By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Just when Asian football is striving to improve its image and develop the game, Australian coach Holger Osieck (pictured) has attacked Asian clubs for failing to release a number of his players for the East Asian Cup, which starts on Saturday in Seoul.
By Mark Baber
July 12 – Yemen’s Football Federation has pulled its national football team from participation in foreign competitions for the rest of 2013 due to a financial crisis.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – Thailand is once again facing the possibility of being expelled from FIFA unless the continuing impasse over implementing contentious new reforms can be resolved.
By Mark Baber
July 11 – A new report by Deloitte highlights the opportunities for the construction sector in Qatar as the country gears up to spend $140 billion over the next five years in transport infrastructure and over $200 billion in construction projects.
By Mark Baber
July 10 – ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) secretary-general Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad has welcomed Australia’s upcoming accession to full membership whilst firming up the details of the planned ASEAN Super League.
By Mark Baber
July 8 – In a decision hailed as a sign of decreased tensions, South Korea’s Unification Ministry has given the go-ahead for the North Korean women’s national team to participate in the Women’s East Asian Cup which kicks off on July 20.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 8 – The in-fighting surrounding the future of Thai football and its controversial boss Worawi Makudi has taken another twist with Makudi cancelling a news conference at which he was expected to outline his position and how the impasse could be resolved.
By Mark Baber
July 4 – FIFA have re-imposed its ban on Iraq hosting international friendlies following a surge in violence, including bombings aimed directly at players and fans. FIFA notified the Iraqi Football Association (IFA), citing over 2,500 deaths in violence from April through June and at least 123 people killed in the first three days of July.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Controversial Fifa executive committee member Worawo Makudi (pictured) continues to cling to power as boss of Thai football despite growing demands for fresh presidential elections which he, so far, has refused to implement. Thailand avoided being thrown out of world football by FIFA last month after a tiny fourth-tier club agreed to withdrew a lawsuit that threatened to stop the Thai FA (FAT) from holding elections.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – South Korea and Iran, whose recent spat made headlines throughout Asian football, have agreed to bury their differences and sign a symbolic sporting exchange agreement barely two weeks after a war of words ahead of and following their crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier which ended in ugly scenes of chaos when the Iranian players were pelted with bottles of water from the stands.
July 1 – Between nine and 15 people have been killed in a bomb blast while watching and playing football in Baghdad, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqis either competing or watching and prompting a plea by Asian football authorities to beef up security in the region.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 27 – FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi is refusing to step down as boss of Thai football following the election row that shows no sign of abating.
June 26 – Qatar’s 61-year-old emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani announced yesterday that he has transferred power in the energy-rich and increasingly influential gulf nation to his fourth son – the 33-year-old crown prince, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (pictured), who has strong footballing links.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 25 – Thailand have avoided being thrown out of world football after a tiny fourth-tier club agreed to withdrew a lawsuit that threatened to stop the Thai FA (FAT) from holding controversial elections.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 24 – Thailand are facing a ban from all FIFA competitions over an election row that could plunge lucrative pre-season tours by Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea into jeopardy. FIFA has warned the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) – headed by controversial FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi – that it must resolve the dispute by the end of today (Monday) or face suspension.