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Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Initial schedule for new QSL season announed
Al Rayyan meet Al Sailiya in opener on August 14Tribune News Network Doha Defending champions Al Sadd will lock horns with Qatar SC in the opening week while Al Rayyan will play the opener against Al Sailiya when the Qatar Stars League season 2025-26 kicks-off on August 14, the QSL announced on Sunday. The schedule for the first leg of the new season has been announced with air-conditioned stadiums hosting the first six weeks of the 22-week league. For now, the dates, venues and match times of the first three weeks' games have been set. The schedule will be updated from Weeks 4 to 11, following the draw for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two, and the Gulf Club Champions League besides the programme of the Qatar national team. QSL stated, there will be coordination with clubs participating in overseas tournaments and their matches rescheduled on specified dates in the calendar, to support them in all their participations. Al Sadd won the title last season finishwing with 52 points, two points ahead Al Duhail (50 points), while Al Gharafa ended up as third with 41 points.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Unusual quietness in transfer market over ISL suspense
ISL champions Mohun Bagan are generally busy during the transfer window making big signings but the Kolkata giants are yet to make a signing Panaji: In recent times, Mohun Bagan Super Giant have often proved the busiest during the transfer windows, picking up any big player who's ready to move. This season, the champions have been unusually quiet. Their rivals, East Bengal, in contrast, have been busy, signing two foreign players -- Mohammed Rashid (Palestine) and Miguel Ferreira (Brazil) – besides snatching India striker Edmund Lalrindika for a transfer fee of Rs 1 crore from Inter Kashi. They have now made a bid for India left-back Jay Gupta with a transfer fee upwards of Rs 1.5 crore. This season, East Bengal is the exception to the lull that is currently existing in the transfer market. Most other clubs, as evident by Bagan's inactivity, have paused their signings owing to the uncertainty over this edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). ISL clubs have also delayed start to their pre-season training, which was expected to kick off between July 15 and July 22. This stalemate arises given that FSDL, the body that runs the league, have told club owners that the league will not kick off unless there is clarity over the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its marketing partners. Bagan's only move so far has been for Kiyan Nassiri, who left the club last season and moved to Chennaiyin FC. The Kolkata giants now want him back in a move which will cost the club Rs 30 lakh, a modest transfer fee going by their record moves in the past. Clubs like FC Goa have identified new foreign players but have not completed the signings. Several extensions have also been kept on hold. It's a similar story at Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin, Odisha and Hyderabad, while Bengaluru and Mumbai City have adopted a cautious approach. 'We are still a couple of weeks away from our slated start to the pre-season, so we will keep ourselves prepared in the best way possible to try and react to whatever developments that may arise in the next couple of weeks,' said FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur. 'We are weighing up the current scenario and assessing the best way forward.' This season's ISL was expected to kick off on Sept 14, as per the calendar approved by the AIFF League Committee last month. However, there is now growing suspense over the future of the league itself. Unlike other clubs, Goa find themselves in a difficult situation as they have a competitive fixture early in the season. Having qualified for continental championships after winning the Super Cup last season, Goa have a preliminary round AFC Champions League Two clash against Al Seeb FC on Aug 13 at home. A win against the Oman champions will take them to the AFC Champions League Two while a loss will consign them to the third-tier AFC Challenge League. 'We are in a unique situation where we have a competitive fixture which extends beyond the Indian football ecosystem and there is an expectation from AFC that we will participate in that,' said Puskur.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Jalan Besar Stadium set to be fitted with natural grass pitch
