Hyundai manoeuvres into co-title sponsorship of Singapore’s S.League
Sobaclieu.com
February 24 – Singapore’s S- League has signed Hyundai Motors as a new co-title sponsor in a two-year deal believed to be worth $1 million.
Competitions
Tevez, Poyet and big money Shanghai Shenhua crash out of Asian Champions League
February 9 – Money doesn’t always talk loudest. China’s big-spending Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC, spearheaded by expensive new signing Carlos Tevez and with former Premier League manager Gus Poyet in charge, have apologised to fans after being dumped out of Asia’s top club competition by Australian underdogs Brisbane Roar.
Salman says 48-team World Cup will push Asian football development
January 11 – Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has welcomed FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams saying it can only benefit the development of Asian football.
Aussies put in place plans to expand A-League
Sobaclieu.com
December 6 – Australia’s 10 team A-League is set to add another two teams and perhaps more, according to reports in Australia.
Saudi Arabia opens club doors to private owners and overseas expansion
Sobaclieu.com
November 28 – Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers has approved plans to privatise its football clubs after consultancy firm Deloitte conducted a year-long feasibility study.
AFC’s commercial success doubles Champions League final prize purse
November 16 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has doubled the prize money for its flagship Champions League final winners from $1.5 million to $3 million.
India stumble over league reform as Kolkata and Goa clubs argue
By Andrew Warshaw
November 8 – The much debated merger between India’s two main leagues may have to be delayed beyond next year as the country struggles to stamp its mark on the global game.
India’s Bengalaru make history but Iraq’s Air Force Club take the AFC Cup title
By Samindra Kunti
November 7 – In a historic AFC Cup final Iraq won their first regional club championship at the third time of asking when Hammadi Ahmed scored the decisive goal for Iraq’s Air Force Club to overcome India’s Bengaluru FC in Doha.
Vietnam make history in Bahrain winning World Cup U-20 finals spot
October 24 – Vietnam’s U-19 men created history in a dramatic AFC quarter final 1-0 win over Bahrain to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in South Korea next weekend.
Japan and DPR Korea ensure U17 Women’s World Cup honours stay in Asia
By Paul Nicholson
October 21 – Asia will have a new world champion tonight in a FIFA competition the Asian Football Confederation has dominated since its inception. The final of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, being played in Amman, Jordan, features defending champions Japan against AFC champions DPR Korea.
Fourth most-watched league in the world, the ISL, shakes up Indian market
By Samindra Kunti
October 13 – The Indian Super League, the ISL, is shaking up Indian football as the league may usurp the I-League as the country’s principal competition as early as 2018.
Iran and South Korea respect holy day at Tehran World Cup qualifier
October 11 – Fans attending today’s World Cup qualifier between Iran and South Korea in Tehran have been asked to replace traditional nationalist support with religious slogans because the match takes place on a holy day.
AFC U16 Championships set for Goa kick off
September 18 – The AFC Under 16 Champions kick off today in Goa, India, with four games including the hosts India against the United Arab Emirates at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, while current champions Australia will face Kyrgystan at the GMC Stadium.
UAE’s Al Nasr forfeits ACL game as Wanderley judged to have gone too far
September 12 – Brazilian-born Santos Monteiro Junior Wanderley’s lust for international football travel seems to have caught up with him and his latest club, UAE’s Al Nasr, with the club being forced to forfeit their AFC Champions League quarter-final first-leg match against Qatar’s El Jaish.
AFC launches Solidarity Cup for its developing nations
By Paul Nicholson
September 8 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has launched a new national team competition, the AFC Solidarity Cup, today in Kuala Lumpur. The first edition of the planned nine-team competition will be played this year in Malaysia, November 2-15.
