AFC Champions League is football’s next big thing
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 14 May 2010 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Adelaide United, AFC Champions League, Jeonbuk, World Football
It was one of the most gripping games of football ever seen in Australia. Following 120 minutes of pulsating action, K-League side Jeonbuk Motors finally stood triumphant after substitute Lee Dong-Guk’s header broke 12,000 hearts inside a raucous Hindmarsh Stadium.
Those who ever doubted the drama of the AFC Champions League can step aside – Jeonbuk’s gripping 3-2 win over Adelaide United in an exhilarating Round of 16 encounter proved that Asian football has all the ingredients to keep fans glued to the edge of their seats.
It was a match that had everything: a partisan home crowd, some Brazilian magic, moments of shoddy defending and a couple of flying wingers who brought back memories of the attacking football of yore.
A-League clubs should be willing to break the bank to sign a player like Jeonbuk’s winger Choi Tae-Uk, after the former South Korean international thrilled the crowd with a mesmerising display full of penetrative runs and wonderful close control.
But it was Eninho who did the early damage to the Reds, scoring once with a skewed volley, before conjuring an altogether more convincing goal with a rasping drive from the edge of the penalty area.
Twice Adelaide returned fire – first through Robert Cornthwaite’s glancing header, then through Sergio van Dijk’s incredible stoppage-time equaliser, as the burly striker took advantage of a helter-skelter moment inside the Jeonbuk penalty area to score with virtually the last kick of normal time.
“The fans were fired up early, but sunk into a hole as the game appeared to slip away from the Reds late in the second half. But Hindmarsh exploded with that late equaliser,” Channel 9 sports reporter Andrew Montesi told me after witnessing all the drama.
That an exhausted Adelaide eventually fell to Lee’s precise far post header deep into the second half of extra-time is no great shame, the out-of-season Reds should hold their heads high for going the distance against a ferociously committed Jeonbuk side.
I expect that the reigning South Korean champions will be incredibly tough to beat from here on in, although Saudi sides Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal may just have something to say about that – not to mention the three other K-League sides who also advanced to the quarter-finals.
Some schoolboy defending aside, the quality of football on display at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday night mirrors that which we’ve seen in several Champions League games this season.
Adelaide raised their game to be competitive in this year’s tournament, and far from their Champions League exit marking an end to a disappointing campaign, it could be the precursor to an exciting A-League season ahead.
Some of the credit for Wednesday night’s enthralling clash must go to Qatari referee Abdulrahman Mohammed Hussein, who controlled the game with a minimum of fuss, letting the tempo flow and keeping a close eye on play-acting.
I hope Hussein’s excellent officiating did not go unnoticed by the AFC, whose referees have had a tendency to ignore play-acting and overlook unnecessarily physical challenges in certain Champions League games thus far.
I watched Atletico Madrid’s narrow 2-1 win over Fulham in the inaugural Europa League final the following morning, and while it too was an absorbing contest, I found myself far more involved in Adelaide’s travails against the tricky South Koreans.
Perhaps it was watching an Australian team go around that managed to reel me in emotionally, but like so many A-League fans who now find themselves watching less European football, I too find myself more interested in what is going on in the AFC Champions League than what is happening on the other side of the world.
We all know that it will take time to build a respectable Asian club tournament across such a sprawling, multicultural continent.
But if the sheer drama of Adelaide’s Round of 16 defeat is anything to go, I hope I’m not premature in suggesting that the AFC Champions League has the potential to be football’s “next big thing.”
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- Explore:
- Adelaide United, AFC Champions League, Jeonbuk, World Football
May 14th 2010 @ 2:45pm
John Hunt said | May 14th 2010 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
I was at the match and the atmosphere was great in the 90th minute I hugged about 20 different strangers
Though the match showed the gulf between us and them. Not enough class upfront and not enough pressure in defence cost them the match and that needs to be rectified across all A-League clubs before we become a force in Asia
May 14th 2010 @ 4:13pm
Hoolifan said | May 14th 2010 @ 4:13pm | Report comment
Funny way to promote a sport/concept by sticking it on Foxtel so only a fraction of the potential audience can view it.
If you are lucky 100k out of 22 million Australians saw the contest.
The AFC needs to be like FIFA and stipulate their events need to be on FTA tv.
Foxtel would only be paying a pittance more than a free to air would be paying, they just want to tie up the product.
May 14th 2010 @ 4:22pm
Mike Tuckerman said | May 14th 2010 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Firstly, Foxtel pay substantially more than “a pittance” to broadcast both the A-League and Asian football.
Secondly, which free-to-air network would even broadcast it? If you’re assuming SBS, I have my doubts. So who else?