The Singapore Cup final between BG Tampines Rovers (in black) and Lion City Sailors, at Jalan Besar Stadium on May 31. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – The Jalan Besar Stadium's artificial turf will be removed to make way for a natural grass surface to meet the latest requirements set out by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Straits Times understands that work to returf the pitch is scheduled to commence in August and will be completed by January 2026. The 6,000-capacity venue, which originally had a grass surface, was first fitted with an artificial pitch in 2005. The change comes after the AFC banned the use of fully artificial pitches in its major national team and club competitions. In a June 11 memo to member associations, Asian football's governing body said the decision is in line with efforts to improve the quality of play, following feedback that the standard of pitches – in particular artificial ones – has varied over the past few seasons. The affected competitions are the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, the Women's Asian Cup and Olympic qualifiers, AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) and the AFC Women's Champions League. The Jalan Besar Stadium hosted the Sailors and Tampines' ACL2 matches last season, with both teams having also qualified for the group stage of the second-tier continental club competition next season. After notifying its member associations of the ban on June 11, AFC sent letters the next day to those who are affected by the decision, asking them to nominate an alternative venue with natural grass or a hybrid surface for their home matches. These include Singapore, who have played some national team games at the Jalan Besar Stadium when the 55,000-capacity National Stadium was unavailable or deemed too big for requirements. During last season's ACL2, the Sailors played six home games at Jalan Besar, winning four times, drawing once and losing once as they qualified for a historic final. Their opponents, Emirati side Sharjah FC, complained that Jalan Besar was not a worthy venue for the final. The match was then moved to Bishan Stadium, where stands were added to make it a 10,000-seater venue in May, with Sharjah winning 2-1. The 2025-26 ACL 2 group stage, which involves Tampines and the Sailors, will kick off in September, but it is unlikely that Bishan will be ready to host home games then. Works have commenced to replace the rubber track at Bishan Stadium, which also hosts SPL matches, and that will require approximately 16 weeks to be completed. Lion City Sailors' Lennart Thy scoring the second goal in their 2-0 victory over Sydney FC in the AFC Champions League Two semi-final, first leg at Jalan Besar Stadium in April. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY To mitigate the situation, it is understood that FAS is in discussions with the AFC to allow both Tampines and Sailors' first ACL 2 group-stage games to be scheduled as away matches. ST understands that if work at the Bishan Stadium is completed by October, the facility will be able to host subsequent group-stage matches. But these games will be played at Jalan Besar once it becomes available as Bishan Stadium, which can accommodate up to 2,800 spectators, does not meet AFC's minimum requirement for capacity. The changes will also have an impact on the 2025-26 Singapore Premier League (SPL) – the season's curtain raiser, the Community Shield, is scheduled for Aug 16 at the Jurong East Stadium. When the SPL season kicks off a week later, matches will take place from Friday to Monday at Our Tampines Hub and the Jurong East Stadium, before Bishan and Jalan Besar's expected availability in October 2025 and January 2026 respectively. Since the Jalan Besar Stadium was first fitted with an artificial pitch in 2005, other venues, such as the Jurong East Stadium and Our Tampines Hub, have followed suit as the authorities deemed that such surfaces are easier to maintain than grass pitches in Singapore's humid climate. This has helped Singapore teams achieve some good results in international matches, as visiting teams have often found it hard to deal with the pace, bounce and trajectory of the ball on the Jalan Besar pitch, which was last relaid between July 2020 and January 2021, with costs borne by Fifa. In 2011, Brazil legend Zico, who was Iraq's coach then, condemned it as being unsuitable for a professional football game ahead of his team's 2014 World Cup third-round qualifier against Singapore, noting that 'this kind of pitch is for school kids'. Local players have also raised concerns about the injuries sustained while playing on the artificial turf at Jalan Besar, though there is currently no conclusive evidence to show a link between artificial pitches and injuries. Singapore striker Ikhsan Fandi and former midfielder Adam Swandi both sustained knee injuries in the 3-1 friendly win over the Maldives at Jalan Besar in December 2022. Ikhsan's younger brother Ilhan then suffered a serious knee injury as well during the Asean Football Federation Championship game against Vietnam on Dec 30 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Selection's Park Tae-won attempting a header in an exhibition match against Thailand All Stars on Nov 13, 2005. This was the first official match at Jalan Besar Stadium since the natural grass surface was replaced with an artificial pitch that year. PHOTO: ST FILE Jalan Besar pitch timeline: 2005: Grass pitch is replaced with artificial turf to withstand wear and tear; first official match is played there featuring S-League Selection and Thai All-Stars in November 2005 2008: A $1 million renovation is completed featuring a new artificial pitch with enhanced cushioning compared to the previous surface, along with upgraded floodlights 2014: Facility is returfed with a new artificial pitch as part of maintenance 2021: Relaid with Fifa Quality Pro artificial turf as part of a Fifa Development Project 2025: Natural grass to return to comply with AFC regulations Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Qatar Tribune
