2019 AFC Asian Cup

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 February 2019.[4]

2019 AFC Asian Cup
كأس آسيا 2019
Tournament details
Host countryUnited Arab Emirates
Dates5 January – 1 February
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)8 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Qatar (1st title)
Runners-up Japan
Tournament statistics
Matches played51
Goals scored130 (2.55 per match)
Attendance644,307 (12,633 per match)
Top scorer(s) Almoez Ali (9 goals)[1]
Best player(s) Almoez Ali[1]
Best goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb[2]
Fair play award Japan[3]

For the first time, the Asian Cup final tournament was contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format that was used from 2004 to 2015. Under this new format, the finalists would contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout stage of 16 teams. The host nation qualified for the final tournament automatically, while the remaining 23 places were determined among the other 45 national teams of the AFC through a qualifying competition running from 2015 to 2018, part of which also served as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process for the confederation.

The tournament was won for the first time by Qatar, who defeated Japan 3–1 in the final. This was also Qatar's first ever top 4 finish in the competition. The defending champions (Australia), were eliminated by the hosts (UAE) at the quarter-finals, who subsequently lost to the eventual champions in the semi-finals.

Host selection

The bidding procedure and timeline for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup was approved at the AFC congress on 28 November 2012.[5] The winning bid was originally set to be announced at an AFC congress in June, then November 2014.[6] However, at its 60th Anniversary celebrations at the end of 2014, AFC gave the date of 'summer 2015' to when an announcement would be made.[7]

In January 2015, AFC general secretary Alex Soosay said that Iran and the United Arab Emirates were the only two remaining bidders for the 2019 Asian Cup, and that the eventual hosts would be announced in March 2015.[8]

On 9 March 2015, during an AFC Executive Committee meeting in Manama, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates was announced as the host.[9] This was the second time the country hosted the tournament, after the 1996 edition.

Teams

  Qualified for Asian Cup
  Failed to qualify
  Disqualified or withdrew
  Not an AFC member

Qualification

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification process determined the 24 participating teams for the tournament. In 2014, a proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup with those of the AFC Asian Cup was ratified by the AFC Competitions Committee.[10] The new qualification structure took place in three stages, with the first two merging with the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification[10][11] In the first round, the lowest ranked teams played home-and-away over two legs to reduce the total number of teams to 40. In the second round, the 40 teams were divided into eight groups of five to play home-and-away round-robin matches, where the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals. In the third round, the next best 24 teams eliminated from second round were divided into six groups of four and competed for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[12] The first qualifying round of the qualification took place on 12 March 2015, and the final match of the third round took place on 27 March 2018.[13][14]

Qualified teams

India, Syria, Thailand, and Turkmenistan qualified for the tournament after being absent in several Asian Cup tournaments spanning from 2004 to 2015. Lebanon and Vietnam both qualified for the first time after hosting the tournaments, in 2000 and 2007 respectively.[15] For Vietnam, this was the first time they qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified nation, having participated as South Vietnam in the first two editions (1956 and 1960), outside of hosting the 2007 edition. This was also the first time Yemen qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified country, due to FIFA and AFC categorizing the participation of South Yemen in the 1976 as a distinct record not related to Yemen, who succeeded North Yemen. In addition to Yemen, Kyrgyzstan[16] and the Philippines[17] also marked this edition as their first times to qualify for an Asian Cup.

Iran qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time as a CAFA member, having qualified as part of the WAFF before. Afghanistan, along with its fellow CAFA member nation Tajikistan, were the only two countries from the Central Asian zone which failed to qualify for the tournament. Indonesia and Malaysia were the only co-hosts of the 2007 edition that did not qualify for the Asian Cup, as Indonesia was barred from entering the qualification due to tension inside the PSSI which led to FIFA suspension; while Malaysia had ended their campaign in disaster with just one point out of six matches. Kuwait was the only West Asian team not to qualify for the Asian Cup, as they were also barred from completing the qualification due to FIFA's sanction. India remained as the only South Asian team to qualify for the tournament. On 13 November 2018, the Asian Football Confederation warned the Iranian government to stop meddling in the country's football association, otherwise, it would have faced sanctions before the Asian Cup.[18]

The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament:

Team Method of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
Previous best
performance
December 2018
FIFA ranking
 United Arab EmiratesHosts9 March 201510th2015Runners-up (1996)79
 QatarSecond Round Group C winners17 November 201510th2015Quarter-finals (2000, 2011)93
 South KoreaSecond Round Group G winners13 January 201614th2015Winners (1956, 1960)53
 JapanSecond Round Group E winners24 March 20169th2015Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)50
 ThailandSecond Round Group F winners24 March 20167th2007Third place (1972)118
 Saudi ArabiaSecond Round Group A winners24 March 201610th2015Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)69
 AustraliaSecond Round Group B winners29 March 20164th2015Winners (2015)41
 UzbekistanSecond Round Group H winners29 March 20167th2015Fourth place (2011)95
 IranSecond Round Group D winners29 March 201614th2015Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)29
 SyriaSecond Round Group E runners-up29 March 20166th2011Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011)74
 IraqSecond Round Group F runners-up29 March 20169th2015Winners (2007)88
 ChinaSecond Round Group C runners-up29 March 201612th2015Runners-up (1984, 2004)76
 PalestineThird Round Group D runners-up10 October 20172nd2015Group stage (2015)99
 OmanThird Round Group D winners10 October 20174th2015Group stage (2004, 2007, 2015)82
 IndiaThird Round Group A winners11 October 20174th2011Runners-up (1964)97
 LebanonThird Round Group B winners10 November 20172nd2000Group stage (2000)81
 TurkmenistanThird Round Group E runners-up14 November 20172nd2004Group stage (2004)127
 JordanThird Round Group C winners14 November 20174th2015Quarter-finals (2004, 2011)109
 BahrainThird Round Group E winners14 November 20176th2015Fourth place (2004)113
 VietnamThird Round Group C runners-up14 November 20174th2007Fourth place (19561, 19601)100
 KyrgyzstanThird Round Group A runners-up22 March 20181stDebutNone91
 North KoreaThird Round Group B runners-up27 March 20185th2015Fourth place (1980)109
 PhilippinesThird Round Group F winners27 March 20181stDebutNone116
 YemenThird Round Group F runners-up27 March 20181st2DebutNone135
1 As South Vietnam
2 Yemen once qualified for the 1976 AFC Asian Cup as South Yemen, but according to FIFA and the AFC, the previous records of Yemen are registered as North Yemen instead.

