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2004 Asian Cup to Add up Four More Teams
Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation Peter Velappan said on Saturday in Beirut that a total of 16 teams instead of 12 will compete at the 2004 Asian Cup in China.
"In recognition of the fast growing standard of national teams across Asia, the tournament in China will have four more teams," Velappan said at a press conference following a four-hour meeting of the AFC's executive committee.
A total of 12 teams are competing in the current 2000 tournament, which will conclude on Sunday with the final between Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Velappan added that the increase in the size will boost the development of soccer in Asia.
But Velappan refused to disclose whether the AFC would act on calls for the tournament to be held every two years instead of four years.
He said the issue of increasing the frequency of the competition would only be discussed after the AFC had agreed upon a fixed calendar for all competitions which clashed with FIFA's recently announced time-table.
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