A-League clubs doing their bit for Asian football

 

Columnist

By Mike Tuckerman, 20 Mar 2009 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert

Tagged:

 A-League, Asian Champions League, football, Newcastle Jets, World Football

11 Have your say

Email

Depictions in some quarters painted Newcastle Jets as naïve after they were beaten by Beijing Guoan in their AFC Champions League opener last week. Indeed, coach Gary van Egmond admitted in the wake of that defeat that his team had been fooled by some of the play-acting on show from the Chinese side.

However, it was a different story on Tuesday night, as the Jets overcame Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai to put their Champions League campaign back on track.

New signing Sash Petrovski scored both goals in the 2-0 win, and he could be a real coup for a Jets side that continues to haemorrhage big-name players – with goalkeeper Ante Čović the latest to depart after inking a deal with Swedish club IF Elfsborg.

Yet Ulsan’s decision to send a second-string squad to Newcastle has caused considerable consternation.

My friend and Asian football expert Scott McIntyre has written a scathing piece over at The World Game website, suggesting that grounds exist for the AFC to punish Ulsan for bringing the Champions League into disrepute.

But as far as the Champions League is concerned – it’s a bit of a case damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Last weekend FC Seoul coach Şenol Günes rested a host of first-team regulars from his side to face K-League newcomers Gangwon FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium, with the Turkish tactician mindful of his team’s upcoming Champions League blockbuster against Gamba Osaka.

FC Seoul went down 2-1 to Gangwon in a thriller.

To rub salt into the wound, the club from the South Korean capital were thumped 4-2 by Gamba at the same venue just three days later – suggesting that Günes’ decision to rest key players for his team’s K-League match was of a waste of time.

But with South Korea’s Champions League combatants all struggling for victories on the domestic front, is it any wonder that Ulsan might choose to send a second-string squad given the amount of games they currently face?

Playing midweek fixtures in Australia either side of league games in South Korea is no easy task in anyone’s books.

Let’s not forget that the K-League kicked off as far back as 1983, and in the past Korean clubs could treat continental football as a meaningless distraction without anyone in the Asian football hierarchy giving two hoots.

Old habits die hard in this part of the world.

If the AFC want Asian clubs to prioritise the Champions League, then I hope they deliver a strongly-worded condemnation of Ulsan’s decision to send such a blatantly under-strength squad to Newcastle.

But the AFC might also consider the impact of asking sides to criss-cross the continent in a schedule that sees Korean and Japanese sides forced to play four games within fourteen days.

Meanwhile Australian clubs are afforded the luxury – if you can call it that – of kicking off their Champions League quest during the A-League off-season.

At any rate, Newcastle United deserve plaudits for their professional display in beating Ulsan, while the Central Coast Mariners should also be applauded for playing their part in a gripping contest with Chinese side Tianjin Teda.

Admittedly, the Mariners’ defending was awful at times – but so too was Tianjin Teda’s – and Lawrie McKinna’s team did well to hold on to a 2-2 draw on foreign soil.

It was a game that showcased the best of Asian football.

Played in front of more than 27,000 fans who provided a colourful backdrop at TEDA Football Stadium, both sides were evenly matched and prepared to duke it out in an old-fashioned slugfest.

The style of football on display might not have been the best advertisement for the A-League, but at least the Mariners are treating the Champions League with the respect that it deserves.

That’s more than can be said for some.

With heavyweight opponents in the form of Japanese clubs Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale looming, no one can accuse A-League clubs of not doing their bit for Asian football.

Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman