Ronaldo steps up to urge ref to reverse penalty decision
November 28 – Cristiano Ronaldo may be known for his goalscoring exploits but on Monday night the Portuguese super star convinced the referee not to award his Al-Nassr side a penalty.
Competitions
AFC U23 Asian Cup draw seeds Japan and South Korea in same group
November 24 – The draw for the16 teams taking part in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 has put old foes Japan and South Korea in the same group, a group that is not made easier with the UAE and China.
Asia’s nations begin first group qualifying on long road to 2026 World Cup
November 23 – The qualification road for Asia’s nations for the 2026 World Cup is a long one. The first round saw 20 teams play knock-out matches to qualify for the first group stage. There will be a further group round and play-offs before the AFC’s 2026 qualifiers are confirmed.
Anderson hattrick puts Al Nassr into ACL last 16; Bangkok United continue surprise run
November 8 – Three Saudi Arabian clubs top their West zone Asian Champions League groups after four rounds of matches. In the East zone group games Thailand’s Bangkok United have been the surprise breakthrough team and remain unbeaten.
AFC Women’s Club Championship set for final kick off as precursor to new Champions League
November 3 – The AFC Women’s Club Championship will see eight teams across two centralised venues begin play on Monday.
Mitrovic hat-trick pushes Al Hilal to top of Asian Champions League group
October 24 – Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stormed past India’s Mumbai City 6-0 with striker Aleksander Mitrovic scoring a hattrick to remain on course for the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League.
Algeria barred from hosting Palestine 2026 World Cup qualifiers
October 23 – Algeria have been barred from hosting Palestinian international matches in the wake of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Pakistan make history with qualification to first group stage of AFC 2026 World Cup qualifiers
October 18 – Pakistan claimed their first-ever World Cup qualification success with a 1-0 victory against Cambodia to progress to the second round of the AFC 2026 World Cup qualification process.
AFC kicks off 2026 World Cup qualification with elimination round to finalise first group stage
Sobaclieu.com
October 11 – Asia kicks off its ‘Road to 2026’ World Cup qualifiers tomorrow with the AFC’s Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1, which sees 20 nations in action.
Gaza conflict forces Palestine to pull out of Malaysian tournament
October 10 – Palestine has withdrawn from a friendly tournament in Malaysia because of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Tuesday.
AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers for Thailand 2024 set for kick-off this weekend
October 6 – The Asian continents kicks off its qualifying round for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand 2024 Qualifiers this weekend.
Neymar opens account for Al-Hilal as Iran vs Saudi ACL club fixtures resume
October 4 – Neymar scored his first goal since his high-profile €90 million move to Al-Hilal on Tuesday as the Saudi Arabian club beat Nassaji Mazandaran 3-0 in Tehran in the Asian Champions League.
Busted: AFC calls off ACL tie between Sepahan vs Al-Ittihad over political messaging
October 3 – The newly found football friendship between Iran and Saudi Arabia suffered its first set back Monday after the AFC called off the Champions League fixture between Sepahan and Al-Ittihad at the Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium in Isfahan at the last minutes and with 60,000 fans in the stadium.
North Korean return to world football sours after players chase referee after Japan loss
October 2 – Rarely courting publicity in the international arena, North Korea’s footballers have been thrust into the spotlight for manhandling the referee after crashing out of the Asian Games with a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to Japan.
Iranian fans flock to welcome Ronaldo ahead of ACL clash with Persepolis
September 19 – Hundreds of fans stormed a hotel in Tehran on Monday hoping for a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo after he arrived with his Al Nassr teammates ahead of the first visit of a Saudi team to Iran since 2016 for the group stage of the Asian Champions League.
