Asian Football Confederation (AFC) postpones all matches

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Tuesday the postponement "until further notice" of all matches scheduled under its organization in May and June, due to the coronavirus pandemic, once again putting the Champions League in total uncertainty.

"Following preventive measures and travel restrictions decided by several governments, the Asian Football Confederation today (Tuesday) decided to postpone all matches and competitions scheduled in May and June until further notice," announced the AFC in a statement.

The continent's main club competition had already been suspended in March due to the spread of the coronavirus. This new postponement implies that the group stage of 32 teams must be finished in July before the final phase, which has already been postponed, can start a month later.

"Being one of the first confederations in world football to take preventive measures against the COVID-19 epidemic, this latest decision reinforces the AFC's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of players, participating teams, officials, fans, and all parties involved," said the AFC.

Less than two out of the six matchdays of the group stage have been completed so far, which means that the competition will face a heavily loaded schedule, even if it resumes in July.

The extended break decided by the AFC also affects the two-legged women's Olympic qualification playoff between China and South Korea, which had already been rescheduled for June 1 and 9.

The qualifications scheduled for June for the 2022 Men's World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup had already been postponed.