KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) have qualified for the final of the AFC Cup after FIFA suspended the Kuwait FA (KFA) on Friday for government interference with immediate effect.
Kuwaiti teams and clubs are banned from all international competitions, and the association and its members are barred from receiving any Fifa development assistance.
“The suspension will be lifted only when KFA and their clubs are able to carry out their activities and obligations independently,” said FIFA in a statement on their official website.
With the development, JDT’s tie against Kuwait’s Qadsia SC has now been cancelled.
JDT had lost 3-1 in the first leg to the defending champions last month. The return leg was supposed to be played at Larkin Stadium on Tuesday
The Super League champions will face Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol, whose semi-final tie against Kuwait SC has also been cancelled, on Oct 31.
For the record, no Malaysian team has ever reached the AFC Cup final.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) acting secretary Datuk Windsor Paul confirmed that Kuwait cannot take part in any competitions until their suspension is lifted by Fifa.
“It is now for AFC’s competitions committee to determine the status of the matches. Based on Fifa’s decision, the semi-finals in the AFC Cup have been cancelled.
“We are currently confirming the status of the remaining teams in the AFC Cup. Our competitions committee will issue a statement later today in regard of the final match of the competition,” said Windsor.
JDT’s representative also confirmed that Qadsia have cancelled their trip to Johor for the semi-final return leg match.