Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category

The Exclusive Asian Champions League

Posted: April 14, 2013 by thearabscot in Asia
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In a week where the Asian Football Confederation is hailing another milestone for the Asian Champions League attendance figures, Amro examines why the AFC’s most prestigious club competition is such an exclusive club to be a part of.

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At first viewing the figures showing rising attendances appear positive, and you would be forgiven for hailing the role of the AFC in promoting the tournament in the largest continent of them all; a feat considering the myriad footballing cultures which are as diverse as they are far-flung. The figures in Iran, for instance, are eye watering, and would be the envy of many a top club in Europe, China also have impressive figures considering the popularity of the game in the country. Year on year rises in the attendance figure are a healthy indication for any football tournament. However, a more intimate inspection of the figures reveals not all is well within the Asian Club game.  Out of the 47 member nations of the AFC only 10 are allowed to participate in the top tier club competition, five from West Asia (Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Iran) and five from East Asia (Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, Thailand). Clubs from the remaining nations are only allowed entry into the second tier AFC Cup tournament or the AFC President’s Cup, while some do not participate at all for varying reasons, ranging from the political to the financial, to (perhaps most frustratingly for proponents of football) a simple lack of interest.

The AFC seems intent on inclusion (exclusion is more of an apt term) criteria and affixing labels to nations, “mature”, “developing” & “emerging” are buzz words at their Malaysia HQ. Teams of inspectors are dispatched to a selection of countries to assess their development of the game, endless boxes are ticked or crossed feverishly, all to determine how deserving the club is of being included in the trendy, upmarket club which the guys at the AFC have concocted. While those who wish to defend or support this notion would say the confederation simply cares about improving the club game, but they would be missing the point. It is not the development of the game that worries the fans, it is the manner in which they are executing it which suggests there is a more sinister undercurrent. The AFC seems quick to exclude many a nation from certain competitions, and with no remorse; they peddle the top tier tournament as an aspiration for those who do not meet the criteria, dangling the carrot (which has ever more stringent & changing requirements-bi annual changes are the order of the day presently). They are so obsessed with the desire to ameliorate the game that they are foregoing the inclusive aspect of football.

How can a country’s league improve when the teams that inhabit it are forbidden from participating in the premier (and in some cases even the second tier) tournament? Why are the criteria so rigid in such a varying continent, where there is a massive disparity in financial resources available to each FA/League governing body? Such questions and more besides are not answered by the men in suits in Asia. Recently, and after criticism from multiple sources, the AFC have decided to make the ACL more inclusive, but with one caveat: Your club must meet the criteria. A glimmer of hope, potentially, quickly extinguished by the self defeating nature of the criteria.

Perhaps the most alarming issue in the midst of this all, is the funneling of teams’ entry into the AFC Cup, who are in some instances superior to their counterparts in the ACL. Not only this but the denial of fervent fans who are both more boisterous and loyal than many clubs fans in the “top tier” tournament. While the AFC are quick to praise the figures of rising attendances, they neglect mention of embarrassingly poor attendances in some Gulf states, the following video shows the game played last week in the ACL between Al Ettifaq of Saudi and Al Shabab of UAE, attended by a paltry 430 fans:

Meanwhile 14,000 turned out to watch Duhok of Iraq lose to a late goal by Al Faisaly of Jordan in March in the AFC Cup. Both teams, by the way, very capable of beating the two previous ACL sides mentioned, among others in the continents top tournament.

While it easy to criticise and point out the flaws of the AFC and their shortcomings, it seems only apt to put forward some suggestions for the club game in Asia.  Actions we feel would improve the game in both a constructive and inclusive manner.

  1. Most obviously and effortlessly of all, relax the selection criteria which have excluded so many clubs and their fans from the joys of the Champions League. In their place we propose a return to simpler criteria which are used for the AFC Cup competition. This would allow many more nations to compete in both tournaments, not only would the quality & prestige of the ACL be improved, but so would that of the AFC Cup.
  2. Play the continental club tournaments during the usual football season from September to May. This will stop teams from losing top players during the long current break from May to September, which can really detract from the tournaments. Travelling would not be an issue until the knockout phases of the tournament.
  3. Play off routes pre-season to weed out “weaker” teams, as is the case in Africa and Europe. This would allow the teams to merit their place in each tournament and make sure the tournaments are comprehensive.
  4. Define broad improvement guidelines which are tailor made for each country, that will allow steady and controlled improvement with less time pressure so as not to detract from the spectacle of the game.
  5. Make the tournaments fan centric to make sure attendance figures continue to rise with the addition of all Asian countries willing to participate.

