Churchill provisionally listed to feature in ACL play-offs

New Delhi: I-League champions Churchill Brothers will get a chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League after the Asian Football Confederation provisionally

named the Goan side among the eight continental teams eligible to compete in the play-offs for the prestigious club event. However, participation in the play-offs is conditional on the teams fulfilling AFC criteria for professionalism, including clubs being registered as commercial entities. Other requirements include having a minimum number of players under professional contracts, encouraging youth development and the use of a home stadium with a minimum capacity of 3,000 seats. The final list of the clubs which will play in the ACL play-offs will be announced next month after assessing the fulfillment of the criteria. The All India Football Federation has forwarded AFC`s letter on the fulfillment of the criteria to Churchill Brothers. "We have forwarded AFC`s letter to Churchill Brothers. We will send the information given by them to AFC," AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco said. "According to our records Churchill Brothers meet most of the criteria listed in the AFC letter," Colaco added. Last year, Dempo Sports Club featured in the play-offs but lost 0-3 to UAE`s Al Sharjah to miss the bus for ACL. Only two teams -- one from East and one from West Asia -- from the play-offs will qualify for the group stages of the 2010 AFC Champions League. Leading the eight-team list are Syria`s Al Karamah and Kuwait SC, who will clash in the AFC Cup final on November 3. Besides Churchill, the other seven teams provisionally eligible to compete in the AFC Champions League 2010 Play-Offs are Al Karamah (Syria), Kuwait SC (Kuwait), Sriwijaya (Indonesia), Singapore Armed Forces (Singapore), Muang Thong United (Thailand), SHB Da Nang (Vietnam), Al Wahda (United Arab Emirates). Bureau Report