In an ideal world we’d have FTA coverage, but someone has to buy the rights, and then they have to alter their regular schedule to broadcast it.
May 14th 2010 @ 5:05pm
Australian Football said | May 14th 2010 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
Mike,
I can’t agree SBS would be delighted to have some Australian content. ACL would be perfect—and it’s not as if it’s one every week—some Australian Football content needs to be on FTA TV—who better to promote ACL on a Multicultural Platform then SBS.
May 14th 2010 @ 6:52pm
Davidde Corran said | May 14th 2010 @ 6:52pm | Report comment
Mike is right.
For example the biggest threat to the A-League getting on FTA isn’t Foxtel. It’s the complete lack of interest or financial ability from those FTA stations that want them to purchase the rights.
To be clear, I am certain the team at The World Game would love to have ACL, A-League, etc on their programming but there is more to SBS then the football department.
May 14th 2010 @ 7:46pm
Australian Football said | May 14th 2010 @ 7:46pm | Report comment
Davidde,
To be perfectly clear I am only suggesting that the ACL should be on SBS nothing else. That would pacify those Football Purists who can’t afford Fox—that would be some Australian Football content at least to watch on FTA. We all understand that Fox are the only ones that have the dough to support the HAL. But the number of ACL games that feature Australian clubs Fox would not miss too much. SBS at the moment show “Football Asia” highlights, why not some ACL matches that feature only the Australian clubs.
May 15th 2010 @ 8:31am
Davidde Corran said | May 15th 2010 @ 8:31am | Report comment
Hi Australian Football, my post wasn’t really directed at anyone so I didn’t mean to give the impression I was trying to shoot you down. Far from it.
I agree with all the points you’ve made though I’m not sure whether the fact I have and continue to work for both Fox Sports and SBS makes me bias or objective!
May 17th 2010 @ 5:17pm
Australian Football said | May 17th 2010 @ 5:17pm | Report comment
No worries Davidde
May 14th 2010 @ 5:13pm
Cpaaa said | May 14th 2010 @ 5:13pm | Report comment
Credit to Fox and i applaud them for taking on football, but in saying so, the exclusivity they have on any Australian Football doesnt do the game any justice now or in the long term. Yes they paid 120m but not a single game on FTA has fans and future fans….short changed. As AF mentioned above i to rely totally on sbs for my football fix.
But these days are different, im totally fixed on our national competition. A-Team first and everything else second.
its just a long time between drinks on sbs regarding AUS -Football coverage and discussion. at most we get 20mins on sunday afternoons, and 5 mins at most during the working week with Foz.
SBS is the home of football (funding is the problem here i believe) but i have very little confidence in any other channel doing the game justice with what ever they try or do.
I hope that one day sbs, fox and FFA work out a plan, how to best share football on cable and fta. Cause right now there are no clear winners, and fans matter first.
May 14th 2010 @ 5:44pm
Australian Football said | May 14th 2010 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Cpaaa,
well put and I hope Ben Buckley or someone at the FFA reads the ROAR about the true Football Purists dissatisfaction currently going on with the Fox TV deal set up—if it’s only for those disadvantage kids and life long old Australian supporters like me and you Cpaaa ..
May 14th 2010 @ 5:34pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | May 14th 2010 @ 5:34pm | Report comment
It was a great game and I think Adelaide has done its reputation in the confederation no damage at all. I would have like to have seen Al Hilal wipe the floor with Bunyodkor however sadly it wasn’t shown. Luckily here we get a number of the games on the box and I managed to catch all of those shown, even if for three of them the team I was quietly backing was on the receiving end int he round of 16.
Interestingly the crowds at the games are approximately double of those 4 years ago (for the group stages). It’s not just Australia that is slowly waking up to the ACL.
I was talking with someone from the ASEAN Football Federation today and he commented how SE Asian sides really felt the sting of not being competitive enough in the ACL and outlined some initiatives they were adopting to rectify the situations. Couple that with the fact that Esteghlal managed to get 65,0000 people to a group stage game and one can feel that the ACL is really starting to gain some traction in the mindset of the footballing public across the entire breadth of the Confederation.
Good luck to Sydney and Melbourne next year. Remember, the fans make the ACL. Enjoy the ride.
May 14th 2010 @ 6:58pm
dasilva said | May 14th 2010 @ 6:58pm | Report comment
I was at hindmarsh stadium watching Adelaide united bravely fighting it out with Jeonbuk Motors
It was a great match with the game fluctuating throughout. I couldn’t believe that Dodd missed that chance in the first half that could have turned the game
However, Jeonbuk in the end got their deserved victory as Adelaide United were visually tiring in extra time.