Draw

Burj Khalifa, the location of the final draw

The draw of the final tournament was held on 4 May 2018, 19:30 GST, at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.[19][20] The FIFA rankings of April 2018 were used as basis for the seeding. The 12 teams that secured their place in the final tournament by the end of the second round of the qualification process were placed in Pots 1 and 2 while the remaining teams which qualified during the third round were allocated to the remaining pots. As hosts, the United Arab Emirates were seeded into Pot 1. The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, with the hosts placed in position A1.[21] Four renowned Asian players: Ali Daei, Sun Jihai, Sunil Chhetri, and Phil Younghusband were chosen to draw the teams.[22]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

 United Arab Emirates (81) (hosts)
 Iran (36)
 Australia (40)
 Japan (60)
 South Korea (61)
 Saudi Arabia (70)

 China (73)
 Syria (76)
 Uzbekistan (88)
 Iraq (88)
 Qatar (101)
 Thailand (122)

 Kyrgyzstan (75)
 Lebanon (82)
 Palestine (83)
 Oman (87)
 India (97)
 Vietnam (103)

 North Korea (112)
 Philippines (113)
 Bahrain (116)
 Jordan (117)
 Yemen (125)
 Turkmenistan (129)

Draw result

Teams were drawn consecutively into Group A to F. Teams from each pot were assigned to the positions of their groups following by number orders of group stage, for example Pot 1 team were assigned to A1, and continued.

The draw resulted in the following groups:

Group A
PosTeam
A1 United Arab Emirates
A2 Thailand
A3 India
A4 Bahrain
Group B
PosTeam
B1 Australia
B2 Syria
B3 Palestine
B4 Jordan
Group C
PosTeam
C1 South Korea
C2 China
C3 Kyrgyzstan
C4 Philippines
Group D
PosTeam
D1 Iran
D2 Iraq
D3 Vietnam
D4 Yemen
Group E
PosTeam
E1 Saudi Arabia
E2 Qatar
E3 Lebanon
E4 North Korea
Group F
PosTeam
F1 Japan
F2 Uzbekistan
F3 Oman
F4 Turkmenistan

Squads

Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.[23]

Match officials

Mexican referee César Ramos consulting the video assistant referee system in the semi-final match between Qatar and the UAE.

On 5 December 2018, the AFC announced the list of 30 referees, 30 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and two stand-by assistant referees, including one referee and two assistant referees from CONCACAF for the tournament.[24][25] Video assistant referees (VAR) would be used from the quarter-finals onwards.[26] In each match, the referee and his assistants were accompanied by two additional assistant referees stationed next to each team's goalpost.

Referees
  • Chris Beath
  • Peter Green
  • Nawaf Shukralla
  • Fu Ming
  • Ma Ning
  • Liu Kwok Man
  • Alireza Faghani
  • Ali Sabah
  • Mohanad Qasim Sarray
  • Jumpei Iida
  • Hiroyuki Kimura
  • Ryuji Sato
  • Ahmed Faisal Al-Ali
  • Adham Makhadmeh
  • Kim Dong-jin
  • Ko Hyung-jin
  • Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob
  • César Ramos
  • Ahmed Al-Kaf
  • Abdulrahman Al-Jassim
  • Khamis Al-Kuwari
  • Khamis Al-Marri
  • Turki Al-Khudhayr
  • Muhammad Taqi
  • Hettikamkanamge Perera
  • Ammar Al-Jeneibi
  • Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed
  • Ravshan Irmatov
  • Valentin Kovalenko
  • Ilgiz Tantashev
Assistant referees
  • Matthew Cream
  • Anton Shchetinin
  • Mohamed Salman
  • Yaser Tulefat
  • Cao Yi
  • Huo Weiming
  • Mohammadreza Mansouri
  • Reza Sokhandan
  • Jun Mihara
  • Hiroshi Yamauchi
  • Mohammad Al-Kalaf
  • Ahmad Al-Roalleh
  • Park Sang-jun
  • Yoon Kwang-yeol
  • Sergei Grishchenko
  • Mohd Yusri Muhamad
  • Mohd Zainal Abidin
  • Miguel Hernández
  • Alberto Morín
  • Abu Bakar Al-Amri
  • Rashid Al-Ghaithi
  • Saud Al-Maqaleh
  • Taleb Al-Marri
  • Mohammed Al-Bakri
  • Ronnie Koh Min Kiat
  • Palitha Hemathunga
  • Mohamed Al-Hammadi
  • Hasan Al-Mahri
  • Abdukhamidullo Rasulov
  • Jakhongir Saidov
Video assistant referees
  • Paolo Valeri
  • Danny Makkelie
Stand-by referees
  • Nivon Robesh Gamini
  • Hanna Hattab
Stand-by assistant referees
  • Ali Ubaydee
  • Priyanga Palliya Guruge

