The Asian Football Confederation's website and information channels have not yet announced the list of 16 teams participating in the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals. The organization has only published information about the results of the third round of qualifying matches and the group standings.
Normally, at the end of the qualifying rounds for continental tournaments, the AFC confirms the list of teams participating in the finals. However, this has not happened for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship, possibly due to incidents during the final round of matches.
Iran U23 appeals the result of their match against Uzbekistan U23.
The Asian Football Confederation's delay in announcing the official squad list is believed to be due to the Iranian Football Federation filing a complaint regarding refereeing errors. The Iranian U23 team lost to Uzbekistan U23 in their final match, leaving them in second place in Group E.
In the ranking of second-placed teams, U23 Iran only ranked 5th, having the same tie-breaking criteria (goal difference, number of goals scored) as U23 Malaysia. The West Asian team received more yellow cards, so they ranked lower and did not qualify for the U23 Asian Championship.
However, an unusual incident occurred during the U23 Iran vs. U23 Uzbekistan match. In that game, an U23 Uzbekistan player received two yellow cards but was not sent off. The Iranian Football Federation filed a complaint with the AFC.
There are no clear rules regarding the arbitration of match results in this unusual situation. Both U23 Iran, U23 Uzbekistan, and U23 Malaysia (the last-placed team among the four second-placed teams in the qualifying round for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship) must await the AFC's decision.
In the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam U23 secured their place early and were the only team to qualify after the second round of matches. Coach Philippe Troussier's team topped Group C after defeating Guam U23 and Yemen U23, and drawing with Singapore U23.
The 2024 AFC U23 Championship will take place from April 15 to May 3, 2024, in Qatar. The top three teams will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The fourth-placed team will play a play-off match against a representative from Africa.
Van Hai
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