April 19 (Reuters) – Controversial Bahraini Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa looks to have moved ahead in the AFC presidential race after a pivotal week saw the head of the powerful Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) give him public backing.

His closest rival, UAE soccer head Yousuf Al Serkal, is crying foul at what he perceives as OCA support ahead of the May 2 vote and believes the council is interfering in an election that has opened schisms within west Asian football.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – As Southeast Asian money floods into English football while local leagues are left to rot, the proposed ASEAN Super League (ASL) might just offer those investors a viable alternative and put a stop to the financial drain from the region.

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) told Reuters on Tuesday that their new tournament will start in February 2015 and feature eight franchises initially with no promotion or relegation.

SINGAPORE, April 17 (Reuters) – As Southeast Asian money floods into English football while local leagues are left to rot, the proposed ASEAN Super League (ASL) might just offer those investors a viable alternative and put a stop to the financial drain from the region.

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) told Reuters on Tuesday that their new tournament will start in Feb. 2015 and feature eight franchises initially with no promotion or relegation.

SINGAPORE, April 16 (Reuters) – Soccer’s inaugural ASEAN Super League will kick off in 2015 with eight franchise clubs competing in a relegation-free division with a playoff system to determine the winner, organisers told Reuters on Tuesday.

The ASEAN Football Federation anticipate 16 teams will eventually compete annually in the league with a limit on the number of franchises awarded to the key markets of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore so that the likes of Myanmar and Laos can also take part.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Stadium racing, used in the growing Extreme Sailing series, could well be the future of Olympic sailing, thrusting the sport from the periphery to the center of host cities, director Patrice Clerc told Reuters.

Extreme Sailing, in its seventh year, features five-man teams racing in lightweight 40-foot multihull vessels that can reach speeds of 46 MPH in the center of eight cities, with the aim of growing the sport by taking it to the public.

SINGAPORE, April 12 (Reuters) – Stadium racing, used in the growing Extreme Sailing series, could well be the future of Olympic sailing, thrusting the sport from the periphery to the centre of host cities, director Patrice Clerc told Reuters.

Extreme Sailing, in its seventh year, features five-man teams racing in lightweight 40-foot multihull vessels that can reach speeds of 46 MPH (74 KPH) in the centre of eight cities, with the aim of growing the sport by taking it to the public.

April 9 (Reuters) – Australia will continue to compete in future editions of the East Asian Cup despite their impending membership of Southeast Asia’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Socceroos will have their AFF invite affiliation upgraded at the federation’s Extraordinary Congress in August but have no plans to compete in its biennial Suzuki Cup against teams more than 100 places below them in the FIFA rankings.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Three Lebanese football officials have been dropped from refereeing an AFC Cup match in Singapore and are helping the country’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) with their enquiries, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said on Wednesday.

Ali Sabbagh and assistant referees Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb were taken to the CPIB early on Wednesday, the FAS said, and replacement officials were taking charge of the match between Tampines Rovers and East Bengal of India later in the day.

SINGAPORE, April 3 (Reuters) – Three Lebanese soccer officials have been dropped from refereeing an AFC Cup match in Singapore and are helping the country’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) with their enquiries, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said on Wednesday.

Ali Sabbagh and assistant referees Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb were taken to the CPIB early on Wednesday, the FAS said, and replacement officials were taking charge of the match between Tampines Rovers and East Bengal of India later in the day.

SINGAPORE, April 1 (Reuters) – The Asian and OneAsia Tours went head-to-head with tournaments once again last week, with the rivals squabbling on social media websites while some of the players prioritised other circuits.

As Australian Scott Hend overcame a six-shot deficit to win the Asian Tour’s inaugural Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand on Sunday, South Korean Choi Ho-sung scored a two-shot win at the Indonesia PGA Championship on the OneAsia circuit.