KUALA LUMPUR - North Korea’s withdrawal from Group H of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup second round qualifiers means all teams who finish second will have the results of their matches against the bottom-placed sides in their respective groups declared null and void.
That means if Malaysia were to finish second in Group G and Indonesia end up last, the Harimau Malaya’s two hard-fought wins over their neighbours would count for nothing when it comes to deciding the qualifiers for the Asian Cup Finals and progression to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said that all the results of North Korea’s matches in Group H would be declared null and void.
Each of the eight groups comprises five teams, with the top-placed teams from each group automatically qualifying for the Asian Cup Finals and joined by the best four second-placed teams. These 12 teams will also progress to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.
“Consequently, after the conclusion of all the matches in the Asian Qualifiers, the results of matches between the second-placed and the fifth-placed teams in Groups A to G will not be counted to ensure a balanced final comparison between all group runners-up.
“And therefore alleviating any possible imbalance between the seven qualifying groups caused by the sudden reduction of Group H to only four teams,” the AFC said in a statement.
So, a new method will be used to select the four best runners-up.
After the teams complete their group fixtures, the levelling would be based on the greatest number of points obtained, followed by goal difference, goals scored, fair play points systems (fewer number of points calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received) and, lastly, drawing of lots.
The AFC said the qualifying campaign would resume tomorrow, with 57 matches taking place over 19 days and ending on June 15.
After five matches, Malaysia are second in Group G with nine points, two behind Vietnam, followed by Thailand (8pts), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (6pts but with a game in hand), and Indonesia, with no points.
Six of the Harimau Malaya’s nine points came from the two victories over Indonesia - a 3-2 win at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and a 2-0 victory at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Their third win was a 2-1 triumph against Thailand at Bukit Jalil.
With three games left against the UAE on June 3, Vietnam (June 11) and Thailand (June 15), there is still everything to fight for when the Group G qualifying campaign resumes in Dubai after an 18-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. - Bernama. May 28, 2021