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Al Duhail to take on Sepahan SC of Iran in ACL Elite preliminary stage
AFC Kuala Lumpur The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday confirmed the list of participating clubs for the 2025-26 campaigns of its three men's competitions. The line-ups for the upcoming seasons of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite), AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) and AFC Challenge League (ACGL) were determined in accordance with the finalised AFC Club Competitions 2025-26 slot allocations. Inclusive of each competition's Preliminary Stage, a total of 85 teams across 37 Member Associations (MAs) will be involved in Continental action, underlining the Confederation's determination to stage top-class competitions to elevate the level of Asian football. The Preliminary Stage will be played across August 12 and 13, 2025, while the draws for the ACL Elite League Stage and ACL Two Group Stage will be held on August 15, with the ACGL Group Stage draw to be conducted on August 28. ACL Elite Asia's elite men's club tournament will feature 13 teams across six MAs, each from the West and East regions. Each region has 11 clubs entering the League Stage, scheduled for kick-off on September 15, and two indirect slots for entry into the Preliminary Stage. Qatar's Al Duhail SC will take on Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC of the Islamic Republic of Iran and China PR's Chengdu Rongcheng FC will face off against Thai outfit Bangkok United, with the winner of each Preliminary Stage tie progressing to the League Stage, while the losing sides will enter the ACL Two 2025-26 Group Stage. Qatar's Al Sadd and Al Gharafa have already gained direct entries. ACL Two The ACL Two features the largest cast across the AFC's club competitions and the 2025-26 edition will see 29 sides—14 from the West region and 15 from the East (including the clubs eliminated from the ACL Elite Preliminary Stage of each region)—granted entry to the Group Stage, with six more teams to occupy the indirect slots and do battle in the Preliminary Stage. In the West, FC Goa of India will come up against Oman's Al Seeb Club while Tajikistan's FC Regar-TadAZ take on Ahal FC of Turkmenistan; in the East, Philippines' Manila Digger FC square off against Persib Bandung of Indonesia. The winner of each Preliminary Stage tie will progress to the Group Stage, which comprises 16 teams in each region and starts on September 16; the three losing sides will enter the ACGL 2025-26 Group Stage. Qatar's Al Ahli have already secured direct qualification.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
FC Goa to play Oman's Al Seeb at Fatorda for a place in ACL Two
Panaji: have been drawn to play Al Seeb FC (Oman) in the Preliminary Stage with the winners securing their spot at the AFC Champions League Two, Asian football's second-tier club competition. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Goa qualified for Asian competitions after winning the Super Cup and now have a chance to play in the ACL Two, should they win the qualifier which is expected to be played at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on August 13. The ACL Two features the largest cast across the AFC's club competitions and the 2025-26 edition will see 29 sides—14 from the West region and 15 from the East (including the clubs eliminated from the ACL Elite Preliminary Stage of each region)—granted entry to the Group Stage. In the playoffs, Tajikistan's FC Regar-TadAZ take on Ahal FC of Turkmenistan; in the East, Philippines' Manila Digger FC square off against Persib Bandung of Indonesia. The winner of each Preliminary Stage tie will progress to the Group Stage, which comprises 16 teams in each region and starts on Sept 16. The three losing sides in the playoffs will enter the AFC Challenge League group stage. The AFC Champions League Two will feature 's Al-Nassr FC in the group stage. Other confirmed teams in the western region include Al Wasl FC (UAE), Al Ahli SC (Qatar), Esteghlal FC (Iran), PFC Andijon (Uzbekistan), Al Hussein (Jordan), Al Muharraq SC (Bahrain), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (India), FC Istiklol (Tajikistan) and FC Arkadag (Turkmenistan). The Preliminary Stage will be played across Aug 12 and 13, while the draws for the ACL Elite League Stage and ACL Two Group Stage will be held on Aug 15, with the ACGL Group Stage draw to be conducted on Aug 28.