Venues

After being awarded the bid, initially the UAE chose six stadiums to host the tournament. The six stadiums were Zayed Sports City Stadium and Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, and Dubai's Al Ahli Stadium and DSC Stadium. Later, two stadiums in Dubai were dropped due to financial problems and were replaced by Al Maktoum Stadium and Rashid Stadium, which were also located in Dubai.[27]

After the 2015 Asian Cup, the AFC agreed to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24, following the UEFA Euro 2016. Hence, more stadiums were about to be chosen and rebuilt, in which Sharjah and Abu Dhabi won the rights to have more stadiums for the tournament. Sharjah Stadium and Al Nahyan Stadium were chosen aftermath, finalized the number of stadium to eight.

The eight venues used are Zayed Sports City Stadium, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, and Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, Al Maktoum Stadium and Rashid Stadium in Dubai, and Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah.[28]

Abu Dhabi
Zayed Sports City Stadium Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium Al Nahyan Stadium
Capacity: 43,206[29] (expanded) Capacity: 37,500[29] Capacity: 12,201 (expanded)
Dubai
Rashid Stadium
Capacity: 12,000[29] (expanded)
Dubai
Al Maktoum Stadium
Capacity: 15,058 (renovated)
Al Ain Sharjah
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium Sharjah Stadium
Capacity: 25,053[29] Capacity: 12,000[29] Capacity: 12,000[29]

Format

The tournament was expanded to 24 teams from the previous format of 16 teams, which had been used since 2004.[30] Only the hosts will receive an automatic qualification spot, while the other 23 teams will qualify through a qualification tournament. At the finals, the 24 teams will be drawn into six groups of four teams each. The teams in each group play a single round robin. After the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third teams will advance to the knockout stage, beginning with the round of 16. For the first time since a knockout stage was added to the competition in 1972, there will be no third place play-off.[23]

Schedule

The AFC announced the official match schedule on 7 May 2018.[31][32] Zayed Sports City Stadium, one of three stadiums in Abu Dhabi, staged both the opening match and the final. At least five matches were allocated to each venue, with every ground hosting at least one match in the knockout stage. The semi-finals were played on different days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. No city hosted two matches on the same day – except in the final round of group stage matches when simultaneous kick-off is required.

Group stage

The top two teams of each group and the four best third-placed teams advanced to the round of 16.

All times are local, GST (UTC+4).[33]

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[23]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Thailand v India

Group A saw the opening match of the tournament which was a one-all draw between United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Ahmed Khalil getting the equaliser in the 88th minute after going one goal down only ten minutes prior.[34] UAE and Thailand qualified as the top two nations in the group after a 1–1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, and Bahrain qualified in third place after a 1–0 win over India.[35][36] India finished last in the group after they recorded their first win in the Asian Cup for 55 years over Thailand in their opening match, before losing their remaining two games.[37]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates (H) 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Thailand 3 1 1 1 3 5 2 4[lower-alpha 1]
3  Bahrain 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4[lower-alpha 1]
4  India 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
Source: AFC
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Thailand 3, Bahrain 0.
United Arab Emirates 1–1 Bahrain
  • Khalil 88' (pen.)
Report
  • Al Romaihi 78'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 33,878
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
Thailand 1–4 India
  • Teerasil 33'
Report
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 3,250
Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

Bahrain 0–1 Thailand
Report
  • Chanathip 58'
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 2,720
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)
India 0–2 United Arab Emirates
Report
  • Khalf. Mubarak 41'
  • Mabkhout 88'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 43,206
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

United Arab Emirates 1–1 Thailand
  • Mabkhout 7'
Report
  • Thitipan 41'
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 17,809
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
India 0–1 Bahrain
Report
  • Rashid 90+1' (pen.)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 11,417
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Group B

Syria v Palestine

Group B saw Jordan qualify on top of the group after defeating the defending champions in the opening match from an Anas Bani Yaseen header.[38] This was followed up by a 2–0 win over Syria which saw Syrian manager Bernd Stange sacked after the match and being replaced by Fajr Ibrahim.[39] Joining them in the round of 16 was Australia, who after losing to Jordan in their opening match, got two wins over Palestine[40] and Syria with that match only being won by a goal from Tom Rogic in injury time.[41]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Jordan 3 2 1 0 3 0 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Australia 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
3  Palestine 3 0 2 1 0 3 3 2
4  Syria 3 0 1 2 2 5 3 1
Source: AFC
Australia 0–1 Jordan
Report
  • Bani Yaseen 26'
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 4,934
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Syria 0–0 Palestine
Report
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 8,471
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Jordan 2–0 Syria
  • Al-Taamari 26'
  • Khattab 43'
Report
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 9,152
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)
Palestine 0–3 Australia
Report
  • Maclaren 18'
  • Mabil 20'
  • Giannou 90'
Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 11,915
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

Australia 3–2 Syria
  • Mabil 41'
  • Ikonomidis 54'
  • Rogic 90+3'
Report
  • Kharbin 43'
  • Al Somah 80' (pen.)
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 10,492
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)
Palestine 0–0 Jordan
Report
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 20,843
Referee: Mohanad Qassim (Iraq)

Group C

Kyrgyzstan v Philippines

Group C saw South Korea and China qualify through as the top two seeds with the game between the two matches seeing South Korea on top of the group after a 2–0 win.[42] This meant that South Korea finished without conceding a goal after previously getting two 1–0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan.[43][44] In the battle for third place, it was between two newcomers to the competition, with Kyrgyzstan getting their first win in an Asian competition with a hat-trick from Vitalij Lux, securing a 3–1 win for the central Asian team despite a late consolation goal from Stephan Schröck, which was the first Philippine goal in the tournament.[45]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  China 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6
3  Kyrgyzstan 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4  Philippines 3 0 0 3 1 7 6 0
Source: AFC
China 2–1 Kyrgyzstan
  • Matyash 50' (o.g.)
  • Yu Dabao 78'
Report
  • Israilov 42'
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 1,839
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
South Korea 1–0 Philippines
  • Hwang Ui-jo 67'
Report
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 3,185
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

Philippines 0–3 China
Report
  • Wu Lei 40', 66'
  • Yu Dabao 80'
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 16,013
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Kyrgyzstan 0–1 South Korea
Report
  • Kim Min-jae 41'
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 4,893
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

South Korea 2–0 China
  • Hwang Ui-jo 14' (pen.)
  • Kim Min-jae 51'
Report
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 13,579
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
Kyrgyzstan 3–1 Philippines
  • Lux 24', 51', 77'
Report
  • Schröck 80'
Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 4,217
Referee: Turki Al-Khudhayr (Saudi Arabia)

Group D

Iran v Iraq

Group D saw Iran and Iraq both qualify through to the round of 16 as the top two teams after both finished the group with seven points following their match finishing in a 0–0 draw at the Al Maktoum Stadium.[46] Iran finished top of the group on goal difference, largely in part to their 5–0 defeat of debutantes Yemen in their first game, which included a double from Mehdi Taremi.[47] A 2–0 win over Vietnam saw the team go through with three clean sheets from three.[48] Iraq had a tougher game in their opener against Vietnam, with only a late 90th-minute goal from Ali Adnan securing them three points.[49] This would later be followed with a 3–0 win over Yemen to qualify with Iran, with Vietnam qualifying in third place after a 2–0 victory over Yemen.[50]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 3 2 1 0 7 0 +7 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Iraq 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7
3  Vietnam 3 1 0 2 4 5 1 3
4  Yemen 3 0 0 3 0 10 10 0
Source: AFC
Iran 5–0 Yemen
  • Taremi 12', 25'
  • Dejagah 23'
  • Azmoun 53'
  • Ghoddos 78'
Report
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 5,301
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Iraq 3–2 Vietnam
  • M. Ali 35'
  • Tariq 60'
  • Adnan 90'
Report
  • Faez 24' (o.g.)
  • Nguyễn Công Phượng 42'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 4,779
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Vietnam 0–2 Iran
Report
  • Azmoun 38', 69'
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 10,841
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Yemen 0–3 Iraq
Report
  • M. Ali 11'
  • Resan 19'
  • Abbas 90+1'
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 9,757
Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

Vietnam 2–0 Yemen
  • Nguyễn Quang Hải 38'
  • Quế Ngọc Hải 64' (pen.)
Report
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 8,237
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Iran 0–0 Iraq
Report
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 15,038
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Group E

Qatar v Lebanon

Group E witnessed Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualify for the round of 16. In the decisive match for first place, Qatar beat Saudi Arabia 2–0, thanks to a brace by Almoez Ali.[51] Qatar began their campaign with a comfortable, albeit controversial, 2–0 win over Lebanon,[52] before beating North Korea 6–0, sealing their place in the knockout stage.[53] Ali was decisive in both games, scoring a goal against Lebanon,[52] and four goals against North Korea.[53] Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia opened their account with a 4–0 win over North Korea,[54] before booking a place to the next round by beating Lebanon 2–0.[55] In their last fixture, Lebanon beat North Korea 4–1 with a Hilal El-Helwe brace; the win was Lebanon's first in the competition.[56] However, Lebanon missed out on the next round on fair play points.[56]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar 3 3 0 0 10 0 +10 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
3  Lebanon 3 1 0 2 4 5 1 3
4  North Korea 3 0 0 3 1 14 13 0
Source: AFC
Saudi Arabia 4–0 North Korea
  • Bahebri 28'
  • Al-Fatil 37'
  • Al-Dawsari 70'
  • Al-Muwallad 87'
Report
Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 5,075
Referee: Peter Green (Australia)
Qatar 2–0 Lebanon
  • Al-Rawi 65'
  • Ali 79'
Report
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 7,847
Referee: Ma Ning (China PR)

Lebanon 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Report
  • Al-Muwallad 12'
  • Al-Mogahwi 67'
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 13,792
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
North Korea 0–6 Qatar
Report
  • Ali 9', 11', 55', 60'
  • Khoukhi 43'
  • A. Hassan 68'
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 452
Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

Saudi Arabia 0–2 Qatar
Report
  • Ali 45+1', 80'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 16,067
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)
Lebanon 4–1 North Korea
  • F. Michel Melki 27'
  • El-Helwe 65', 90+8'
  • Maatouk 80' (pen.)
Report
  • Pak Kwang-ryong 9'
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 4,332
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

