Iran entered the Asian Games soccer tournament as a seeded team after FIFA temporarily lifted the defending champion's competition ban.
Iran will face India, Hong Kong and the Maldives in Group D after the tournament's second round was redrawn on Monday.
Iran's return to the tournament is a blow for qualifier Iraq, which replaced its rival neighbor as the Pool D seed in Sunday's original draw. Iraq will now contest Pool E with China, Oman and Malaysia.
PHOTO: AP
Soccer world governing body FIFA suspended Iran from international soccer last week for failing to reinstate its elected president, Mohammed Dadgan, and comply with FIFA statutes regarding the independence of member associations.
The reinstatement of Iran, which won the Asian Games title in 1974, 1990, 1998 and 2002, means four teams from the eight-team qualifying first round advance to the main draw, with Syria and Kyrgystan replacing Yemen and Turkmenistan, who withdrew from the tournament last week.
Under the revised draw, Kyrgystan now plays Thailand, Kuwait and Palestine in Pool C, while Syria joins Pool F, where it will face 2002 silver medalist Japan, North Korea and Pakistan.
Jordan joins Iraq as the other first round qualifier and meets host Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan in Group A.
Group B remains unchanged from the original schedule and includes South Korea, Bahrain, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Tajikistan, which was drawn in Pool A last Wednesday, is now out of the competition.
The Asian Football Confederation's official Web site said that Iran's reinstatement followed an undertaking by the country's Physical Education Organization that it would comply with FIFA's statutes.
The lifting of the ban applies only to the Iran under-23 team and is exclusively for the Asian Games.
"The suspension for all other international activities will remain valid," FIFA boss Sepp Blatter was quoted as saying from the Soccerex conference in Dubai.
The Asian Games second round began yesterday, with the 24 teams split into six groups of four. The top team from each group, along with the top two runners-up, will advance to the quarter-finals.
Tainan TSG Hawks slugger Steven Moya, who is leading the CPBL in home runs, has withdrawn from this weekend’s All-Star Game after the unexpected death of his wife. Moya’s wife began feeling severely unwell aboard a plane that landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening. She was rushed to a hospital, but passed away, the Hawks said in a statement yesterday. The franchise is assisting Moya with funeral arrangements and hopes fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the All-Star Game can understand his decision to withdraw. According to Landseed Medical Clinic, whose staff attempted to save Moya’s wife,
Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday homered for the fifth consecutive game, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record. Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year. Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered in the first inning off Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack. He hit a slow curveball 134m to center. He carried the bat midway down the first-base line and then did a bat flip. He did not hit a home run later in the game with the Dodgers trailing, but his presence was felt. With two outs
Taiwan’s world No. 6 shuttler Chou Tien-chen yesterday defeated India’s H.S. Prannoy to advance to the quarter-finals of the China Open in Changzhou. It was former world No. 2 Chou’s eighth win in 14 matches against Prannoy, who had earlier this week lamented the age divide between him and up-and-comers, although he is only two years younger than 35-year-old Chou. The Taiwanese, who is seeded sixth at the tournament, rebounded from a close 21-18 loss in game 1 on Court 2 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. He bounced back to take the next games 21-15, 21-8 and set up a tough quarter-final
The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday acquired Taiwanese-American outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations to fill the roster after All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe was placed back on the injured list. Fairchild was designated for assignment by the Braves on Monday after hitting .216/.273/.333 in 28 games for Atlanta, with most of his work coming as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. He joins Tampa Bay as a versatile fourth outfielder option. To make room for Fairchild on the 40-man roster, the Rays transferred relief pitcher Manuel Rodriguez (forearm strain) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day
RSS