ZURICH/KUALA LUMPUR: FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have had no option but to to postpone forrthcoming regional qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.

This applies to matches originally scheduled to take place during the international windows of Mar 23 to Mar 31 and Jun 1 to Jun 9.  This move follows two consultation meetongs with Asia’s east zone member associations.

FIFA, emphasising that the matches had been postponed not concelled, said: “To support the member associations concerned, and provided that the safety of all individuals involved meets the required standards and that the member associations due to play each other mutually agree, the match(es) may still be played during the international windows of March or June 2020 but always subject to prior approval from both FIFA and the AFC.”

AFC statement:

—- Representatives of the competing Member Associations (MA) from the AFC West Zone have provided the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) with a series of proposals for completing the 2020 AFC Champions League Group Stage.

Following the meeting with MAs from the East Zone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week, the AFC met with the West Zone representatives in Doha, Qatar and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, this weekend.

All matches in AFC Champions League Match Day 3 were postponed in the West Zone and the AFC has now asked for the cooperation of the Member Associations in producing a plan by which the remaining matches can be played before the Round of 16.

The Quarter-finals will be moved to September and the Semi-finals to October 14/15 and 28/29. The AFC Champions League Final dates (November 22 – East and November 28 – West) will remain unchanged.

As with the East Zone, the MAs provided some proposals which will now be considered by the AFC and the various stakeholders, including commercial partners. The AFC will then make a further statement on any developments and any potential new schedule in due course.

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