Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be in the spotlight on July 1, when AFC holds the draw for the Qatar World Qualification Asian Zone 3 group. The top management of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) and its manager Li Tie will participate in this event in an online manner, although they are in Suzhou. In the face of the FA's preparatory challenges, the entry and exit problems of the participants are undoubtedly the most difficult.
The AFC is using the "home and away system" as the tone for competition preparation.
Under the gloom of the epidemic, if the 12-team tournament adheres to the home-and-away system, the Chinese team is likely to charter a plane to ensure the health of the players. Meanwhile, the Chinese team's intelligence gathering on potential opponents has been carried out in secret.
After the draw ceremony, the AFC will invite the coaches of each team for interviews and clarify the schedule and system of the tournament. Currently, the AFC is still using the "home and away system" as the centerpiece of its preparations for the 12-team tournament.
For the CFA, the most pressing issue is the entry and exit of the players.The arrangements for the 12-team tournament show that the Chinese team will play the first six rounds of matches from September to November, with away matches against strong and weak teams, and the rest of the matches will be played at home. How to implement international and domestic epidemic prevention and quarantine measures has become the key to communication and coordination between the CFA and relevant departments before the tournament.
The FA and the national soccer team have made a comprehensive plan.
It is reported that the Football Association and the national football team on the 12 strong tournament may encounter problems have been fully pre-judged, including home and away field transfer and other plans have been initially formulated. At the same time, the Football Association has begun to collect information on potential opponents.
While focusing on the results of the draw, the Football Association and the coaching staff have been focusing on the competition plan. After the results of the draw are announced, the Association will send an advance team composed of business backbone to visit the away field to ensure that the training, accommodation, transportation and other security conditions, and strive to be foolproof.
Some member associations prefer the "race meeting system".
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the CFA, member associations such as Japan, Iran and the United Arab Emirates also prefer the "tournament system". The JFA prefers the "tournament system" in view of the different epidemic prevention policies in different countries. As the tournament draws near, FIFA and the AFC will be faced with more realistic challenges, how to protect the interests of sponsors and other interests at the same time, to assess the feasibility of the home and away system, will be the question they need to calmly think about.
