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AFC Draw to Add UAE, Palestine after Mix-up

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AFC Draw to Add UAE, Palestine after Mix-up

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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) conducted a limited re-draw at their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to include the two sides alongside 24 others taking part in football at the Games, which begin next month.

Agence France Presse quoted AFC secretary-general Windsor John as saying that games organizers failed to pass the names of UAE and Palestine to his body for the initial draw, even though both teams had attempted to register.

John said he was not sure what caused the problem, adding "it could be some computer glitch, it could be some communication breakdown".

He stressed the AFC was not running the competition, and was conducting the draw on behalf of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Indonesian organizing committee.

Eris Herryanto, secretary-general of the Indonesian committee, told AFP the two sides had not properly followed the registration procedures.

"They did something wrong. For example, if they registered one person more than they should have had, that won’t go into the system," he said.

Palestine was placed in Group A with Indonesia, Hong Kong, Laos and Taiwan. The UAE was placed in Group E with South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Bahrain.

The Games are being held in Palembang and the capital Jakarta from August 18-September 2.

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Football Returns to War-torn Sudan as Elite Clubs Go Back Home

A Sudanese protester waves the national flag near the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. (AFP)
A Sudanese protester waves the national flag near the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. (AFP)
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Football Returns to War-torn Sudan as Elite Clubs Go Back Home

A Sudanese protester waves the national flag near the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. (AFP)
A Sudanese protester waves the national flag near the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. (AFP)

League football has returned to war-torn Sudan for the first time in more than two years with a one-month competition being organized for eight clubs to determine the country’s champions.

Sudan has been in the grip of conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, with more than 150,000 people killed and about 12 million uprooted, creating the largest displacement crisis in the world.

Among them have been the country’s biggest clubs Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, who between them have won all but four of the championships since the league was created in 1965, according to Reuters.

Last season, the pair were invited to play in the league in Mauritania, on the other side of the continent, where they could remain active and moved their club structures to the West African country, where Al Hilal emerged as champions.

But they are both back in Sudan to take part in a tournament to decide which clubs will compete in continental club competition for the 2025/26 season.

Al Hilal were quarter-finalists in this year’s African Champions League despite having to host their home games on neutral territory.

They were also weekend winners against Al Merghani Kassala in the first round of the Sudanese Elite Championship, which is being played at Ad-Damer, some 430km from the capital Khartoum, which has been badly damaged by the civil war.

Matches in the tournament are also being hosted in Atbara, which is 320km north of Khartoum.

There will be seven rounds of fixtures, and Al Merrikh also got off to a winning start over the weekend by beating Ahly Madani 1-0. Their derby against Al Hilal is set for the last day of competition on 22 July.

The other clubs competing are Zamalek, Umm Rawaba, Al Amal Atbara, Hay Al Wadi Nyala and Merrikh Al Abyad, who will all each play each other once.

Sudan’s national team, who will compete in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco at the end of the year and are also chasing a first-ever World Cup appearance next year, have not played a home match since March 2023.