2020 AFF Championship explained

Tourney Name:AFF Championship
Year:2020
Size:250px
Dates:5 December 2021 – 1 January 2022
Num Teams:10
Sub-Confederations:1
Venues:2
Cities:1
Count:6
Matches:26
Goals:88
Top Scorer: Safawi Rasid
Bienvenido Marañón
Chanathip Songkrasin
Teerasil Dangda
(4 goals each)
Player: Chanathip Songkrasin
Young Player: Pratama Arhan
Prevseason:2018
Nextseason:2022

The 2020 AFF Championship (officially AFF Suzuki Cup 2020[1] for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the 7th and the last edition under the name AFF Suzuki Cup.[2]

The final tournament was originally scheduled to run from 23 November to 31 December 2020.[3] However the tournament was postponed and rescheduled at least twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the tournament was first rescheduled to run from 11 April to 8 May 2021[4] and the schedule later pushed backed further to 5 December 2021 to 1 January 2022.[5] Singapore later was chosen for host this tournament in a centralized venue.

Vietnam were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Thailand in the semi-finals. Thailand won the tournament by a 6–2 victory in the two-legged final against Indonesia to secure their sixth title.[6] [7]

Format

The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 was hosted in a centralized venue due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. On 28 September 2021, it was announced that Singapore would host the tournament.[8] Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam also expressed interest in hosting the tournament.[9] [10] [11] [12]

In the group stage of the competition proper, ten teams were drawn in two groups of five with single round-robin format. The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals.

The organizers preferred to hold the tournament under its original format, which featured two-leg home-and-away games. Away goals rule wouldn't be applied.

Up to five substitutions may be allowed as per recommendation of FIFA.[13]

Qualification

Nine teams automatically qualified to the AFF Championship final tournament; they were separated into their respective pots based on their performance of the last two editions. Brunei and Timor-Leste who were the two lowest-performing teams were supposed to play a match where the winner will secure a spot to the final tournament but Brunei withdrew citing the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Australia applied to attend the 2020 AFF Championship but was rejected by the AFF.[15]

Due to non-compliance with conditions set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Thailand and Indonesia were not allowed to be represented by their national flags.[16] [17]

Qualified teams

Teamdata-sort-type="number"AppearancePrevious best performance
8thGroup Stage (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2018)
13thRunners-up (2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2016)
12thGroup Stage (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018)
13thWinners (2010)
13thFourth place / Semi-finalists (2004, 2016)
12thSemi-finalists (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018)
13thWinners (1998, 2004, 2007, 2012)
13thWinners (1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016) 2020) 2022)
3rdGroup Stage (2004, 2018)
13thWinners (2008, 2018)
Notes

Draw

The draw for the 2020 AFF Championship was originally set to be held on 10 August 2021[18] in Singapore but due to the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions in the country, the draw was postponed.[19] The draw was done virtually and held on 21 September 2021.[20] The pot placements followed each teams progress in the previous two editions.

At the time of the draw, the identity of the national team that secured qualification was unknown, as it was supposed to be contested between Brunei and Timor Leste. Timor Leste qualified to the group stage after the withdrawal of Brunei from the qualification play-off.[21]

Squads

See main article: 2020 AFF Championship squads. Each team were allowed a preliminary squad of 50 players. A final squad of 30 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) 23 players registered for each match.

Officials

The following officials were chosen for the competition.

Referees

Assistant referees

Venues

KallangBishan
National StadiumBishan Stadium
Capacity: 55,000Capacity: 6,254

Group stage

TiebreakersRanking in each group shall be determined as follows:
  1. Greater number of points obtained in all the group matches;
  2. Goal difference in all the group matches;
  3. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches.

If two or more teams are equal on the basis on the above three criteria, the place shall be determined as follows:

  1. Result of the direct match between the teams concerned;
  2. Penalty shoot-out if only the teams are tied, and they met in the last round of the group;
  3. Drawing lots by the Organising Committee.

Group A

See main article: 2020 AFF Championship Group A. ----------------

Group B

See main article: 2020 AFF Championship Group B. ----------------

Knockout stage

See main article: 2020 AFF Championship knockout stage.

Semi-finals

First leg

----

Second leg

Indonesia won 5–3 on aggregate.Thailand won 2–0 on aggregate.

Final

See main article: 2020 AFF Championship Final.

First leg

----

Second leg

Thailand won 6–2 on aggregate.

Statistics

Discipline

In the final tournament, a player was suspended for the subsequent match in the competition for either getting red card or accumulating two yellow cards in two different matches.

