Central Asia’s generation next on show in CAFA U16 Championship

Fri, 13 May, 2022

Central Asia’s generation next on show in CAFA U16 Championship

Dushanbe: Regional bragging rights will be on the line as Central Asia’s stars of the future compete for the CAFA U16 Championship, starting from Friday in Tajikistan.

Five nations will compete for the title in the eight-day round-robin event, with all teams to cross paths once before the final Matchday on May 20.
 
The competition also serves as crucial preparation for October’s AFC U17 Asian Cup™ 2023 Qualifiers, with the continent’s elite youth competition set for a full-scale return in 2023 following disruption due to COVID-19.

AFC Cup™ 2022 Ones to Watch: South Zone

Sun, 15 May, 2022

AFC Cup™ 2022 Ones to Watch: South Zone

Kuala Lumpur: The stage is set for the South Zone of the AFC Cup™ 2022 with Group D to kick off in Kolkata on May 18 as Indian sides ATK Mohun Bagan and Gokulam Kerala as well as Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings and Maziya S&R of the Maldives get set to battle it out for a place in the Inter-Zone semi-finals.

Since the introduction of the zonal format five years ago, a number of stars from the region have shone on the continental stage, none more so than Indian icon Sunil Chhetri, who inspired Karnataka side Bengaluru FC to the knockout rounds in 2017 and 2018. 

Elsewhere, Sohel Rana has been among the Bangladeshi players to produce the goods, while the evergreen Ali Ashfaq is always the standout name from a Maldivian perspective. 

Ahead of the South Zone beginning in just a few days’ time, the-AFC.com has selected some players to keep an eye out for in the 2022 edition.

AFC Cup™ West Zone Group Stage: Stars who shone

Wed, 11 May, 2022

AFC Cup™ West Zone Group Stage: Stars who shone

Kuala Lumpur: With 15 of the 17 AFC Cup™ winners over the years coming from West Asia, the region has long since been dominant in the continental competition.

Since the tournament’s zonal format was introduced in 2017, meanwhile, all four eventual champions have emerged from the West Zone, and teams from that side of the continent will likely be favourites ahead of the rapidly approaching 2022 edition.

As new stars hope to emerge when the campaign kicks off on May 18, the-AFC.com looks back at some of those who lit up the West Zone group stage in recent years.

AFC Cup™ 2022 - The Host Cities (West and South)

Tue, 10 May, 2022

AFC Cup™ 2022 - The Host Cities (West and South)

Dubai: May marks the start of a new AFC Cup™ campaign with the 2022 group stage in the West and South Zones kicking-off on the 18th of the month across four venues in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and India.

This will be the second season in a row the competition takes place in centralised format as the AFC continues to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The-AFC.com profiles each of the four host cities.

Five-star Al Ain beat Al Jazira to lift UAE Pro League title

Thu, 12 May, 2022

Five-star Al Ain beat Al Jazira to lift UAE Pro League title

Al Ain: United Arab Emirates' Al Ain SC were crowned the UAE Pro League champions after beating Al Jazira FC 5-0 on Wendesday. 

The win meant Al Ain opened an unassailable 10-point gap at the top of the table with three games to go, sealing their fifth UAE Pro League title and number 14th in the competition’s extended history.

Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba found the back of the net four times, coupled with Caio Canedo's second half strike to see Al Ain secure one of their biggest wins of the 2021/22 season.

Postecoglou touch takes Celtic from chaos into UEFA Champions League

Thu, 12 May, 2022

Postecoglou touch takes Celtic from chaos into UEFA Champions League

Glasgow: Celtic are champions of Scotland for a 10th time in 11 years, but for a club used to winning there has seldom been a more unexpected triumph.

The Hoops were a club in crisis less than a year ago.

Rangers had demolished their quest for a record 10th consecutive Scottish title by romping to the league by 25 points.