFC Congress and this sudden change to bar them smacks of “sporting foul play”. “Kuwait are being penalised because they’re campaigning for Sheikh Salman...

10:01 / Sports
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30 Apr

Against a backdrop of controversies and intense politicking, FIFA and Asian Football Confederation executive committee member Junji Ogura called on all Member Associations and the authorities concerned to convene the May 8th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur in accordance with the decisions of FIFA. In a faxed statement to members, AFC executive Committee, presidents and general secretaries of Member Associations, Ogura of Japan reiterated the stand of FIFA Legal Affairs Department on three issues that had become a major source of discontentment within certain quarters of the Asian body. The three are – the voting rights of five associations in relation to participation...

09:58 / International / Sports
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30 Apr

The embattled President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed bin Hammam, has defied FIFA and rejected their instruction to re-instate the voting rights of five countries who were banned from taking part in the May 8 AFC Congress. The impending ban on the five nations – some of whom had given their allegiance to Hammam’s challenger for the FIFA seat Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa -- was decided by AFC’s ad-hoc Legal Committee that was formed early this year. The Legal Committee was one of three Standing Committees removed from the list at the 2007 AFC Congress. The others were Medical, and the Ethics & Fairplay Committees. The AFC president’s defiance is reflected in...

02:53 / Sports
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28 Apr

The man challenging Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Hammam believes his chances of winning a crucial vote next month have improved after weeks of mud-slinging. Sheikh Salman Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the chairman of the Bahrain football association, said he was confident of taking Mohamed's Fifa executive committee seat, which is up for grabs at the AFC Congress on May 8. If the Qatari loses that powerful position, he has said he will step down as AFC chief despite his term running until 2011."I am confident of my ability and my chances are better than my opponent in the battle for several reasons,"...

02:47 / International / Sports
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15 Apr

Playing for a 0-0 draw against Villarreal in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday won't be good enough for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Arsenal will advance to the semifinals if they can keep the match at Emirates Stadium scoreless because they earned a 1-1 draw last week in the first leg at Villarreal. "Our approach is to win the game, we have to be as simple as that," Wenger said Tuesday. "I don't feel that we are used to going into games trying to play 0-0. Of course we will be organized and disciplined but, when we have...

02:34 / International / Sports
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15 Apr

The Korean Football Association is at the center of a row that could have a huge impact on global soccer. That sounds a little dramatic when you learn that it is all about the May 8 election for the West Asian seat on the executive committee of FIFA. But this seemingly less-than-vital vote could have major repercussions. Asia has four seats on the committee, with only the West Asian one up for grabs. It is currently occupied by the Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam and he is being challenged by Shaikh Salman of Bahrain. Despite the fact that he is...

02:29 / Sports
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