May 28 – The AFC Cup hit another bump in its long road to completing a full season, with the Singapore’s decision to withdraw from Groups H and I matches, which were scheduled to take place June 29 to July 6.
With the number of covid cases on the rise in the region again and Singapore experiencing a rise in the number of untraceable covid infections, the decision was made to pull out of hosting.
Singapore has two teams in the Asean Zone qualifiers, Lion City Sailors FC and Geylang International FC. They would have hosted clubs from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The AFC said that it “acknowledged the challenges caused by the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore and around the region.Further details on the AFC Cup (ASEAN) Group Stage will be communicated in due course.”
West Zone completes
Meanwhile the West Zone group stages of the AFC Cup came to a dramatic conclusion with final day wins for Lebanon’s Al Ahed, Bahrain’s Muharraq Club, Jordan’s Al Salt and Kuwait City see them through to the next round.
It was heartbreak for Pakistan’s Balata Centre, the giantkillers from the West Bank refugee camp, who found the last day a step too far in their AFC Cup debut.
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