2012 AFC Challenge Cup

Hosts

Maldives, Nepal and Palestine expressed an interest to bid to host the tournament. A decision on which country would be hosts was set to be made by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on 14 June 2011, but was deferred until the AFC Executive Committee on 29 July 2011. The committee decided to endorse Nepal as the hosts of the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Finals.

Venues

Qualification

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification

The qualification stage saw 20 eligible member associations compete in qualifiers.

• An initial pre-qualifying round (home and away) narrowed the field to 16 teams.
• The final qualifying round consist of four groups of four teams each with the group winners and runners-up qualifying.
• Only the eight teams that qualified for the tournament finals were permitted to bid to be hosts.

Qualified nations

• – Qualification Group A winners
• – Qualification Group A runners-up
• – Qualification Group B winners
• – Qualification Group B runners-up
• – Qualification Group C winners
• – Qualification Group C runners-up
• – Qualification Group D winners
• – Qualification Group D runners-up

Draw

The draw for the final tournament was held on 1 December 2011 at the Soaltee Crown Plaza Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Squads

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup squads

Each team could name a squad of 23 players.

Group stage

All times are Nepal Time (NPT) – UTC+5:45

Tie-breaking criteria

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers are in following order:

1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
4. Goal difference in all the group matches;
5. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
6. Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
7. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches; (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
8. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Çoňkaýew Amanow Attal

Biraj
Hangeldiýew Nu'man

Group B

Jang Kuk-chol Davronov

Jang Kuk-chol

Ri Kwang-hyok Pak Nam-chol I Ri Chol-myong Á. Guirado

Knockout stage

|16 March||2||1 |16 March||2||0 |19 March||1||2 |19 March||4||3}}

Semi-finals

Çoňkaýew

Third place play-off

Á. Guirado J. Guirado Attal

Final

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup final

Jang Song-hyok

Statistics

Winner

Individual awards

The following awards were given for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup:

Team of the tournament

The team of the tournament – Dream Team in a 4-4-2 formation.

• Goalkeeper: PRK Ri Myong-guk
• Defenders: PRK Ri Kwang-hyok, TKM Şöhrat Söýünow, PLE Khaled Mahdi, PRK Jon Kwang-ik
• Midfielders: TKM Arslanmyrat Amanow, TKM Guwanç Rejepow, PRK Pak Nam-chol I, PRK Jong Il-gwan
• Forwards: PRK Pak Kwang-ryong, PHI Phil Younghusband
• Coach: PRK Yun Jong-su (North Korea)

Goalscorers

;6 goals

• PHI Phil Younghusband

;3 goals

• PRK Pak Nam-chol I

;2 goals

• PRK Jang Kuk-chol
• PRK Pak Kwang-ryong
• PLE Abdelhamid Abuhabib
• PLE Fahed Attal
• PHI Ángel Guirado
• TKM Arslanmyrat Amanow
• TKM Gahrymanberdi Çoňkaýew

;1 goal

• PRK Jang Song-hyok
• PRK Jon Kwang-ik
• PRK Jong Il-gwan
• PRK Ri Chol-myong
• PRK Ri Kwang-hyok
• MDV Hassan Adhuham
• MDV Mohamed Rasheed
• PLE Alaa Atiya
• PLE Ashraf Nu'man
• PLE Houssam Wadi
• PHI Juan Luis Guirado
• TJK Nuriddin Davronov
• TJK Akhtam Khamrakulov
• TJK Aleksey Negmatov
• TKM Guwanç Hangeldiýew
• TKM Ruslan Mingazow
• TKM Berdi Şamyradow
• TKM Elman Tagaýew

;1 own goal

• NEP Biraj Maharjan (playing against Turkmenistan)

Post-tournament team ranking

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

References

References

1. "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2012 (Men)". Asian Football Confederation.
2. (17 May 2010). "No direct entry for 2012 AFC Challenge Cup". Asian Football Confederation.
3. (23 November 2010). "AFC Competitions Committee". Asian Football Confederation.
4. (23 May 2011). "Maldives, Nepal and Palestine bidding to host CC 2012 Finals". Asian Football Confederation.
5. (14 June 2011). "Chinese Taipei to host AFC President’s Cup Finals". Asian Football Confederation.
6. (29 July 2011). "Message of unity from AFC ExCo". Asian Football Confederation.
7. (13 August 2010). "No direct entry for 2012 AFC Challenge Cup". Asian Football Confederation.
8. "Nepal's luck of the draw". Asian Football Confederation.
9. "Competition Regulations AFC Challenge Cup Nepal 2012". Asian Football Confederation.
10. (19 March 2012). "Pak scoops MVP award". Asian Football Confederation.
11. (19 March 2012). "Six-shooter Phil takes top scorer title". Asian Football Confederation.
12. "2012 AFC Challenge Cup: RSSSF.com".