In a news as heavy as a bombshell, our Football Association announced that the remaining matches of the Forty Four tournament, which was to be held in our country, will be shifted to Dubai, UAE.
Immediately afterward, the Syrian Football Association (SFA) reacted quickly by issuing a strongly worded official statement in response to the issue of the relocation of the 40-team tournament. The statement emphasized that there was an agreement allowing for the replacement of the host country back when the AFC decided to schedule the remaining Group A matches in our country. At the same time, the statement also made it clear that changes to the remaining fixtures in the group would not be accepted under any circumstances, especially those that could be tweaked in favor of the national team.
Early this morning, renowned soccer commentator Han Qiaosheng took to social media to blast the Syrian Football Association for its behavior, with sharp words, as follows:
"June 1, early morning. The Syrian Football Federation (SFA) spoke out on social media platforms, insisting that it did not agree with the changes to the remaining fixtures in Group A, claiming that it could be favorable to our side. The Syrian officials then staged a puzzling 'maneuver' and announced the new schedule of matches on their own.
This sudden statement raises a lot of questions. As we all know, players from Syria and Maldives were stranded in Dubai and unable to enter the country due to the infection of the new crown epidemic. For the sake of the overall situation, our Football Association finally made concessions and agreed to obey the arrangement of the AFC to travel to Dubai for the match. However, the upcoming match against the Maldives on June 3 will undoubtedly be extremely tight for the national football team's schedule.
The statement by the Syrian Football Association gives the impression that they are "standing on their own two feet". The firmness of their attitude is certainly worthy of respect, but it would be out of character for them to become complacent.