Group F

Japan v Turkmenistan

Group F saw Japan and Uzbekistan progressing to the round of 16, with Japan defeating Uzbekistan 2–1 to finish in first place.[57] Japan began their campaign with a 3–2 victory over Turkmenistan,[58] before beating Oman 1–0 to qualify for the knockout stage.[59] Uzbekistan, on the other hand, beat Oman 2–1 thanks to an 85th-minute goal by Eldor Shomurodov,[60] before beating their neighbors Turkmenistan 4–0.[61] Oman qualified for the next round for the first time, after winning 3–1 over Turkmenistan, with Mohammed Al-Musalami scoring a goal in the injury time.[62]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 3 0 0 6 3 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Uzbekistan 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 6
3  Oman 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4  Turkmenistan 3 0 0 3 3 10 7 0
Source: AFC
Japan 3–2 Turkmenistan
  • Osako 56', 60'
  • Doan 71'
Report
  • Amanow 26'
  • Ataýew 79' (pen.)
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 5,725
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Uzbekistan 2–1 Oman
  • Ahmedov 34'
  • Shomurodov 85'
Report
  • Mu. Al-Ghassani 72'
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 9,424
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Oman 0–1 Japan
Report
  • Haraguchi 28' (pen.)
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 12,110
Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)
Turkmenistan 0–4 Uzbekistan
Report
  • Sidikov 17'
  • Shomurodov 24', 42'
  • Masharipov 40'
Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 4,354
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)

Oman 3–1 Turkmenistan
  • Al-Mahaijri 20'
  • Mu. Al-Ghassani 84'
  • Al-Musalami 90+3'
Report
  • Annadurdyýew 41'
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 8,338
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Japan 2–1 Uzbekistan
  • Muto 43'
  • Shiotani 58'
Report
  • Shomurodov 40'
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 7,005
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

Ranking of third-placed teams

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A  Bahrain 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4 Advance to knockout stage
2 C  Kyrgyzstan 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3[lower-alpha 1]
3 F  Oman 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3[lower-alpha 1]
4 D  Vietnam 3 1 0 2 4 5 1 3[lower-alpha 2]
5 E  Lebanon 3 1 0 2 4 5 1 3[lower-alpha 2]
6 B  Palestine 3 0 2 1 0 3 3 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.[23]
Notes:
  1. Disciplinary points: Kyrgyzstan −5, Oman −6.
  2. Disciplinary points: Vietnam −5, Lebanon −7.

Knockout stage

Player lineup prior to the Qatar v UAE kickoff

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[23] A fourth substitution could be made during extra time.[63]

Bracket

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
20 January – Hazza bin Zayed
 
 
 Thailand1
 
24 January – Mohammed bin Zayed
 
 China2
 
 China0
 
20 January – Mohammed bin Zayed
 
 Iran3
 
 Iran2
 
28 January – Hazza bin Zayed
 
 Oman0
 
 Iran0
 
20 January – Al Maktoum
 
 Japan3
 
 Jordan1 (2)
 
24 January – Al Maktoum
 
 Vietnam (p)1 (4)
 
 Vietnam0
 
21 January – Sharjah
 
 Japan1
 
 Japan1
 
1 February – Zayed Sports City
 
 Saudi Arabia0
 
 Japan1
 
22 January – Rashid
 
 Qatar3
 
 South Korea (a.e.t.)2
 
25 January – Zayed Sports City
 
 Bahrain1
 
 South Korea0
 
22 January – Al Nahyan
 
 Qatar1
 
 Qatar1
 
29 January – Mohammed bin Zayed
 
 Iraq0
 
 Qatar4
 
21 January – Zayed Sports City
 
 United Arab Emirates0
 
 United Arab Emirates (a.e.t.)3
 
25 January – Hazza bin Zayed
 
 Kyrgyzstan2
 
 United Arab Emirates1
 
21 January – Khalifa bin Zayed
 
 Australia0
 
 Australia (p)0 (4)
 
 
 Uzbekistan0 (2)
 

Round of 16

Jordan 1–1 (a.e.t.) Vietnam
  • Abdel-Rahman 39'
Report
  • Nguyễn Công Phượng 51'
Penalties
  • Abdel-Rahman
  • Faisal
  • Samir
  • Ersan
2–4
  • Quế Ngọc Hải
  • Đỗ Hùng Dũng
  • Lương Xuân Trường
  • Trần Minh Vương
  • Bùi Tiến Dũng I
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 14,205
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Thailand 1–2 China
  • Supachai 31'
Report
  • Xiao Zhi 67'
  • Gao Lin 71' (pen.)
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 8,026
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

Iran 2–0 Oman
  • Jahanbakhsh 32'
  • Dejagah 41' (pen.)
Report
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 31,945
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

Japan 1–0 Saudi Arabia
  • Tomiyasu 20'
Report
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 6,832
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Australia 0–0 (a.e.t.) Uzbekistan
Report
Penalties
  • Milligan
  • Behich
  • Kruse
  • Giannou
  • Leckie
4–2
  • Shukurov
  • Tukhtakhodjaev
  • Alibaev
  • Bikmaev
Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 6,809
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

United Arab Emirates 3–2 (a.e.t.) Kyrgyzstan
  • Esmaeel 14'
  • Mabkhout 64'
  • Khalil 103' (pen.)
Report
  • Murzaev 26'
  • Rustamov 90+1'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 17,784
Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

