FIFA released a statement that all North Korea matches are declared null & void.
It turns out to be disastrous for Turkmenistan who lost their 3 points against North Korea and got pulled from 1st to 3rd in the group. Good for South Korea who lost 2 points against North Korea (draw) and Lebanon who lost 5 points (loss & draw).
In the combined table across groups, matches against 5th place team won't be counted. It will be an advantage for India if we finish 4th, because we lost points against 5th place team (AFG/BAN).
Heard that some Myanmar key players refused to play because of political situation there. They don't want to represent Myanmar which is under military rule.
Japan will now field teams comprised entirely of J-league players for their remaining games. Today's lineup consisted of a European club-based XI. Imagine SAFF teams having that sort of luxury.
When we think of Asian coaches we should focus on the credentials of the coach also and not just the "Asian" tag. In the last World Cup 2018 the only two Asian coaches were Akira Nishino and Shin Tae Yong. They are currently coaching Thailand and Indonesia respectively. These are the profiles we should look for. The only Asian coach we interviewed last time was Lee Min sung, who had barely any head coach experience.
Food delivered at the door, stuck in their rooms: Stimac irked by ‘quarantine-free’ conditions in Qatar
“Even though we reached here early, we are in quarantine and haven’t even been able to use the gym. We are in our rooms where our food is delivered to us at the door. We have tested negative thrice already. I don’t see the reason why are being kept in quarantine, why we don’t get a proper meeting hall so we can discuss and analyse our opponents, or why we can’t spend time together,” Stimac pointed out.
"Qatar is a fully prepared team with its own camp since the end of the season in April. Bangladesh finished their season on May 10, and 23 out of the 28 Afghan players are playing in Europe and the USA with their season in full swing. We were supposed to play 4-5 friendly games but everything was cancelled due to no one’s fault.
“I was happy that we were able to play the last three games [WC qualifiers] in Qatar and also because they have their great facilities. But if I knew everything will be the way it is today, then I will not have accepted. We could organise such games in such a way in India also. In the end, we lost the possibility of playing two home games [vs Qatar and Afghanistan]. These are not great conditions. This is far away from ideal preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.
“We were supposed to come here on May 30th and I am thankful to the Qatar government for allowing us to come here early but I didn’t expect such conditions. I am sure the Qatar team is not under similar conditions,” said Stimac.
Comments
It turns out to be disastrous for Turkmenistan who lost their 3 points against North Korea and got pulled from 1st to 3rd in the group. Good for South Korea who lost 2 points against North Korea (draw) and Lebanon who lost 5 points (loss & draw).
In the combined table across groups, matches against 5th place team won't be counted. It will be an advantage for India if we finish 4th, because we lost points against 5th place team (AFG/BAN).
Ruthless performance by the Japs.
In the last World Cup 2018 the only two Asian coaches were Akira Nishino and Shin Tae Yong. They are currently coaching Thailand and Indonesia respectively. These are the profiles we should look for. The only Asian coach we interviewed last time was Lee Min sung, who had barely any head coach experience.
Food delivered at the door, stuck in their rooms: Stimac irked by ‘quarantine-free’ conditions in Qatar
“Even though we reached here early, we are in quarantine and haven’t even been able to use the gym. We are in our rooms where our food is delivered to us at the door. We have tested negative thrice already. I don’t see the reason why are being kept in quarantine, why we don’t get a proper meeting hall so we can discuss and analyse our opponents, or why we can’t spend time together,” Stimac pointed out.
"Qatar is a fully prepared team with its own camp since the end of the season in April. Bangladesh finished their season on May 10, and 23 out of the 28 Afghan players are playing in Europe and the USA with their season in full swing. We were supposed to play 4-5 friendly games but everything was cancelled due to no one’s fault.
“I was happy that we were able to play the last three games [WC qualifiers] in Qatar and also because they have their great facilities. But if I knew everything will be the way it is today, then I will not have accepted. We could organise such games in such a way in India also. In the end, we lost the possibility of playing two home games [vs Qatar and Afghanistan]. These are not great conditions. This is far away from ideal preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.
“We were supposed to come here on May 30th and I am thankful to the Qatar government for allowing us to come here early but I didn’t expect such conditions. I am sure the Qatar team is not under similar conditions,” said Stimac.
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/igor-stimac-frustrated-with-quarantine-conditions-in-qatar-fifa-wc-asian-cup-qualifiers-indian-football-news/article34668638.ece