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.

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.

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.

Thailand off to a flyer in men’s futsal, Indonesia salvage draw against Vietnam

Thu, 12 May, 2022

Thailand off to a flyer in men’s futsal, Indonesia salvage draw against Vietnam

Ha Nam: Thailand’s SEA Games men’s futsal title defence began with an emphatic 6-2 win over Malaysia on Wednesday. 

Vietnam and Indonesia, meanwhile, played to a 1-1 draw in the day’s later match. 

Vidmar to lead Olyroos towards Paris 2024

Wed, 11 May, 2022

Vidmar to lead Olyroos towards Paris 2024

Sydney: Football Australia has announced that Barcelona 1992 Olympian, Tony Vidmar, will lead Australia’s U23 men’s national football team, the Olyroos, in their bid to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Vidmar, who is a current member of Graham Arnold’s coaching staff with the Socceroos, will take charge of the Australia U23 programme following the conclusion of Australia’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ campaign this year, with Trevor Morgan – who has been extensively involved with the group over the past 12 months – set to guide the side at the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup™ in Uzbekistan.