South Korea 2–1 (a.e.t.) Bahrain
  • Hwang Hee-chan 43'
  • Kim Jin-su 105+2'
Report
  • Al Romaihi 77'
Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 7,658
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Qatar 1–0 Iraq
  • Al-Rawi 62'
Report
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 14,701
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Quarter-finals

Vietnam 0–1 Japan
Report
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Attendance: 8,954
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

China 0–3 Iran
Report
  • Taremi 18'
  • Azmoun 31'
  • Ansarifard 90+1'
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 19,578
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

South Korea 0–1 Qatar
Report
  • Hatem 78'
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 13,791
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

United Arab Emirates 1–0 Australia
  • Mabkhout 68'
Report
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 25,053
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Semi-finals

Iran 0–3 Japan
Report
  • Osako 56', 67' (pen.)
  • Haraguchi 90+1'
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Attendance: 23,262
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

Qatar 4–0 United Arab Emirates
  • Khoukhi 22'
  • Ali 37'
  • Al-Haydos 80'
  • Ismail 90+3'
Report
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 38,646
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

Final

Japan 1–3 Qatar
  • Minamino 69'
Report
  • Ali 12'
  • Hatem 27'
  • Ak. Afif 83' (pen.)
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 36,776[64]
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 130 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.55 goals per match.

9 goals

  • Almoez Ali

4 goals

  • Sardar Azmoun
  • Yuya Osako
  • Ali Mabkhout
  • Eldor Shomurodov

3 goals

  • Mehdi Taremi
  • Vitalij Lux

2 goals

  • Awer Mabil
  • Mohamed Al Romaihi
  • Wu Lei
  • Yu Dabao
  • Sunil Chhetri
  • Ashkan Dejagah
  • Mohanad Ali
  • Ritsu Doan
  • Genki Haraguchi
  • Hilal El-Helwe
  • Muhsen Al-Ghassani
  • Abdulaziz Hatem
  • Boualem Khoukhi
  • Bassam Al-Rawi
  • Fahad Al-Muwallad
  • Hwang Ui-jo
  • Kim Min-jae
  • Ahmed Khalil
  • Nguyễn Công Phượng

1 goal

  • Apostolos Giannou
  • Chris Ikonomidis
  • Jamie Maclaren
  • Tom Rogic
  • Jamal Rashid
  • Gao Lin
  • Xiao Zhi
  • Jeje Lalpekhlua
  • Anirudh Thapa
  • Karim Ansarifard
  • Saman Ghoddos
  • Alireza Jahanbakhsh
  • Alaa Abbas
  • Ali Adnan
  • Bashar Resan
  • Humam Tariq
  • Takumi Minamino
  • Yoshinori Muto
  • Tsukasa Shiotani
  • Takehiro Tomiyasu
  • Baha' Abdel-Rahman
  • Anas Bani Yaseen
  • Tareq Khattab
  • Musa Al-Taamari
  • Akhlidin Israilov
  • Mirlan Murzaev
  • Tursunali Rustamov
  • Hassan Maatouk
  • Felix Michel Melki
  • Pak Kwang-ryong
  • Ahmed Kano
  • Mohammed Al-Musalami
  • Stephan Schröck
  • Akram Afif
  • Abdelkarim Hassan
  • Hassan Al-Haydos
  • Hamid Ismail
  • Hattan Bahebri
  • Salem Al-Dawsari
  • Mohammed Al-Fatil
  • Housain Al-Mogahwi
  • Hwang Hee-chan
  • Kim Jin-su
  • Omar Kharbin
  • Omar Al Somah
  • Chanathip Songkrasin
  • Supachai Jaided
  • Teerasil Dangda
  • Thitipan Puangchan
  • Arslanmyrat Amanow
  • Altymyrat Annadurdyýew
  • Ahmet Ataýew
  • Khamis Esmaeel
  • Khalfan Mubarak
  • Odil Ahmedov
  • Jaloliddin Masharipov
  • Javokhir Sidikov
  • Nguyễn Quang Hải
  • Quế Ngọc Hải

1 own goal

  • Ali Faez (against Vietnam)
  • Pavel Matyash (against China PR)

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[23]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player(s) Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Zheng Zhi in Qualification vs Qatar (qualification; 5 September 2017) Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 7 January)
Mohammed Saleh   in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January) Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)
Han Kwang-song   in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January) Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Egor Krimets in Group F vs Oman (matchday 1; 9 January) Group F vs Turkmenistan (matchday 2; 13 January)
Pansa Hemviboon in Group A vs India (matchday 1; 6 January)
in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January)
Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)
Musa Al-Taamari in Group B vs Australia (matchday 1; 6 January)
in Group B vs Syria (matchday 2; 10 January)
Group B vs Palestine (matchday 3; 15 January)
Trent Sainsbury in Group B vs Jordan (matchday 1; 6 January)
in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group B vs Syria (matchday 3; 15 January)
Jonathan Cantillana in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January)
in Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group B vs Jordan (matchday 3; 15 January)
Lee Yong in Group C vs Philippines (matchday 1; 7 January)
in Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group C vs China PR (matchday 3; 16 January)
Đỗ Duy Mạnh in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 1; 8 January)
in Group D vs Iran (matchday 2; 12 January)
Group D vs Yemen (matchday 3; 16 January)
Salem Al-Dawsari in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 1; 8 January)
in Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 2; 12 January)
Group E vs Qatar (matchday 3; 17 January)
Ri Il-jin in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January)
in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 3; 17 January)
Jong Il-gwan   in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Adisorn Promrak
Suphan Thongsong
in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January)
in Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)
Round of 16 vs China PR (20 January)
Zhang Linpeng in Group C vs South Korea (matchday 3; 16 January)
in Round of 16 vs Thailand (20 January)
Quarter-final vs Iran (24 January)
Vahid Amiri in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 16 January)
in Round of 16 vs Oman (20 January)
Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)
Yoshinori Muto in Group F vs Uzbekistan (matchday 3; 17 January)
in Round of 16 vs Saudi Arabia (21 January)
Quarter-final vs Vietnam (24 January)
Tom Rogic in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January)
in Round of 16 vs Uzbekistan (21 January)
Quarter-final vs United Arab Emirates (25 January)
Khamis Esmaeel in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 1; 5 January)
in Round of 16 vs Kyrgyzstan (21 January)
Quarter-final vs Australia (25 January)
Abdelkarim Hassan in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 2; 13 January)
in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)
Assim Madibo in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January)
in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
Mehdi Taremi in Group D vs Vietnam (matchday 2; 12 January)
in Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)
Semi-final vs Japan (28 January)
Abdulaziz Hatem in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January)
in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)
Semi-final vs United Arab Emirates (29 January)
Bassam Al-Rawi in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)

