Coronavirus: AFC expects Asian Champions League and AFC Cup to be completed this year

UAE have four clubs in the group stages of Asia's top-level club competition, which has been on hold since the outbreak

Al Hilal's players celebrate as fans applaud at the end of the AFC Champions League final match between Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Al Hilal won 1-0. AP Photo

Urawa supporters cheer during the first leg of the AFC Champions League final between Saudi Arabua's Al Hilal and Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at the King Saud University Stadium in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. AFP

Urawa supporters cheer during the first leg of the AFC Champions League final between Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at the King Saud University Stadium in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. AFP

Al Hilal supporters cheer before the first leg of the AFC Champions League final between Saudi's Al Hilal and Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. AFP

Urawa Red Diamonds' Takahiro Sekine in action against Al Hilal at King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Al Hilal supporters celebrate their win during the first leg of the AFC Champions League final against Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. AFP

Al Hilal player Salman Alfaraj, left, in action against Urawa Red Diamonds' Takahiro Sekene during the AFC Champions League final first-leg match at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. EPA

Al Hilal player Andre Carrillo, right, in action against Urawa Red Diamonds' Takahiro Sekene during the AFC Champions League final first-leg match at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. EPA

General view of Al Hilal fans inside the stadium during the match. Reuters

Al Hilal's Andre Carrillo in action against Urawa Red Diamonds' Takahiro Sekine. Reuters

Al Hilal supporter cheers during the AFC Champions League final first-leg match between Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. EPA

The Asian Football Confederation is expecting the continent's top club competitions to go ahead year amid the coronavirus pandemic, even if it  means games will be played in empty stadiums.

Professional football around the world has gone into lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak, including the Asian Champions League and the second-tier AFC Cup, which are both on hold until at least the end of June.

Windsor John, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), said he was confident both competitions would both be completed.

"Both will be played this year. We still have time," John told AFP, adding that new dates for the competitions may be known by the end of April.

However, John did not rule out matches being played without fans "if that's what the health authorities need".

The AFC is determined for both tournaments to go ahead "for sporting reasons and to fulfil commercial obligations", he said.

His comments came after the AFC on Tuesday announced the indefinite postponement of all matches scheduled for May and June due to the virus.

The Champions League, the region's premier club competition, and the second-tier AFC Cup were both halted in March as the pandemic's spread forced governments to impose strict travel restrictions.

Both tournaments are on an increasingly tight schedule, with the 32-team Champions League needing to complete four rounds of group-stage matches in July before the postponed knock-out phase begins in August.

The UAE has four clubs competing in the Champions League group stage: Al Wahda, Shabab Al Ahli, Sharjah, and Al Ain.

The group phase of the AFC Cup will also have to be completed in a rush once matches resume.

The finals for both tournaments - which traditionally take a break in July, to avoid the worst of the Asian summer heat - are scheduled to take place in November.

Domestic leagues remain on hold around the world, including the UAE's Arabian Gulf League, and organisers have resolved to make a decision on the suspended season by the end of the month, with a cancellation of the campaign unlikely.

Asia's extended shutdown, announced on Tuesday, also affects the two-legged women's Olympic qualifying play-off between China and South Korea, which had already been moved to June 1 and 9.

June qualifiers for the men's 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup had been postponed before the AFC's announcement on Tuesday, with the UAE scheduled to face Thailand and Vietnam during that time.

Asian football was an early sporting casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, before competitions in Europe - including Euro 2020 - and the rest of the world were also affected.