KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Thursday it had postponed a Pakistan-Bangladesh playoff for the Asian Cup 2007 qualifiers due to the massive earthquake in Pakistan.

The AFC said in a statement that its competitions committee would announce new dates next month.

“With the earthquake, the country now obviously has a lot more important priorities, so therefore the postponement of the game,” an AFC spokesperson said.

“The country has a lot to do in terms of helping the needy people, so resources are at the moment with helping the country get back together.”

Pakistan and Bangladesh, the two lowest-ranked teams among the 25 National Associations playing in the Asian Cup, were set to compete in the playoff match over two days on November 11 and November 18.

The playoff is to decide the 24th participating team in the qualification rounds, the AFC said.

The devastating South Asian earthquake, which hit on Oct 8, has killed at least 54,000 people and left 3.3 million people homeless.—AFP