Reform Asia Cup qualification criteria
The 18th edition of the Asia Cup Football will be held in 2019 in the UAE with 24 nations in six groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the best four runners-up will sail into the round of 16.
By this time, 12 teams have already qualified and the remaining spots will be filled in through the play-offs which is underway. In this regard, we are sorry to say that Bangladesh are out of tournament.
In this connection, we like to draw the attention of the Asia Football Confederation (AFC) to the current qualification system. According to the present format, there is no guaranteed spot in the final round for the South Asian nations, which is a barrier to the expansion and development of football.
But it can be done if the AFC amends the bye-laws. The AFC members by a majority votes can ensure two places for South Asia, three for South East Asia, three for Central Asia, five for East Asia and 11 for West Asia.
So far defending champions Australia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Syria, China and hosts UAE cruised into the final round.
The possible qualifiers from the remaining teams are North Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Oman, Lebanon, Bahrain and Tajikistan.
Abdullah Akber
Dhaka
