AFC Futsal Asian Cup has been postponed a couple of times now due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This continental tournament has come under question once again due to the inability of the interested parties to organize this event.
Recently, we already discussed the possibility of this tournament's cancelation as part of the wider cancelation of the Futsal World Cup cycle.
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Although most of the rumors about the cancelation of the Futsal World Cup were discarded by FutsalPlanet.com, who received an official statement from FIFA, assuring futsal fans worldwide that there are no plans for cancelation, some doubts about the AFC Futsal Asian Cup still linger in the air.
AFC Championship rumor: alternative idea is being considered
— Steve Harris (Tokyo) (@futsal1958) January 2, 2021
The competition that determines the 5 World Cup spots for Asia could be replaced by a data-based mechanism/process. Data could include criteria such as the 3 prior AFC results, developmental & technical standards, etc. pic.twitter.com/qExIPEVJ0f
As stated by one of the Asian futsal pundits, Steve Harris, AFC is thinking about implementing a different approach to the continental tournament that secures five places on the Futsal World Cup.
AFC could use a data-based mechanism that could include criteria such as the 3 prior AFC results, developmental & technical standards, and others to determine which five nations will partake in the Futsal World Cup in October 2021.
Very important to note that this is still an unconfirmed rumor, but one that has gained mostly negative reactions from the futsal community as the final result would not be based on merit.
There sure are a lot of rumors recently due to the still unpredictable situation with the pandemic, but futsal fans still believe there is enough time for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup to take place at a later date. World Cup is on schedule in late October, while AFC Futsal Asian Cup is on schedule for March. Obviously, there is some space and hope left for the biggest Asian futsal tournament to take place.