Awards

Team of the tournament

According to the AFC organization committee, eight players from the winning Qatari team and five players from the runner-up Japanese team were selected in the team of the tournament. Six players from teams which progressed to the semi-finals (Iran and the United Arab Emirates) were also selected. In addition, four players from teams which progressed to the quarter-finals were selected. Nguyễn Quang Hải became the second player from Southeast Asia to be included on the team of the tournament after Soh Chin Ann in 1980.[65]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards

Saad Al Sheeb
Shūichi Gonda
Alireza Beiranvand

Abdelkarim Hassan
Bassam Al-Rawi
Boualem Khoukhi
Yuto Nagatomo
Maya Yoshida
Bandar Al-Ahbabi
Kim Min-jae

Abdulaziz Hatem
Hassan Al-Haydos
Gaku Shibasaki
Ashkan Dejagah
Omid Ebrahimi
Tom Rogic

Almoez Ali
Akram Afif
Yuya Osako
Sardar Azmoun
Ali Mabkhout
Wu Lei
Nguyễn Quang Hải

Marketing

The Molten Acentec ball used at the tournament
The new trophy design
Iran national team bus

Logo and slogan

The official logo of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup was unveiled on 23 January 2017 in Abu Dhabi during the drawing ceremony for the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification.[66] The colors used in the logo were derived from the flag of the UAE. The seven hexagons formed by colored ribbons represents the seven emirates of the host country. The interlacing hexagon pattern of the logo was inspired from Islamic art, as well as the old Emirati tradition of using palm leaves, locally known as saf, in weaving. The outer circle along with the geometric design within it symbolizes the sport of football.[67]

The slogan, "Bringing Asia Together" (Arabic: جمع آسيا معاً), was unveiled on 5 January 2018, a year before the tournament's kick-off.

Match ball

The official match ball, the Molten Acentec, was made by Molten Corporation.[68][69]

Mascots

During the final draw on 4 May 2018, two mascots, Mansour and Jarrah, were unveiled. Mansour is a young footballer, while Jarrah is a falcon with lightning speed [sic]. The falcon is an important symbol of the Arab world and also features on the emblem of the United Arab Emirates.[70]

Song

Theme song was Zanaha Zayed by Hussain Al Jassmi, Balqees Ahmed Fathi and Eida Al Menhali.[71]

Trophy

Also on the drawing day on 4 May 2018, a new trophy made by Thomas Lyte was unveiled. It is 78 centimetres tall, 42 centimetres wide and weighs 15 kilograms of silver.[72] The trophy is modeled over the lotus flower, a symbolic flower of Asia. The five petals of the lotus symbolise the five sub-confederations under the AFC.[73] The winning teams' names are engraved around the trophy base, which is separable from the trophy's main body.

Prize money

Total prize money pool for the tournament was US$14,800,000.[74] The champions would receive US$5 million, the runners-up will receive US$3 million, and the losing semi-finalists would receive US$1 million. All 24 participating teams would also receive US$200,000.[75]

Team bus slogans

The tournament organizers held a competition where fans got to choose and vote on slogans to be used on the team buses of the 24 participating national teams.[76]

Broadcasting

The tournament was broadcast live by around 80 TV channels covering the whole world. 800 million people were expected to watch matches,[77] with the tournament reaching a potential TV audience of more than 2.5 billion people.[78]

ESPN5 made a "competitive bid" to broadcast the tournament on free-to-air television in the Philippines, but it was not accepted by the AFC.[79][80]

In the Middle East, where Qatar-based BeIN Sports has rights to broadcast the Asian Cup in the region, BeoutQ (allegedly backed by Saudi Arabia) also illegally broadcast the tournament as part of a proxy conflict in a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and various Arab states. The AFC has noted BeoutQ's broadcast and condemned it for "persistent and illegal screening".[81]

For the first time since the expulsion of Israel from the Asian Football Confederation, the UAE allowed Israeli TV channel Sport 5 to directly broadcast the tournament. This was seen as a sign of warming relations between Israel and the UAE. Sport 5 officially broadcast the opening match between the UAE and Bahrain, and had remained active until the end of the tournament.[82] A year later in the following tournament, Israel and the United Arab Emirates officially normalised relations.

