KUALA LUMPUR: The AFC Cup – Asia’s secondary club competition – has been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Matches were suspended since back in March and had been scheduled for a resumption later this month in four host countries while a further three of the nine groups had remained homeless.

An Asian confederation statement said: “In view of the logistics in coordinating the five zones of the AFC Cup and completing the inter-zone matches, the AFC executive committee also agreed that the pandemic created complexities which constituted a force majeure event and, with sadness, led to the cancellation of the 2020 competition.”

Group F matches, including those for Singapore Premier League club Hougang United, were due to take place at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, while the Group G ties were scheduled for Quang Ninh’s Cam Pha Stadium. The host for Group H, which includes current SPL leaders Tampines Rovers, had yet to be confirmed.

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