PlayerOffencesSuspensions
Ken Chansopheak in Group B v Malaysia
in Group B v Vietnam
Team already eliminated from tournament
Ramai Rumakiek in Group B v Cambodia
in Group B v Malaysia
Semi-finals 1st-leg v Singapore
Pratama Arhan in Semi-finals 1st-leg v Singapore
in Semi-finals 2nd-leg v Singapore
Finals 1st-leg v Thailand
Aphixay Thanakhanty in Group B v Malaysia
in Group B v Indonesia
Group B v Cambodia
Nyein Chan in Group A v Singapore
in Group A v Philippines
Team already eliminated from tournament
Stephan Schröck in Group A v Singapore
in Group A v Thailand
Group A v Myanmar
Martin Steuble in Group A v Thailand
in Group A v Myanmar
Team already eliminated from tournament
Safuwan Baharudin in Semi-finals 1st-leg v Indonesia
in Semi-finals 2nd-leg v Indonesia
Team already eliminated from tournament
Irfan Fandi in Semi-finals 2nd-leg v IndonesiaTeam already eliminated from tournament
Hassan Sunny in Semi-finals 2nd-leg v IndonesiaTeam already eliminated from tournament
Theerathon Bunmathan in Semi-finals 1st leg v Vietnam
in Semi-finals 2nd-leg v Vietnam
Finals 1st-leg v Indonesia

In addition, 4 Indonesian players (Elkan Baggott, Victor Igbonefo, Rizky Ridho and Rizky Dwi Febrianto) were barred from the 2nd leg of the Indonesia-Thailand Final on 1 January 2022 for breaching COVID-19 safety measures by leaving the team hotel without authorisation.[23]

Tournament teams ranking

This table will show the ranking of teams throughout the tournament.

Marketing

Matchballs

The official ball for AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 is the ASEAN PULSE,[24] which is sponsored by Warrix.[25]

Sponsorship

Media coverage

2020 AFF Championship television broadcasters in Southeast Asia
CountryBroadcast networkTelevisionRadioStreaming
RTBRTB Aneka
Smart Axiata[39] Hang Meas HDTV
MNC Media, EmtekRCTI (Indonesian matches only), iNews (FTA), (Pay)[40]
Next Media
Astro, RTMAstro Arena, Sukan RTM
Next Media
TAP DMVPremier Sport (Pay)TAP Go
MediacorpmeWATCH
BBTVCH7Bugaboo, AIS Play
RTTLTVTL
VTV, Next MediaVTV5, VTV6On 365 FMTV360, VTVcab ON, FPT Play
2020 AFF Championship international television broadcasters
InternationalYouTubeAFF Suzuki Cup
(unsold markets only)
Hong Kong Cable Television
Seoul Broadcasting SystemSBS, SBS Sports (Indonesian and Vietnamese matches only)[41] [42]

