• Matches would be held througout mid June

DUBAI:  The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has revealed that it has officially filed a request to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the remaining matches of the joint qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and Asia 2023 for Group G, which includes the national teams of UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

These will run within a group system on June 3 – June 15 instead of March and June, the date which had been postponed due to unstable health conditions in the Asian continent.

“The UAE candidacy file meets all the standards, conditions and requirements set by the continental federation, including stadiums, residences, referees and officials of the AFC, in addition to a high-quality health protocol that guarantees everyone’s safety,” UAEFA Secretary-General, Mohammed bin Hazam, said.

He said the UAEFA had identified the Zabeel (Al Wasl) and Al Maktoum (Al Nasr) stadiums to host the matches, while hotels and training venues have been carefully selected.

The Secretary-General said the UAEFA had coordinated with the country’s authorities about hosting qualifying matches, which he said were of great importance to the UAE national team, who “aspire to win all matches to ensure passage to the second and decisive stage of the qualifiers.”

He indicated that the UAEFA board of directors was keen to provide all support for the Whites in their qualifying campaign to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of all Emirati fans.

WAM