KUWAIT CITY: The Asian Football Federation said Friday Kuwait would not take part in qualifiers for the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates due to their international sports ban. In a letter to the Kuwait Football Association, AFC said Kuwait had been replaced by Macau as the deadline of January 11 had passed with no change in Kuwait’s FIFA suspension. “Following the conclusion of the FIFA Council meeting held on 9-10 January 2017, we regret to note that there has been no change to the status of the Kuwait Football Association,” said the letter. World sports bodies led by the International Olympic Committee and football’s governing body FIFA suspended Kuwait in October 2015 for the second time since 2010 over alleged government meddling in sports.