By Andrew Warshaw
August 2 – Israeli authorities have finally relented and reversed a ban on six Palestinian footballers after initially refusing them entry to the occupied West Bank to play the decisive second leg of the Palestine Cup final.
July 27 – With the AFC Futsal Club Championship having finished at the weekend with a climatic 6-5 win on penalties for Japan’s Nagoya Oceans over Iraq’s NAFIT Al-Wasat, the tournament stats have now been reported and show record breaking numbers for the Bangkok, Thailand, hosted event.
By Paul Nicholson
July 25 – The pre-season game between Manchester United and Manchester City in China, the first ever meeting of the two clubs outside England, has been called off after heavy rain has left the famous Bird’s Nest stadium pitch in Beijing unplayable.
July 18 – The AFC Futsal Club Championships have broken record attendance numbers in the first three days of competition in the Bangkok Arena, Thailand.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – China’s emerging influence in world football has taken yet another decisive step with the news that real estate, entertainment and sports conglomerate Wanda has struck a deal with FIFA to host an annual ‘China Cup’ tournament starting next year featuring its national team plus three other as yet unannounced international sides.
By Paul Nicholson
June 29 – Asian federations are making preparations to tune up their national teams for the final rounds of World Cup 2018 qualifiers which will see the remaining 12 teams split into two groups of six competing for four automatic slots at the Russia tournament, and one play off opportunity.
June 17 – The draw for the qualifying tournament for the group stages of the 2017 AFC Cup has been held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, though Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown was not in the draw as they await a ruling on their suspension by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
June 3 – Saudi Arabia and Yemen may have their political differences but football is bringing them together under a new eight-nation regional body that aims to streamline the administration of the sport in the region.
By Samindra Kunti
May 31 – Indian clubs from both Goa and Kolkata are protesting against the reformed league structures proposed earlier this month by the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) and their marketing partners IMG-Reliance. At the top of the roadmap towards a new league structure was the positioning of the Indian Super League (ISL) as the top league.
By Samindra Kunti
May 20 – The All India Football Federation, the AIFF, has unveiled the first details of the widespread changes to the domestic structure of Indian football that will see the Indian Super League (ISL) become the country’s premier football competition.
May 6 – China may be spending like crazy to lure a string of big-name overseas players to its domestic Super League and have put in place an eye-watering blueprint for grassroots development at national level but money doesn’t automatically buy you success.
By Mark Baber
April 29 – The national football associations of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq and Yemen have agreed to reinstate Kuwait as hosts of the 23rd Gulf Cup from December 15-29, 2016, if FIFA lift the ban on the country.
By Mark Baber
April 13 – China, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea are bidding to host the 2023 Asian Cup, with Indonesia in the running despite being under a FIFA-imposed ban from international competition because of government interference in the running of the national soccer federation.
April 4 – Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been chosen as the neutral venues for upcoming fixtures between clubs from Iran and Saudi Arabia.
March 16 – Despite warning it may withdraw its teams, Iran has been ordered to play its home regional Champions League matches against Saudi Arabian clubs on neutral ground because of the breakdown in political relations between the rivals.
