Valencia AWOL, Abahani advance

The AFC Cup's preliminary Round-2 tie between Abahani and Club Valencia of Maldives was cancelled after the latter withdrew from the tournament, confirmed the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Abahani were scheduled to take on Club Valencia in Sylhet tomorrow, but the Maldivian outfit did not arrive as per their itinerary due to financial constraints.

The cancellation means Abahani will advance to the next stage of playoffs where they will play against the winners between ATK Mohun Bagan of India and Blue Star SC of Sri Lanka on April 19.

"The AFC has taken note of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM)'s confirmation of Club Valencia's withdrawal from participating in the AFC Cup 2022," read out the AFC statement. "Therefore, in accordance with the AFC Cup 2022 competition regulations, the preliminary stage round-2 (South) tie against Abahani Limited Dhaka from Bangladesh, which was scheduled to take place on April 12, 2022, has been cancelled."

The winners of the playoff stage will join Group D, which features Gokulam Kerala of India, Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh and Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives. The Group D matches are scheduled to take place in Kolkata from May 18 to 24.