The Australian government has called for an Australian-based refugee footballer to be released from detention in Thailand immediately.

Hakeem al-Araibi was detained in Bangkok in November on an Interpol warrant issued at the request of Bahrain.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Sunday she had raised the matter with her Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai, requesting that 25-year-old Al-Araibi be allowed to fly back to Melbourne as soon as possible.

He plays for a team in the Victoria...

Thailand goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom has warned Malaysia that they are in for a "nightmare" in the second leg of the 2018 AFF Cup semifinal in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Saturday's first leg ended 0-0 in Kuala Lumpur, though Malaysia were very much in the ascendancy, creating and missing chance after chance against the sluggish defending champions.

While Malaysia arrive in Thailand in confident mood -- though unhappy about the initial training facilities provided -- the Thai No. 1 asserted that the second...

Singapore and Malaysia have slipped to new lows in the latest FIFA rankings after both endured a miserable 2017.

Neither side won a fixture last year, as they fell out of contention for a place at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

This performance was reflected in the updated list, which saw both countries drop one more spot to establish new all-time lows.

Singapore now sit in 173rd place, while the Harimau Malaya are two places beneath them at 175.

The rankings stress the scale of the task facing Malaysia's...