ASIAN SUPER LEAGUE
First it was touted in Europe, then in Africa. Now, it’s Asia’s turn to consider forming its own “Super League”
Plans to establish a European Super League were made public in April 2021 and blew up to become a huge story in football, business and politics. The short-lived saga was watched around the world. Anger from fans, media and other stakeholders helped to put paid to the new project, temporarily at least. Asian football would kill for such an outcry, such passion and interest. When, almost a year later, the first whispers of a possible Asian Super League were heard, the reaction was much more low-key.
It started with a press release from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that dropped in journalists’ inboxes from Jeddah to Jakarta. More details started to emerge but still not enough to provoke the kind of response seen to the west. Twas ever thus. A lack of passion in Asia when it comes to Asian club football has been a chronic problem – some countries don’t even broadcast continental finals if their teams are not involved. New ideas then are always welcome but more information is going to be needed if there is to be any sense whether this one is any good.
What we know for sure is that, on March 30, the AFC announced that its executive committee had met in Qatar under the watchful eye of president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and that improving the standards of club competition on the continent had been on the agenda. At the moment, there are two major continental-wide club competitions: the AFC Champions League, open to around half of Asia’s member federations, and the AFC Cup, a second-tier tournament, more for developing nations.
“I am pleased to announce that we will set up the Elite Club Competition Task Force, which will be responsible for establishing the ways in which we can transform our elite club football into a more attractive stage to improve technical performance, drive commercial value and excite investors to elevate our club competitions to the next level,” Salman, who announced in May that he is seeking re-election to serve a third term, said. The AFC also said that this task force, which would look into transforming elite football, would be made up of representatives from the following federations: Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates. It soon emerged that these are likely to be the nations whose clubs would earn a straight ticket into a future Asian Super League. Iran are entitled to wonder what is going on.
Football Federation Australia boss