“In a letter to participating countries in the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship finals, the AFC has announced that the event has been postponed until further notice,” reported the Iranian Football Federation.
Later in an official statement on its website, the AFC said that "This move was taken because of concerns about the current Coronavirus situation and in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all participating teams and stakeholders. The AFC will continue to monitor the impact of the virus and new competition dates will be announced when the situation stabilises."
The event was scheduled to be held in Turkmenistan from February 26 to Match 8 with 16 teams competing in four groups. Initial reports indicate the tournament may be held in early April 2020.
Iran is the most decorated team of AFC Futsal Championship with 12 titles out of 15 editions of the games. The team defeated Japan in the final of the 2018 edition to claim the trophy.
The AFC Futsal Championship is Asia’s flagship international futsal competition, also serving as the final stage of FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifying, with the top five sides in Turkmenistan to represent the Continent at Lithuania 2020.
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