Ten Asian leagues set for overhaul, AFC says

SINGAPORE, Feb 14 (Reuters) Ten Asian soccer leagues are set for an overhaul to make them more competitive, the Asian Football Confederation has said.

The revamping of leagues in Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, South Korea, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is aimed at boosting their fan bases.

''We believe that the future is Asia,'' AFC president Mohammed Hammam said.

''There are big clubs comparable to those in Europe. We need to ensure that they have the right structure in place to benefit from investment from within or outside Asia,'' Singapore's Straits Times quoted him as saying.

A committee headed by Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi will probe the matter.

The planned overhaul was sparked partly by Asia's poor performance at last year's World Cup where only Australia progressed beyond the group stage.

The bad results were due to poor competition structures in Asia, the AFC said.

''A lot needs to be done,'' Football Association of Singapore president John Koh said.

''(The AFC's) involvement will expedite the progress of our league.

''This will raise our level further and aid in our vision to be among the top leagues in Asia.'' REUTERS SAM HS0952