Asia’s football World Cup qualifiers this month and in June have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but games can still go ahead if both sides agree and safety standards are met, officials said on Monday.
Football is one of the sports worst affected by the deadly epidemic and especially in Asia, where the AFC Champions League and domestic competitions in China, Japan and South Korea are all on hold.
Qualifiers set for March 23 and 31, and June 1 and 9, are “postponed to later dates”, world body Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation said, after consultations with Asia’s national football associations.
But games can still be played on those dates “provided that the safety of all individuals involved meets the required standards and that the member associations due to play each other mutually agree”.
The announcement suggests that at least some games will go ahead during the upcoming international windows, when dozens of fixtures were planned across the Middle East and Asia.
The women’s Olympic qualifying playoff between China and South Korea has been moved to June 1 and 9, while the AFC Futsal Championship in Turkmenistan has been postponed to August, the statement added.
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