久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

  Home>News Center>Sports
         
 

Australia gets AFC nod to join Asian soccer group
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-24 09:04

Asian soccer chiefs on Wednesday approved Australia's bid to move out of the Oceania soccer confederation and join its 45-nation Asian counterpart, pending approval by FIFA.


Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed bin Hammam (3rd R) poses for a picture with members of the confederation in Kuala Lampur. Australia's bid to join the Asian Football Confederation has won the organisation's backing, president Mohamed Bin Hamman announced. [AFP]
The Asian Football Confederation's executive committee, at its one-day meeting, has "unanimously approved the wishes of Australia to join the AFC," said AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam.

"It is beneficial for both Australia to join us in better competitions and for the AFC to have Australia with all its technical standards and capabilities," he told reporters.

Australia earlier this month declared its intention to quit the disparate, 11-member Oceania Football Confederation and join the AFC. The intention is to benefit from wider exposure and tougher matches in the Asian league, which could bring in higher revenues.

It will also give Australia a chance at direct qualification to future soccer World Cups. Presently, the top nation from Oceania qualification must play a home-away play off against the fifth-placed South American team to make the World Cup. Asia has four automatic spots, and the fifth team in qualifying goes into an intercontinental playoff against a European nation for another spot.

Hammam declined to say how long it might take for Australia to formally become a full member but indicated it might not be before next year.

Australia will still need to officially resign from Oceania, submit a membership application to the AFC and seek the approval of FIFA, soccer's world governing body, said AFC general secretary Peter Velappan.

"The AFC will wholeheartedly accept Australia as a member but there are a lot of statutory procedures still to be followed," he said.

FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot declined to indicate what FIFA's response would be.

"At the moment, these are talks between a confederation and a member association, and we don't intervene in that," Maingot said.

FIFA regulations state that a confederation might be authorized "in exceptional circumstances" to grant membership to an association that belongs geographically to another continent.

Hammam refused to speculate on whether New Zealand might also seek to leave Oceania for Asia.

"We are very heartened by the news that the Asian Football Confederation has endorsed our wishes to join them," Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy said in a statement.

"It's a very positive step and we look forward to meeting with the AFC president on Saturday to discuss the next steps required for our transfer, and attend our historic matches against Iraq in Sydney and then Indonesia in Perth."

Australia's soccer federation has been overhauled dramatically in the last 12 months, with John O'Neill - chief organizer when Australia hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup - taking over as chief executive, and wealthy businessman Lowy becoming chairman.

The domestic competition has been revamped and will kick off in August and the organizing body has been renamed the Football Federation Australia.

Soccer competes with Australian Rules, rugby league and rugby union in the Australian football market and has been a distant fourth in TV ratings and popularity at the domestic professional level.

Administrators have long considered a run to the World Cup finals would give soccer significant inroads in Australia.

The Socceroos have missed the last qualifying hurdle for the last two World Cups, losing to Iran on home-away goals before France '98 and to Uruguay at the last stage of qualifying for the 2002 finals in South Korea and Japan.

Hammam dismissed speculation that Asian soccer powers like Japan and Saudi Arabia might feel threatened by Australia's participation, saying "the arrival of Australia is going to increase the image and standards of Asian soccer."

Oceania is the smallest of FIFA's six confederations and the only one without a guaranteed direct entry to the World Cup.

It was formed in 1966, two years after the Asian confederation rejected membership applications from Australia and New Zealand.

With the exception of Australian and New Zealand, Oceania comprises mainly small Pacific island nations.



Real edge past Malaga 1-0
T-Wolves beat Rockets 94-86
Lindsay Davenport
 
  Today's Top News     Top Sports News
 

'Three-good' student system under revision

 

   
 

Japan's bid for UNSC seat opposed

 

   
 

Beijing unveils security plan for Olympics

 

   
 

Hu: Nation willing to restart nuke talks

 

   
 

EU official calls China embargo 'unfair'

 

   
 

Watchdog investigates baby oil fears

 

   
  Sun Jihai extends Man City contract
   
  Australia gets AFC nod to join Asian soccer group
   
  Rockets defeat Heat 84-82
   
  Chinese squad ready for FINA GP; Tian, Guo out
   
  Fragile Hao Haidong injured
   
  Ferguson "sackable" says United CEO
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 欧美一级二级毛片视频 | 国产 magnet | 欧美人成毛片在线播放 | 深夜福利视频在线观看免费播放 | 国产精品三级在线播放 | 欧美一区二区aa大片 | 欧美日韩一区二区综合 | 韩国免费网站成人 | 亚洲无限看 | 深夜国产成人福利在线观看女同 | 玖玖玖视频在线观看视频6 玖玖影院在线观看 | 久99re视频9在线观看 | 亚洲综合色视频在线观看 | se94se欧美综合色 | 国产精品久久久一区二区三区 | 欧美日韩精品免费一区二区三区 | 成人免费视频一区二区三区 | 国产亚洲精品久久久久久午夜 | 美女被免费网站视频软件 | 国产成人精品午夜 | 七七国产福利在线二区 | 亚洲最大的视频网站 | 欧美另类 videos黑人极品 | 色综合在| 国产精品一区高清在线观看 | 国产日韩精品一区在线观看播放 | 午夜国产亚洲精品一区 | 中国精品视频一区二区三区 | 亚洲精品国产第一区第二区国 | 日本韩国欧美在线观看 | 男女视频在线观看免费高清观看 | 日本一区二区高清不卡 | 亚洲aⅴ在线 | 欧美精品成人一区二区在线观看 | 久久免费大片 | 成人国产午夜在线视频 | 日韩在线视频网址 | 精品乱人伦一区二区 | 日韩中文在线 | 久久这里只有精品免费视频 | 在线色网址 |