For a tournament which had its first edition in 1967, it has fallen from grace rapidly in recent years, most simply and largely due to its now exclusive nature. If Asian club football is being run by AFC employees with tick box forms, then that is a damning indictment on the state of the club game in Asia. As well as a stark warning for the very future of the game and its fledgling popularity in many regions of the continent.

Mahdi’s Boys Come of Age

Posted: January 7, 2013 by thearabscot in Asia
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Omar Abdulrahman celebrates with his team mates

With the 21st edition of  the Gulf Cup kicking off on Saturday, it wasn’t hosts Bahrain who grabbed the headlines – they played out a laboriously painful scoreless draw with Oman – but rather the UAE who thumped a Qatar outfit still in with a shout of making Brazil 2014, 3-1 with a head-turning display, full of exquisite touches, artistry and a free kick as good as you’ll see in any level of football. A seemingly innocuous looking result to the untrained eye, but consider this, the UAE had not beaten neighbours Qatar since 2007 in an International match, a fact which mirrors the decline their national side has seen over the last half decade. A disastrous exit from the 2011 Asian Cup with one point and having scored no goals,  the UAE then crashed out of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers early on, in the AFC 3rd Round of Qualification with a miserable record having lost 5 games and won just one in their group.

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Asian Cup 2015 Qualifying Draw Round Up

Posted: October 9, 2012 by thearabscot in Asia
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Earlier today the draw for the Asian Cup 2015 was held in Melbourne, Australia. The competition will be staged in Australia for the first time and will take place from the 4th to 26th January 2015. The continental  tournament sees 16 teams compete for the chance to be crowned Asia’s Kings.

Before we delve into the results of the draw, however, a little bit about some AFC nuances when it comes to qualifying. The Asian Football Confederation decreed that as of the 2011 edition the top 3 placed teams as well as the hosts plus one AFC Challenge cup winner will automatically qualify for the finals. Got all that? OK.  A strange system which I don’t agree with at all, but that is another matter. What does matter this time around is that hosts Australia also placed second in the 2011 edition of the Asian Cup. That left the AFC with a bit of a problem, so they decided another AFC Challenge Cup winner would get that 5th “fast lane” qualification; a worthy choice might I add, as I think Asia’s less developed footballing nations ought to have a go at the continental feast. But what in effect that means is that already qualified to the finals we have: Australia (Hosts), Japan (2011 Champions), South Korea (3rd place in 2011), North Korea (AFC 2012 Challenge Cup Winner), Unknown (AFC 2014 Challenge Cup Winner).

For those of you that are quick with their maths you can see that this leaves us with 11 spots. An awkward number that for football qualifiers/tournaments. So to combat the oddity the AFC decided on five groups of four, with the two winners automatically qualifying alongside the best 3rd placed team.

Now with all that nonsense explained, to the important bit we go; the draw and some of our thoughts on the groups:

Group A – Jordan, Syria, Oman, Singapore

A group comprising of three West Asian teams and relative minnows Singapore. Jordan and Oman are already competing for a World Cup spot in the same group currently, so they will know each other well by the time they match up for these qualifiers. Syria also have a gifted team who did well in the 2011 Asian Cup, they were unlucky to be victims of a shocking (and too commonplace in Asian football) administrative error by their FA which saw them unceremoniously ejected from the qualifiers after fielding an ineligible player against Tajikstan. Thus, they will have much to prove.  The two spots will be keenly contested here with Singapore being the projected whipping boys.

Group B – Iran, Kuwait, Thailand, Lebanon

Three times Champions Iran and one time winners Kuwait will do battle with constantly improving Thailand and Lebanon who have impressed so far in their World Cup qualifying campaign (incidentally they beat Iran 1-0 in September 2012 in those very qualifiers). This all makes for a very tough group and one which is difficult to call. Iran should see themselves through with the experience they have, however Lebanon can stir things up and cause an upset, while Thailand are impressive on their day. Kuwait have never regained the dizzying heights they achieved in the 1980′s, but after failing to make the last round of the World Cup 2014 qualifiers and scoring exactly 0 points in the 2011 Asian Cup, the onus is on them to perform and qualify.

