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AFC -
The draw for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 Finals has been made and traditional
powerhouse Japan have been slotted in a tricky Group B with Qatar, UAE and
Vietnam while top seeds Australia face the difficult task of overcoming
Iraq, Oman and Thailand in Group A.
Three-time winners Iran have been paired with last edition’s runners-up
China, Uzbekistan and Malaysia in Group C. In Group D are Saudi Arabia,
Korea Republic, Bahrain and Indonesia.
The four hosts were the first ones to come out of the pot with Thailand,
picked out by Malaysian superstar Mawi and settled into Group A, setting in
motion the proceedings for the glitzy evening which was replete with
entertainment. Vietnam went to Group B, followed by Malaysia in Group C and
Indonesia in Group D.
The AFC Asian Cup 2007 Organising Committee had decided before the draw to
avoid slotting Saudi Arabia, three-time winners in 1984, 1988 and 1996, in
the Thailand group due to diplomatic reasons. And, this also precluded the
possibility of Saudi Arabia being placed in the Vietnam-based pool as the
runners-up here are scheduled to play their quarterfinal match in Bangkok.
So it was inevitable that the Saudis would have to be placed in either the
Malaysia or Indonesia groups and thanks to a special draw by AFC General
Secretary Dato Peter Velappan, the West Asians were sent to Group D, which
will be based in Jakarta, and were later joined by Bahrain and two-time
champions Korea Republic.
The AFC’s biggest competition kicks off on July 7, 2007, in Bangkok with
Thailand taking on Iraq in Group A.
Australia, who topped their qualifying group easily in their maiden AFC
Asian Cup, open their campaign against Oman on July 8 in the Thai capital
while Japan get underway their title defence and hunt for a treble the next
day in Hanoi against Qatar, whose u-23 team won the Doha Asian Games gold
medal recently.
Iran, seeded second, will be up against Uzbekistan on July 11 in Kuala
Lumpur while Korea Republic play Saudi Arabia the same day in a
mouth-watering clash in Jakarta.
Former players Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan), Fan Zhiyi (China), Mohesin Al
Jamaan (Saudi Arabia) and Kim Joo-sung (Korea Republic) helped in conducting
the draw. Joining Mawi in the entertainment programme were Mint ‘Closer’
Uttawadee of Thailand, Tran Lap of Vietnam and Dewi Sandra of Indonesia.
The top-two teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals which are
scheduled for July 21 and 22. The semifinals will take place on July 25
while the Final will be held in Jakarta on July 29.
GROUPS
Group A: Thailand, Australia, Oman, Iraq
Group B: Vietnam, Japan, Qatar, UAE
Group C: Malaysia, Iran, Uzbekistan, China
Group D: Indonesia, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
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