At the end of the tournament, AFC announced that the 2019 Asian Cup was the most engaging in history across all social platforms reaching 169.4 million impressions, an increase by more than fifteen times from the 11 million reach from 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[83]

Broadcast rights are sold by Lagardère Sports on behalf of the AFC.[81]

Controversies

Australia vs. Palestine

Many ticket-holding fans were locked out of the Group B match between Palestine and Australia, with management closing a number of Rashid Stadium gates before the start of the match “in the interests of fan safety”. Rashid Stadium was one of the smallest stadiums in the tournament with only 12,000 seats and many non-ticket holding fans attempted to watch the match without buying tickets. The organizing committee issued a statement for the reasons of closure stating “Ahead of kick-off a large crowd of fans with and without tickets had gathered over a short period of time outside the stadium, which resulted in the need to secure the area." They then issued an apology to supporters who were “inconvenienced or left disappointed” and issued an investigative probe to insure it to be an isolated incident.[84]

Qatar travel complications

As a result of Qatar diplomatic crisis between Qatar and number of its neighbours since 5 June 2017, including the United Arab Emirates as the host country, the UAE suspended all direct flights between the two countries and initially banned Qatari citizens from entering their country,[85] although the Emirati government later announced that it would permit Qatari citizens temporary entry into the country pending approval from Emirati authorities.[86] According to a report, Saoud al-Mohannadi, a Qatari national who is the AFC vice-president and chairman of the organizing committee for the Asian Cup, was unable to enter the UAE two days prior to the tournament's start because Emirati authorities had not yet cleared him.[87] The director of the 2019 AFC Organizing Committee denied reports that Al Mohannadi was refused entry and declared that Al Mohannadi has arrived on Friday morning and was preparing for his meetings. The director stated that there was no evidence that shows he was unable to enter and stated that this news has "political purposes". He stated "We try to keep sports away from politics."[88]

The diplomatic crisis prevented many fans from attending Qatar matches in the UAE. This had affected attendance figures in Qatar matches, as little more than 450 people spectated the Group E clash between North Korea and Qatar on 13 January.[89] The UAE government had confirmed previously that Qatari citizens may enter UAE with prior permission obtained directly through a hotline from UAE authorities.[86]

According to Qatar's Sports Press Committee, five Qatar-based media representatives were denied entry into the UAE despite having entry visas and receiving assurances that they would be allowed to attend and report on the tournament by the AFC.[90] The AFC Media Committee dismissed the Qatari reports and stated that some of the Qatar-based journalists confused visit visas with work visas and advised all journalists to contact them if they encounter any issues with the entry visa type.[91]

According to Al Jazeera, the final match, which was won by Qatar, was played "almost entirely without" Qatari support from the stands, due to the travel ban.[92] However, according to Qatar-based The Peninsula large number of Omani fans supported the Qatari team in the stadium, stating "The large number of fans who supported the Qatari team were wearing the logo of Al Annabi [The Maroons] with the background of the names of various players. Apart from their attendance, they carried flags in the stadium and continued to cheer for Al Annabi [The Maroons] players and sing songs throughout the game."[93]

Footwear-throwing incident

During the semi-final match between Qatar and hosts United Arab Emirates, some UAE supporters threw bottles and footwear into the match after Qatari players scored their second goal; the latter is considered to be highly offensive in the Middle East. One of the Qatari players, Salem Al Hajri, was struck on the head with a shoe after Qatar scored its third goal. This conduct was preceded by booing the Qatari national anthem. The two countries had had a hostile relationship and had cut diplomatic ties due to the ongoing diplomatic crisis.[94] Qatar won 4–0 despite the events, reaching their first Asian Cup final.[95][96][97] Afterwards, the AFC declared that it would conduct an investigation into the proceedings.[96][98]

Qatar player eligibility

On 30 January 2019, soon after the hosts lost to Qatar in the semi-finals, the United Arab Emirates Football Association lodged a formal appeal to the AFC over the eligibility of Sudanese-born Almoez Ali and Iraqi-born Bassam Al-Rawi, claiming that they did not qualify to play for Qatar on residency grounds per Article 7 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA statutes, which states a player is eligible to play for a representative team if he has "lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association".[99] It was alleged that Ali and Al-Rawi had not lived continuously in Qatar for at least five years over the age of 18, although the players claimed that their mothers were born in Qatar.[100]

Only hours prior to the start of the final on 1 February 2019, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced that it had dismissed the protest lodged by the UAEFA.[101][102]

Qatar football shirt fan incident

A British-Sudanese football fan claimed that he was beaten and arrested for wearing a Qatari shirt to a match in which Qatar were playing and then, after reporting to the police, arrested and accused of wasting police time and making false statements of being assaulted.[103][104][105][106] In an interview with Sky News, he claimed he was beaten, starved, and deprived of sleep by the police for wearing a Qatar shirt.[107] The fan claims were denied by UAE authorities who stated that he was arrested for wasting police time and making false assault claims to the police.

"The police took him to hospital where a doctor who examined him concluded that his injuries were inconsistent with his account of events and appeared to be self-inflicted,"
  The government said.[108]

The police claimed that the fan had admitted to making false statements and his offense will be processed through the courts. An official in the UAE embassy in London stated “He was categorically not arrested for wearing a Qatar football shirt. This is instead an instance of a person seeking media attention and wasting police time.”[105][106][109][110]

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