2017 AFC CUP and ACL

goalkeepar

Format has been changed to screw India.

shubham_northeastern

@sam AFC Cup will have zonal playoffs this year. The winners of the respective zones will compete in the knockout stages.

shubham_northeastern

That is why both MB and BFC in same group...we can have only one team from this zone. Given the form,hopefully Mohun Bagan will qualify.

Ratul

but unwillingly

goalkeepar

Maziya will qualify.

AKB

 Yes..chance of Maziya qualifying is as high as Churchill Brothers winning the I-League  

sam

So if MB reaches group stage then either BFC or MB only one can reach next stage? 

goalkeepar

yes

munna219777

This has been discussed before also. They are trying to make AFC Cup more competitive. We got clubs from North Korea and Central Asia now. Earlier it was a free passage to BFC or JDT to reach all the way up to Finals without facing competitive team-only in Finals they used to play with Arab club. Now so many checks are there. Had BFC or JDT in West Zone, they would have struggled to pass Group stage amongst Arab clubs. This present format-with Zonal playoffs attempts to improve the quality of the clubs reaching upper rounds of AFC Cup. AFC has made it financially lucrative also by giving travel subsidy for short travel within their Zones.

sam

Yeah but why do they keep such a format where both Indian clubs can come to the same group? I understand if Valencia wins there will be no 2 clubs from Maldives in the same group. But still it is weird to me