"Following the imposition of further preventive
measures and travel restrictions by several national governments due to the
current COVID-19 pandemic," the body said in a statement, "the Asian
Football Confederation has decided today to postpone all AFC Cup 2020 matches
until further notice."
The AFC Cup is the continent's second-tier club
competition and features teams from countries such as Jordan, Lebanon,
Singapore, Bangladesh and Tajikistan.
Asian Football Confederation suspends play in AFC
Cup competition
The Asian Football Confederation has postponed all
matches in the AFC Cup tournament, the regional body announced on Wednesday, as
the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit sporting events around the world.
"Following the imposition of further preventive
measures and travel restrictions by several national governments due to the
current COVID-19 pandemic," the body said in a statement, "the Asian
Football Confederation has decided today to postpone all AFC Cup 2020 matches
until further notice."
Games in the west of Asia had already been suspended
prior to the announcement. The decision means matches due to be played in March
and April in the confederation's other four zones around Asia - south, central,
south-east and east - have now also been postponed.
The AFC Cup is the continent's second-tier club
competition and features tea ms from countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Singapore, Bangladesh, and Tajikistan.
"The AFC will closely monitor the situation
before deciding when to recommence the 2020 AFC Cup season," the statement
said.
"The decision, which was also made in
conjunction with the competing clubs and their respective member associations,
is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all
participating players and teams, match officials and spectators as well as
designed to protect the integrity of the competition."
The coronavirus outbreak has had a major impact on
football across Asia, with the start of the Chinese Super League and the
K-League in South Korea suspended indefinitely while Japan's J-League was
halted after the opening round of matches.
The Asian Champions League, the region's leading
club competition has also been severely affected, with the schedule of the
group phase threw into disarray since the tournament kicked off in early February.
No comments:
Post a Comment