Former Japan and Celtic star Nakamura to retire at 44

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Former Japan and Celtic star Nakamura to retire at 44

Yokohama: Former Japan international and Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura will retire from football at the end of the season, Yokohama FC announced on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on his 26-year career.

The 44-year-old midfielder was a three-time Scottish champion and played with the Samurai Blue in two FIFA World Cups.

Five Classic AFC Cup Finals

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Five Classic AFC Cup Finals

Kuala Lumpur: Saturday’s AFC Cup™ 2022 final between Kuala Lumpur City FC and Al Seeb SC marks the 18th decider in the competition’s history. 

The past two decades saw some classic finals contested since the start of the competition in 2004 and the-AFC.com takes a look at five of those.

AFC Cup™ Final in Numbers

Mon, 17 Oct, 2022

AFC Cup™ Final in Numbers

Kuala Lumpur: A new name will appear on the AFC Cup™ roll of honour after the 2022 final as a pair of debutants in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City FC and Oman’s Al Seeb Club face off for the right to be crowned kings of Asia. 

The competition’s 18th final sees Al Seeb aim to become Oman’s first-ever champions, while KL City are looking to follow in the footsteps of domestic rivals Johor Darul Ta’zim, who won the title back in 2015. 

Ahead of the showpiece event in the Malaysian capital on Saturday, October 22, the-AFC.com looks at some of the key numbers from the tournament final's history. 

Officials laud AFC Asian Cup™ Qatar 2023 decision

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Officials laud AFC Asian Cup™ Qatar 2023 decision

Doha: Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is looking forward to making the AFC Asian Cup™ Qatar 2023 a festival of friendship for the entire continent.

Speaking after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee’s decision to award Qatar the hosting rights for the next edition of the competition, Al Thani emphasised on his country’s legacy of hosting major events.

Park to step down as Vietnam head coach

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Park to step down as Vietnam head coach

Hanoi: Park Hang-seo’s tenure as Vietnam national team head coach will end on 31 January 2023 with the AFF Cup 2022 in December his final assignment.  

Park will part ways with Vietnam after a five-year stint, during which time the Southeast Asian side showed tremendous progress. 

Kerr 3rd, Son 11th in 2022 Ballon d’Or awards

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Kerr 3rd, Son 11th in 2022 Ballon d’Or awards

Paris: Australia's Sam Kerr came in third for the second consecutive year in the Ballon d’Or awards announced in Paris on Monday.

Korea Republic star Son Heung-min, meanwhile, was ranked 11th for the 2022 men's award - the highest ever achieved by an Asian male player.