The tortuous sale of the legendary Italian soccer club A.C. Milan to a consortium led by the previously unknown investor Li Yonghong was closed on Thursday. It s just one of a series of sales of storied soccer clubs to Chinese buyers, either closed or pending. The purchase of A.C. Milan for €740 million ($788 million), including debt, is being funded in part…
Bradford City s Zesh Rehman, the only British Pakistani to have played in the Premier League, during his days at Fulham. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images As clubs such as Chelsea look to develop British Asian footballers, the growing number of supporters of subcontinental origin feel at home in grounds In a column last week, Dear Gérard, How times have changed…
Cyril Radcliffe was a civil servant who was little known outside British bureaucratic circles before 1947. However, the events which transpired in August of the same year would etch his name into eternity. On 17 August 1947, details about the Radcliffe Line were published, dividing 450, square kilometres to partition India and Pakistan. Chaos and civil disorder…
Ahmed Khalil dedicated his AFC Asian player of the year award to the UAE after becoming the first Emirati to be voted the continent’s finest footballer. The Al Ahli striker, who won the young player gong in 2008, was presented with the trophy at a ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday, clinching the title ahead of compatriot Omar Abdulrahman and China’s Zheng Zhi…
For Asia’s super rich, owning a European football club may mean more than having a plaything at their disposal, with experts noting that such investments can have the potential to generate rich returns. SINGAPORE: Asian tycoons have been digging deep into their pockets for stakes in European football clubs, and the latest to join the ranks is Chinese businessman…
Timor Leste s Patrick Fabiano, (far left) was one of the 12 players declared ineligible by the Asia Football Confederation disciplinary committee. Joshua Paul/AP hide caption toggle caption Joshua Paul/AP Timor Leste s Patrick Fabiano, (far left) was one of the 12 players declared ineligible by the Asia Football Confederation disciplinary committee. Joshua Paul/AP…
Son Heung-min had a memorable 2014, but where did he rank in the top 10? It has certainly been an up-and-down year for Asian football and ESPN FC has a go at choosing the 10 best performers of 2014. 10. Boualem Khoukhi (Al Arabi and Qatar) The Algerian-born star scored six goals to help the men in maroon lift the West Asian Football Federation Championship in…
Easah Suliman: ‘If I can be a role model to get others involved in football then it’s a real achievement.’ Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images Even at the tender age of 17, Easah Suliman is already used to all the attention. The Aston Villa central defender has just returned from the Under-17 World Cup in South America having played every minute as England…
Fifa president Gianni Infantino gestures as he arrives to attend the Asian Football Confederation in Goa. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images • Congress closed less than 30 minutes after opening • Delegates overwhelmingly rejected meeting agenda Asia’s top football officials delivered a major snub to Fifa on Tuesday, forcing the postponement of an…
Three players from the I-League champions have also made it to Stephen Constantine s initial list for the camp in Mumbai.. Indian national team coach Stephen Constantine has drafted an initial list of 35 players for a conditioning camp in Mumbai before The Blue Tigers take to the field for a crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifier game against Kyrgyz Republic. There…
Jason Dasey and Stanely Bernard discuss Thailand s future after winning their record fifth AFF Cup. From the recently concluded AFF Suzuki Cup where Thailand once again reigned supreme as the region s top guns to Albirex Niigata (S) rewriting S.League history in Singapore with a first-ever quadruple, it has been another good year for Southeast Asian football…
Qatar s lingering hopes of a direct qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup came to an end after a defeat in Tashkent.. Uzbekistan maintained their bid to qualify directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at the expense of their opponents by defeating Qatar by a solitary goal at the Bunyodkor stadium in Tashkent on Tuesday. Uzbekistan came into this game…
Thailand moved within four spots of being the highest-ranked nation in Southeast Asia, as almost all countries including Malaysia and Singapore remain unmoved in the latest FIFA rankings. Kiatisuk Senamuang s 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup-winning side remained in 126th place, four rungs behind the tournament co-hosts Philippines, who failed to make the tournament s semifinals…
The eyes of the football world have been firmly focused on the Far East on some top European, South American and African talents. But what of the region to the south of China and all the way down to Indonesia – a heavily populated and generally football-mad part of the world, but one which barely registers an international profile in the sport? Southeast Asia…
Asian Handicap betting markets are perfect for football traders looking for an alternative to the more traditional 1X2. We explain what Asian Handicap betting is, how to bet on the markets, and their benefits. The Asian Handicap betting market is often seen as complex, but once you understand the concept, you will have a fresh perspective for football trading…
Genius Sports to develop new Competition Management system for AFC Member Association leagues and tournaments Representatives of Genius Sports at the AFC s Competition Management Workshop The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has entered into an agreement with Genius Sports, a global leader in sports data technology, distribution and commercialisation services…
The Iran men’s national soccer team Iran men s national football team, domestically known as Team Melli, has kept its position as the best Asian squad in the latest edition of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings, and stayed put in the world’s 28th spot. According to the latest monthly rankings released by the world’s soccer governing…
The latest Asian Football Confederation club competitions ranking offered the UAE significant satisfaction. Released last week, the Emirates topped the standings – one ahead of South Korea, then Qatar, then Saudi Arabia and Japan. Australia were sixth, Iran eighth. A slight change in criteria had benefitted the UAE, given the newest calculations, which back to…
Australia’s Tim Cahill scores during the Socceroos’ Asian Cup quarter-final win over China in Brisbane. Photograph: Edgar Su/REUTERS Asian Cup winners last year and clear beneficiaries of cross-cultural exchange, Australia now celebrates 10 years in the Asian Football Confederation January marks one year since the 2015 Asian Cup, and — although it has passed…
In the second edition of this annual feature, we at Outside of the Boot aim to unearth the best performing footballers from each of the 5 primary Confederations. Rebranded as ‘The Best Series’, we champion football’s top individuals based on performances in the past calendar year. 22 // Iraq // Udinese Adnan has already made huge strides in his career. The young…
Omar Abdulrahman, left, received the AFC player of the year award. Attacking midfielder Omar Abdulrahman won the Asian Football Confederation player of the year award for helping Al Ain reach the final of the AFC Champions League and steering the United Arab Emirates into the last round of qualifying for the World Cup. This achievement is a national achievement,Abdulrahman…
United Arab Emirates complete their preparations ahead of their Asian Cup semi final with hosts Australia on Tuesday. When Asian players start to make names for themselves at home, the question is usually not far behind. It s almost a testament to their talent. At some points someone says: Yes, but are they good enough for the big European leagues? In the…
From Japan, South Korea and Australia, all the way to Iran, Iraq, and Uzbekistan, Asian players have moved to Europe to advance their football career. At Football Channel Asia , we start tracking performance rating of Asian footballers who currently play at top seven European leagues of England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands and Turkey. The following…