Notes

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2 June 2021 . AFF Announces Official Draw Dates for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 . 21 July 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  2. News: Ooi . Kin Fai . 16 March 2020 . AFF Championship stays Suzuki for yet another edition . Goal.com . 18 May 2020.
  3. News: 2 January 2020 . ASEAN Football Federation sets dates for AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 – Reports . Fox Sport Asia . 2 January 2020 . 3 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200103151630/https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/asian-football/aff-suzuki-cup/1215565/asean-football-federation-sets-dates-for-aff-suzuki-cup-2020-reports/ . dead .
  4. News: del Carmen . Lorenzo . 25 September 2020 . Suzuki Cup to take place in second quarter of 2021 . Tiebreaker Times . 25 September 2020.
  5. News: 7 December 2020 . AFF Championship rescheduled again due to pandemic . en . Philippine Daily Inquirer . 7 December 2020.
  6. Web site: Lee . David . 1 January 2022 . Suzuki Cup: Thailand are champions after beating Indonesia 6-2 on aggregate . 27 February 2022 . The Straits Times.
  7. Web site: 1 January 2022 . Thailand win Suzuki Cup for record sixth time . 27 February 2022 . CNA.
  8. News: Noronha . Anselm . 28 September 2021 . Singapore to host AFF Suzuki Cup 2020: Teams, how to watch & more Goal.com . Goal.com . 29 September 2021.
  9. Web site: hermesauto . 2021-09-21 . Football: Lions to play 5-time champions Thailand in AFF Suzuki Cup group stage . 2021-09-21 . The Straits Times . en.
  10. News: 2 September 2021 . Morodok Techo National Stadium ready to bid for AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 – Khmer Times . Khmer Times . 12 September 2021.
  11. News: 18 August 2021 . Cambodia wants to host the next AFF Suzuki Cup – Khmer Times . Khmer Times . 12 September 2021.
  12. News: 12 September 2021 . AFF Cup 2020 draw to take place in Singapore this month . en . Voice of Vietnam . 13 September 2021.
  13. Web site: 17 June 2020 . Teams allowed to register 23-player squads for AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 . 13 September 2020 . Nhân Dân . en.
  14. News: Aziz . Sazali Abdul . 8 November 2021 . Football: Brunei pull out of Suzuki Cup; Timor-Leste join S'pore in Group A . en . The Straits Times . 8 November 2021.
  15. News: Bossi . Dominic . Socceroos seeking entrance into 2020 Suzuki Cup . 27 January 2019 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 31 January 2019.
  16. News: Thailand loses right to host tournaments . Bangkok Post . Bangkok Post Public Co. Ltd. . 25 November 2021 . The country has also been denied the right to display its national flag at any such events (international football events)..
  17. News: 24 November 2021 . Chairman Of PSSI: Regarding The Flag At AFF 2020, We Will Follow Whatever The Decision Is . en . VOI – Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan . 25 November 2021.
  18. Web site: 3 June 2021 . Aug 10 draw signals AFF tournament will proceed . 3 June 2021 . The Straits Times.
  19. Web site: 5 August 2021 . Official Draw Of The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Postponed . 19 August 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  20. Web site: 16 September 2021 . AFF Announces Virtual Event For Official Draw For The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 . 16 September 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  21. Web site: 8 November 2021 . Brunei Darussalam Withdraws From The Upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Qualification Round . 4 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  22. News: 1 January 2022 . Daftar Penghargaan Piala AFF 2020: Pratama Arhan Pemain Muda Terbaik . id . Kompas.com .
  23. Web site: Leo . Lakeisha . 1 January 2022 . 4 Indonesian footballers breached COVID-19 measures in Singapore; barred from Suzuki Cup second-leg final . 1 January 2022 . CNA.
  24. Web site: 11 August 2021 . Warrix launches ASEAN PULSE, a soccer ball used for the AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 2 December 2021 . Archyde.
  25. Web site: 1 July 2020 . Warrix partner AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 as official match ball and kit supplier . 2 December 2021 . ASEAN Football Federation.
  26. Web site: AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Sponsors . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  27. Web site: 16 March 2020 . SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION SECURES SEVENTH AFF CHAMPIONSHIP . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  28. Web site: 14 July 2021 . OPPO TO MAKE ITS AFF SUZUKI CUP SPONSORSHIP DEBUT . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  29. Web site: 7 October 2020 . CASIO UNVEILED AS THE OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER OF THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  30. Web site: 30 September 2020 . MIDEA ANNOUNCES 3RD SPONSORSHIP OF 2020 AFF SUZUKI CUP . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  31. Web site: 9 June 2020 . YANMAR COMES ON BOARD THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 AS OFFICIAL SPONSOR . 5 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  32. Web site: 26 May 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup Sponsor Coocaa TV to Bring Immersive Viewing Experiences To Football Fans . 19 December 2021 . Businesswire.com.
  33. Web site: 21 December 2020 . FUJI ELECTRIC JOINS AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 AS OFFICIAL SUPPORTER . 9 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  34. Web site: 7 June 2021 . HERBALIFE BECOMES AN OFFICIAL SUPPORTER OF THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 8 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  35. Web site: 11 November 2020 . JINRO ON BOARD THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 AS OFFICIAL SUPPORTER . 8 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  36. Web site: Mitsubishi Electric proudly supports the AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 5 December 2021 . Mitsubishi Electric . 5 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205102123/https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/aff_suzukicup.html . dead .
  37. Web site: 19 May 2020 . PINACO ANNOUNCED AS THE OFFICIAL SPONSOR FOR THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 5 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  38. Web site: 8 November 2021 . TMGM BECOMES THE OFFICIAL ONLINE TRADING PLATFORM OF THE AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020 . 2 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  39. Web site: 5 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Official Broadcasters For Cambodia And Vietnam Announced . 5 December 2021 . AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.
  40. Web site: 2021-12-01 . Jadwal Siaran Langsung AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Live RCTI, Laga Seru Timnas Indonesia vs Malaysia . 2021-12-04 . Tribunbatam.id . id-ID.
  41. Web site: 2020 AFF 스즈키컵 . 2021-11-29 . SBS . ko.
  42. Web site: 2020 AFF 스즈키컵 중계안내 (12/6~) . 2021-12-05 . SBS . ko.