Group C – Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia

A collective and telling groan went up from the Chinese camp when Iraq were drawn as the top seeds out of the hat to complete the group this morning. The two sides have met with  regularity in qualifiers recently and Iraq have ended a few of China’s qualification attempts prematurely of late. A group of death…or not. On paper this group is very difficult looking, however recent results for China and Saudi Arabia have been poor and have seen them plummet down the FIFA world rankings. Indonesia will struggle to make much of an impact away from home, but have many passionate fans in Jakarta. Saudi Arabia and Iraq contested the 2007 Asian Cup final, and while both are far away from the form that saw them get there, their match ups should be exciting and well contested. Having said all that, no other team from any other group would fancy being here, China and Saudi have only one way to go and that is up.

Group D – Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Malaysia

Another West Asian dominated group, this time the group is rather more skewed. Qatar and Bahrain are the teams to watch here, Yemen and Malaysia will likely struggle over the course of the qualifiers. Qatar, who are hosting the 2022 World Cup, will be looking to continue to improve until then and with their current World Cup qualification progressing relatively solidly, they will want to add another major tournament to their list of competitions before they host the grandest one of them all.

Group E – Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Hong Kong.

Uzbekistan will look to continue their impressive early qualifying record where they seem to collect almost maximum points every time. Their Semi Final finish in 2011 was their best yet and they will hope to shake things up once again. The UAE impressed at the Olympics with their exciting and extremely watchable brand of flair football, they will also hope to be at the tournament in Australia and will be a joy to watch. Vietnam while having made huge strides in football of late (especially after co=hosting in 2007 and making the quarter finals), will be an outside bet to cause an upset.

Ties will be played between 6th February 2013 & 5th March 2014. Join us for coverage on Twitter and on the blog.

The Rise & Rise of Japanese Football – Part 2

Posted: August 13, 2012 by thearabscot in Asia
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It has been a long time coming, but finally our resident Asian football devotee TheArabScot is back to provide the second and final part of his instalment on Japanese football and how it rose from relative obscurity to worldwide prominence. Part 1 is here for those who missed out.

We left things in the outset of what was to prove a meteoric rise for Japanese football, and from there we pick up the tale again. The ball was rolling and the changes that had started to take place in the 80s were to soon have a perceptible, far reaching effect and one that would continue to grow in significance.  The academies were beginning to produce the talent in numbers, the new professional J league was on its way to becoming an established force in Asian club football and the national team began to click into gear.

The J League

The J league has continued to grow in stature since its inception in 1993. In the beginning many star names such as Zico were brought to the league to pique interest, this model proved successful and is still used as a blueprint and implemented in both East & West Asia; Qatar’s league, the UAE as well as China most recently have adopted the stance of attracting big names who have maybe played their best football in Europe to increase interest and awareness in the game. It certainly seemed to work for Japan (other factors obviously played a major role), so why could it not work elsewhere?

Big names aside, however, the league has continued to produce talented players through academies and export them as we will see in the next section. Japanese teams have also won the Asian Champions League three times since the league was set up, not the strongest record at club level in Asia, but the continued success of the National side cannot be ignored, nor can the constant flow of new talent into the league.

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Asian World Cup Qualifying Final Round- Match Day 3 Round Up

Posted: June 15, 2012 by thearabscot in Asia
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Three match days have come and gone in the qualifiers and now we are in the midst of a 3 month hiatus; Asian World Cup qualifiers will resume in September. Until then we will leave you with a slightly different take on the match day round up series. This post will also double up as a review of the groups so far. You can find the second match day round up here.

Teymourian & Kasola vie for the ball- Iran Vs Qatar

Three out of the ten scheduled match days are done, and so we take stock with 30% of the football played. First, though, a quick run through of the match day 3 results.

The day’s big match and Asia’s glamour tie was the first to kick off, Australia hosting Asian champions Japan in Brisbane (a replay of the Asian Cup 2011 final). A packed stadium saw out a 1-1 draw that stood out as much for its refereeing blunders as it did for its football, Kurihara scoring for Japan & Wilkshire equalising for Australia, both teams had a man sent off and Australia’s home record continues; their last defeat at home came in 2009-over three years ago now. Group B’s second game saw Iraq and Oman play out a dire game of football to a 1-1 draw, the result left a lot to be desired for Iraqi football fans, Oman counting the game as away (played in Neutral Doha, the venue of Iraq’s “home”games) will be content with two points from two difficult games in a row. Group A had two matches, the first of which was a formality, South Korea putting 3 past underdogs Lebanon in Goyang. While the second game saw Iran entertain Qatar in Tehran, only not much entertainment took place and the game saw no goals.

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