Today, the Asian Football Confederation announced the postponement of the Group 7 matches for the joint qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup to next June in a central gathering format, previously scheduled for March, due to the unstable health conditions in Asia.
A virtual meeting was held today involving Shin Mangel, the Assistant Secretary-General for Football Affairs at the Asian Football Confederation, and representatives from the national federations in Group 7, which includes the UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Mohammed Abdullah Hazam Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of the UAE Football Association, stated in an official announcement on the UAE Football Association's Twitter page that the meeting discussed all the details concerning the group matches, where AFC officials presented a detailed report on the health situation in each country and the challenges of organizing matches in March due to travel restrictions.
Al-Hazam mentioned that the UAE Football Association insisted on holding the matches in March against Malaysia on the 25th in the UAE and against Indonesia on the 30th of the same month in Indonesia, but the restrictions in both countries prevented that. The Malaysian federation representative confirmed that their precautionary measures prohibit international travel during this period, as is the case with Indonesia, which imposes mandatory quarantine. He noted that the federation also proposed hosting Indonesia's team; however, the imposed measures hindered travel.
The Asian Football Confederation officially scheduled the qualifiers for June in a central gathering format and opened the door for hosting requests based on criteria set by the AFC, including health and organizational requirements.
Al-Hazam confirmed that the UAE Football Association would submit a hosting request, given that our national team was supposed to play four crucial matches, three of them at home, with all requirements outlined by the continental federation regarding match venues, training facilities, hotels, transport, and high-quality health protocols. The deadline for submission of hosting requests is March 5, with a final announcement on March 15.
The proposed dates for the gathering matches are as follows:
- June 3, 2021 - Thailand vs. Indonesia; UAE vs. Malaysia
- June 7, 2021 - Vietnam vs. Indonesia; UAE vs. Thailand
- June 11, 2021 - Indonesia vs. UAE; Malaysia vs. Vietnam
- June 15, 2021 - Thailand vs. Malaysia; UAE vs. Vietnam.
