2006 AFC Challenge Cup

2006 AFC Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Host country	Bangladesh
Dates	1–16 April
Venue(s)	3 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Tajikistan (1st title)
Runners-up	Sri Lanka
Tournament statistics
Matches played	31
Goals scored	82 (2.65 per match)
Attendance	150,150 (4,844 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Fahed Attal (8 goals)
Best player(s)	Ibrahim Rabimov
	2008 →

The 2006 AFC Challenge Cup was held between 1 and 16 April 2006 in Bangladesh. Sixteen teams were split into four groups, the top two in each group qualifying for the quarterfinals, and from then on a straight knockout contest. There was no qualification stage. The cup winner was Tajikistan. The fair play award was won by Sri Lanka and Tajik Ibrahim Rabimov won the most valuable player award.^[1]

Selection of teams

The AFC classed seventeen nations as emerging associations, which need time to develop their football.^[2] They were selected in August 2005 to take part. Laos, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste were initially selected to participate, but were later replaced by Bangladesh and India of the developing associations class, reducing the number of participating teams to sixteen.

Replacements

Hosts and stadia

The AFC decided at its annual meeting, that Bangladesh would host the opening ceremony and that Nepal would host the final unless Bangladesh makes it into the last two, in which case it would be held in Dhaka, its capital.^[3]^[4] It was originally planned that the teams in Groups A and B would play their games in Nepal and that teams in Groups C and D would play in Bangladesh, but due to the political unrest that shook Nepal, it was decided that only Bangladesh would host the tournament.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] The Challenge Cup was originally scheduled to take place between 26 March to 9 April 2006 but was changed to avoid clashes with Bangladesh's Independence Day on 26 March.^[9] The two stadia that were selected to be used during this tournament were: the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka and the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. However, the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka was later used to make-up the matches that were abandoned due to heavy rain.

Venues

Dhaka		Chittagong
Bangabandhu National Stadium	Bangladesh Army Stadium	M. A. Aziz Stadium
Capacity: 36,000	Capacity: 20,000	Capacity: 40,000

Dhaka Chittagong

Teams

Some teams did not take part with their 'main' national squad, as noted below:

India decided to field their under-20 team in preparation for the AFC Youth Championship they were later hosting.
Kyrgyzstan took part with a young squad, made up mostly of players from their under-20 team which had qualified for the AFC Youth Championship.^[10]

Squads

Group stage

All times are Bangladesh Standard Time (BST) – UTC+6

Key to colours in group tables
Top two placed teams advance to the quarter-finals

Tie-breaking criteria

Where two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:

points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
goal difference in all group matches;
number of goals scored in all group matches;
kicks from the penalty mark (if only two teams are level and they are both on the field of play);
fewer yellow and red cards received in the group matches;
drawing of lots by the organising committee.

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
India U20	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Chinese Taipei	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5
Philippines	3	0	2	1	2	3	−1	2
Afghanistan	3	0	2	1	3	5	−2	2

Source: RSSSF

1 April 2006

15:30

India U20	2–0	Afghanistan
Vimal 35', 60'	Report

MA Aziz Stadium, Chittagong

Attendance: 2,500

Referee: Mahmood Al-Ghatrifi (Oman)

1 April 2006