2014 AFC Challenge Cup final eight sees Bangladesh out, Laos in due to 'Appendix 2' switch

The AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers took one final twist as the AFC announced it would change the rules of qualification to those followed in Appendix 2, removing Bangladesh from the next round of competition and replacing them with Laos. This came about because Brunei’s withdrawal meant Group E, hosted by the Philippines, only had three teams. When compared with the other four groups, which had four teams, this put group E at a disadvantage as they had only two matches while the other countries had three matches. With the five group winners being joined by the best two of the groups’ runners-up in the Maldives, this effectively meant that the runner-up of Group E would have been hard-pressed to qualify. Appendix 2 made ‘null and void’ the matches between Groups A-D’s runners-up and group losers so that their groups are compared on two matches, the same number Group E played. After a lot of confusion and several solutions to the problem, the last eight countries making up the final stage of the Challenge Cup have been finalized, with Maldives hosting Group A winners Myanmar, Group B winners Kyrgyzstan, Group C winners Afghanistan, Group D winners Palestine, Group E winners, the Philippines, and the best two runners-up, Laos and Turkmenistan. The move has meant that Brunei’s withdrawal from Group E has effectively knocked Group D’s Bangladesh out of the competition, as they were replaced by Group C’s Laos. The qualification mess Initially however, the AFC website posted that Brunei defaulted all three matches 3-0 to the other teams and so it seemed that there would be no issue with the different number of teams in Group E. With qualification between the five groups unaffected at that point, the AFC have since decided to revert back to Appendix 2, throwing another spanner in the works as Bangladesh have been kicked out of the tournament and replaced by Laos due to no fault of their own. [Related: 3-0 wins awarded to PHL, other Group E teams on Brunei default] It is the latest in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualification saga which was poorly conceived from the start, critics railing against the AFC’s decision to forego the previous qualification rounds and go straight into a group stage of twenty teams. With two runners-up from the five groups qualifying, every groups’ results matter for the others, and staging the groups at different times has broken with typical FIFA protocol of playing final group matches simultaneously to prevent match fixing and unsporting behavior. Such match-fixing and unsporting behavior is not new to any sport, and the 2012 the Olympics saw several examples of Badminton pairs who had already qualified playing to lose in order to face easier opponents in the next round. The players were condemned for the unsporting behavior and thrown out, but the organization of the competition took a hit as simultaneous final matches would avoid the problem. Within South East Asia there is also the example of the 1998 Tiger Cup, the former name for the Suzuki Cup, where Group A’s Thailand and Indonesia played to lose their final match of the Group Stage. Both countries were assured of qualification having won their previous two matches and with Singapore topping Group B on goal difference the day before, both nations preferred to play against Singapore in the semifinals, whom they deemed weaker than Vietnam. The match culminated in Indonesian defender Mursyid Effendi deliberately scoring an own goal in injury time so his side would lose 3-2. He was banned from international football for life, and Thailand and Indonesia were fined $40,000 each. This is why group matches which determine the match-ups of the next round ought to be played simultaneously, let alone group matches which determine the progression of teams in other groups. Changing the rules after the games were played The decision to play entire groups at different times has meant that the AFC have changed the rules on Bangladesh over two weeks after their matches. Heading into the group stage, all countries were under the understanding of one set of rules for qualification and played their groups as such. Bangladesh concluded Group D back on March 6, defeating the Northern Mariana Islands 4-0 in their last game. With six points from two victories and a plus five goal difference from their matches they were the best runner-up in the whole competition before Group E’s games, which began sixteen days later. Just before Group E started, Bangladesh were therefore assured of qualification – even if Group E’s runner-up beat them for points and/or goal difference, as did happen with Turkmenistan winning six points and the highest goal difference of the runners-up, but Bangladesh were the second best runner-up and so would have qualified. However switching back to the rules applied through Appendix 2, Bangladesh’s 4-0 victory over the Northern Mariana Islands was considered ‘null and void’ and so in the calculations of the best runners-up they ended with three points and a goal difference of plus one from their other two matches. They therefore finished fourth out of the five group runners-up and did not qualify. Laos, meanwhile, were the only team not to beat their Group losers, which in their group was Mongolia. Laos drew 1-1 with them, and won four points from their other two matches, a 1-1 draw with group winners Afghanistan after a 4-2 win over Sri Lanka. With their draw against Mongolia ‘null and void,’ they have actually finished as the best runner-up in the competition now, despite being the worst runner-up before the rules changed. The AFC have therefore effectively moved the goalposts during this tournament, and Bangladesh will be denied entry into the final stage of the Challenge Cup as a result. Laos, meanwhile, will make it through to the final stage in their very first time in the tourney. Given all the problems caused by the complicated qualification system, the AFC will be under a lot of criticism not only from the Bangaldeshi Football Federation, but from wider branches of FIFA, who have taken a reputation hit from the disorganization of the competition. - AMD, GMA News