AFC have announced the official postponement of the up and coming AFC Futsal Club Championships which were set to be held in the city of Isfahan in Iran on the 4th July where Australian outfit NSW Thunder were set to participate in.

AFC moved the tournament with a time and date set to be announced shortly due to the political unrest that has hit the country of Iran.

AFC’s Acting General Secretary Alex Soosay stated the news via an official correspondence letter with all the participating member associations which included Australia, China PR, IR Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Qatar, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

“It is with utmost regret to inform you that the AFC Futsal Club Championship in IR Iran is being postponed.

“This decision had been taken after much thought and very careful consideration.

“It is our sincere believe that it would be in everyone’s interest, namely the participating teams, the AFC delegation, the Host Association, as well as the Competition itself, for the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2009 to be held sometime in the future under more conducive circumstances.

“We are monitoring the situation in Iran and we will advise of the suitable dates in due course,” Soosay stated.

NSW Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia was upset about the postponement of the event but understood it was for the safety of the players.

“Safety comes first in situations like this and AFC acted accordingly.

“To be honest all the boys were not to overly concerned what was going on over there as they wanted to concentrate on just playing Futsal and representing this country.”

Asked what the team would do now with the delay in the tournament Amendolia stated to Football NSW.

“We just have to sit back and revaluate where we are at but we will continue to train in the next few weeks waiting for AFC’s official decision on the new time and date for the Championship.”