DOHA (Qatar): With Qatar temporarily banning travellers from 14 countries including India from March 9 due to coronavirus, the country’s FIFA World Cup Qualifier against India has also been postponed.
The Asian champions were due to travel to India for the match on March 26 in Bhubaneswar.
The deadly COVID-19 has already affected many sporting ties and events across the globe with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has also come under the scanner.
Meanwhile, representatives of the competing Member Associations (MA) from the AFC West Zone have provided the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) with a series of proposals to complete the 2020 AFC Champions League group-stage matches which has been postponed as a precaution against the spread virus.
Following the meeting with MAs from the East Zone in Kuala Lumpur last week, the AFC met with West Zone representatives in Doha and Dubai this weekend.
The AFC officials met with representatives of a number of West Asian federations in Doha on Friday in the presence of Qatar Stars League CEO Hani Taleb Ballan, Qatar Football Association General Secretary Mansour Al Ansari and QSL’s Executive Director of Competitions and Football Development Ahmed Khellil Abbassi.
All matches in the AFC Champions League Match Day 3 were postponed in the West Zone and the AFC has now asked for the co-operation of Member Associations in producing a plan for the remaining matches before the Round of 16.
The quarterfinals will be moved to September 14-16 and 28-30 and semifinals to October 20-21 and 27-28. The AFC Champions League Final dates (November 22 – East and November 28 – West) remain unchanged.
As with the East Zone, the MAs put forward some proposals which will now be considered by the AFC and various stakeholders, including commercial partners.
