According to the established work plan of the AFC, the draw for the third stage of the Asian qualifying round for the Qatar World Cup, i.e., the group of 12, is scheduled to be held in the afternoon of July 1 at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In view of the current international epidemic prevention and control situation is extremely serious, Malaysia's local epidemic can not be ignored, the AFC did not send to the participating member associations of the invitation to the offline draw, but decided to let the associations and representatives of the team online to participate in the draw.
With the conclusion of the 40-team tournament, the AFC announced the specific time, place and operational details of the draw ceremony for the 12-team tournament in accordance with the usual practice. The AFC confirmed that the draw will be held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
However, as the epidemic continues to spread globally, the situation in Malaysia has also become more critical. In order to safeguard the health and safety of personnel, Malaysia has implemented strict anti-epidemic measures and immigration quarantine policies. In view of this, the AFC has decided to cancel plans for a major offline draw. It is understood that the draw will be conducted on-site by an AFC-appointed facilitator and a small number of staff, while representatives of the participating member associations and their teams will participate online. This online method has become the safest and fastest way to organize meetings and conduct business exchanges during the outbreak.
As a result, the CFA was unable to send anyone to Malaysia to participate in the draw. It is reported that the CFA attaches great importance to the draw, including the State Administration Department of the professional league, foreign affairs and other related departments have paid close attention to this matter, in order to ensure that after the announcement of the results of the draw can be quickly communicated to cope with the strategy, to assist the national football team to prepare for the 12th round of the tournament, and as far as possible to ensure that the smooth operation of the Chinese Super League.
