Federation Cup winners East Bengal have been clubbed alongside Hong Kong’s South China and Thailand’s Chonburi in an intriguing group in the draw for 2011 AFC Cup held in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
|Last Updated: Dec 07, 2010, 06:59 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Federation Cup winners East Bengal have been clubbed alongside Hong Kong’s South China and Thailand’s Chonburi in an intriguing group in the draw for 2011 AFC Cup held in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Indonesian Super League runners-up side Persipura Jayapura are the fourth team in Group H.
East Bengal, who finished last in their group in the 2010 AFC Cup, play their first match against Chonburi at Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on March 2 next year.
The red-and-gold brigade will travel to Jakarta on March 16 to play their next group match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium against Persipura Jayapura of Indonesia.
South China, the reigning Hong Kong first division league champions, were the semifinalists in the 2009 edition of the AFC Cup and they had recently beaten a visiting team of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Chonburi, on the other hand, played in AFC Champions League in 2008 and reached AFC Cup quarterfinals in 2009. They did not qualify for the 2010 AFC Cup.
Another Indian team, I-League champions Dempo will play in the AFC Champion League (ACL) play-off on February 19 and they will play in the AFC Cup if they fail to qualify for ACL.
If Dempo lose the ACL play-off on February 19, they will be clubbed in a relatively easy Group F in the AFC Cup along with TSW Pegasus of Hong Kong, Song Lam Nghe An of Vietnam and VB of Maldives.
Twenty-eight teams were slotted into eight groups of four teams each. Four teams that miss out on the AFC Champions League will complete the line-up. Five groups are in the West and three in the East.
Top two teams from each group will qualify for the knock-out round of 16.
East Bengal Group fixtures:March 2: East Bengal vs Chonburi at Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata.
March 16: East Bengal vs Persipura Jayapura at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta.
April 13: East Bengal vs South China at Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong.
April 26:< /b> East Bengal vs South China at Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata.
May 3: East Bengal vs Chonburi at Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi, Thailand.
May 19: East Bengal vs Persipura Jayapura at Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.