Brunei face AFC Challenge Cup ban after late pull-out of qualifying match against the Philippines

Asian football's governing body is to investigate after Brunei football chiefs withdrew from the match in Manila on Thursday, just a day before it was due to go ahead.

Brunei could be banned from the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup after pulling out of their qualifying match against the Philippines.

The Group E match was scheduled for Manila last Friday, but Brunei football chiefs announced they would not be taking part in the game just a day beforehand.

A spokesman for the AFC confirmed the governing body was "investigating" the sultanate over last week's withdrawal, but declined to give further details, including how long the probe would take.

Noor Abdullah, general secretary of the Brunei football association, wrote to the AFC to explain their withdrawal and was prepared to incur any penalty.

He declined to say why Brunei had pulled out of the match, only saying it was due to "unforeseen circumstances".

"We are a member of AFC and we must respect the regulations ... (But) we hope the AFC can give us consideration and understand our problem," he said.

Under the competition's rules, teams that withdraw or do not show up to a match shall be required to pay compensation for any losses and be disqualified from taking part in the tournament's next edition.

The side would also be referred to the AFC disciplinary committee for additional sanctions and fines "depending on the gravity of the situation" and then to AFC's executive committee for a final decision, the rules state.

The top teams and the best second-place teams in the group stages will qualify for the Challenge Cup finals in Maldives next year.

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