Asia

Soccer players around the world have spoken out against the past week’s violence taking place in Palestine and Israel.

HONG KONG - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Sunday that North Korea has pulled out of next month's qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

The move comes after the country had already withdrawn from the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korea is due to host the remaining matches in Group H of the second round of Asia's preliminary tournament in June, but North Korean officials informed their southern counterparts of their intention to withdraw this month.

TOKYO - Former Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta said on Tuesday he has extended his contract with Vissel Kobe by another two years and wants to keep working towards making the Japanese side the best in Asia.

Spanish World Cup winner Iniesta, who also celebrated his 37th birthday on Tuesday, signed a three-year contract with Kobe in 2018 after leaving Barcelona, where he won nine LaLiga and four Champions Leagues titles.

Un gran día! ❤️⚽️

HONG KONG - China head coach Li Tie has included five overseas-born players in his 26-man squad ahead of the resumption of their World Cup qualifying campaign later this month.

The former Everton player has selected England-born duo defender Tyias Browning and midfielder Nico Yennaris as well as Brazil-born forwards Elkeson, Alan Carvalho and Fernandinho.

Browning, Elkeson, Carvalho and Fernandinho are among seven Guangzhou FC players in the squad, with the eight-time Chinese Super League champions dominating the selection.

With two matches remaining in the Bundesliga season, Eintracht Frankfurt stayed in top four contention thanks to an 85th-minute equalizer from Ajdin Hrustic against Mainz on Sunday.

12th-place Mainz had taken the lead at the Waldstadion through Karim Onisiwo, but Hrustic provided an unbelievable response only five minutes from time.

MELBOURNE - Upbeat Australia coach Graham Arnold has urged Argentina to bring Lionel Messi to the Olympics and described their tough pool as Tokyo's "group of dreams.”

Drawn with twice champions Argentina, 1992 winners Spain and Egypt, the “Olyroos” face an uphill battle to reach the knockout rounds of the 16-team tournament, their first Games since Beijing in 2008.

Melbourne Victory forward Kyra Cooney-Cross scored directly from a corner in the final minute of extra time to help her team beat Sydney FC in the W-League Grand Final on Sunday and be crowned champions of Australia for the second time.

Melbourne created the majority of the chances at Sydney's Kogarah Oval in the latest edition of the "Big Blue" rivalry but needed a last-gasp effort to triumph thanks largely to the heroics of Sydney goalkeeper Jada Whyman.

The manager of the Egypt national under-23 team, Shawky Gharib, hinted at the presence of Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

"The only senior player who has been chosen is Mohamed Salah, he's one of the three best players in the world," the coach said. "The remaining choices will depend on the team's need." 

Waking up and looking at Tuesday’s schedule of international football, I couldn’t help but notice the final score of one match that had already finished out in Chiba, Japan. The Japan national team had put up two touchdowns — a fortnight of scoring — on Mongolia in World Cup qualifying. 

The 14-0 win isn’t the biggest in Japan’s history (15-0 over the Philippines in 1967), nor was it the biggest defeat in 190th-ranked Mongolia’s (15-0 to Uzbekistan in 1998).