Overall, I was proud of the efforts of the Adelaide team despite the defeat
I’m also one of the fans more interested in ACL then european competition.
After I came home, I put my alarm on to watch the Europa cup final
I woke up around 3:30 in hte morning. I thought stuff that, went back to sleep again.
May 14th 2010 @ 11:48pm
Midfielder said | May 14th 2010 @ 11:48pm | Report comment
They let you in Das …
May 14th 2010 @ 9:36pm
Sean said | May 14th 2010 @ 9:36pm | Report comment
I’m also much more interested in local football these days. I just don’t have any genuine connection to any overseas teams.
May 14th 2010 @ 11:48pm
Midfielder said | May 14th 2010 @ 11:48pm | Report comment
Fox took a risk no one else was prepared to do…Football still has four years to run out it’s Fox contract … me suspects if Fox want the next contract they will start doing something nice for football … well I can dream…
Mike I think you are spot on about the Asian Cup… in a strange way it is building each year and when it comes FTA it will be quite a strong product…
Rubgy Union went ahead way to early with their national competition it looked crap… had no momentum behind and was a massive mistake .. was released way to early .. ACL is similar
May 15th 2010 @ 8:57am
Cpaaa said | May 15th 2010 @ 8:57am | Report comment
Mike is it possible for you to break down the costs:
1/there are 28 clubs competing in the ACL in 7 groups, but Fox cant show all of them. So what is the deal, why couldnt SBS show non-Australian ACL matches ?
2/Engage with Asia by showing domestic Asian competition instead of European replays. Who are the Sydneys and Melbournes of Asia. Which are the derbies? Reading is one thing, but visuals is whats needed now.
May 15th 2010 @ 2:41pm
Realfootball said | May 15th 2010 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
There is considerable resistance within A-League clubs to the idea of the A-League on SBS, which they see as a definite step backwards in commercial terms. The clubs abound with stories of SBS hostility to the A-League – somewhat akin to the pique of a jilted lover. My perception is that they are right. SBS is biased against the A-League, and Fox gave the code not just a television avenue for every game, but market respectabliity. For this we all owe Fox a considerable debt of thanks.
Bluntly, the clubs would have to be dragged back to SBS kicking and screaming. It ain’t gonna happen. Nor is a ground breaking deal with the commercial FTAs. The commercial kickin just isn’t there.
The Adelaide game was fantastic entertainment. And I am certainly watching far less European football than previously. Yes, I have had to subscribe to Fox, and it hurt, but I’m learning to live with the pain.
I should also add that I think SBS is, in general, the best thing in Austrlalian television, and every time I tune in to some mesmerising documentary or brilliant, obscure foreign film, I thank my lucky stars we have SBS. It expresses the very best of Australian multiculturalism and provides a doorway to a very big world. More power to them. Its just I think that the A-League needs to be in the mainstream.
May 15th 2010 @ 3:04pm
Timmuh said | May 15th 2010 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
When roughly 65% of the population don’t even have access, can Fox be considered mainstream?
The A-League needs to win at least occasional viewing from people such as myself. My number one football code is Australian Football, but I do watch Association Football at times – hell, I’ve even watched the odd half or so of the W-League on the ABC – and will be having a few late nights and early mornings of June and July, not just for Australian games. I never see the A-League though, because I have no way to see it. A game a week on SBS or One, even a replay if Fox still get all matches live, would open it up to so many more people.
May 15th 2010 @ 4:45pm
Realfootball said | May 15th 2010 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
I meant “mainstream” strictly in a commercial sense, which Fox most certainly is. Foxtel is big business. SBS, equally certainly, is not. It is a state funded niche market broadcaster.
May 15th 2010 @ 4:48pm
Realfootball said | May 15th 2010 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
I agree that an FTA component is vitally important – one game per week or a highlights package. But not on SBS – on a commercial FTA network, in an accessible time slot. SBS has a very small audience share. Any FTA deal would need to reach out to a wider audience than SBS can deliver.
May 16th 2010 @ 12:59pm
albatross said | May 16th 2010 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
Subscription TV already has a bit more than 35% penetration into the Australian market. My understanding is that anyone who wants to subscribe can do so via Foxtel/Optus /Austar. I doubt if the cost is prohibitive really as the basic sub with sports is around $2 per day. That might be difficult for some people but my s-i-l who is on the rock and roll manages to afford it without skimping on food etc. Mind you she doesn’t drink or smoke.
The real issue I have with subscription is that you have to pay for channels you never watch – Foxtel etc should be made to offer per channel subs but I suppose that will never happen.
Fox should be congratulated for their efforts in covering every HAL and ACL game involving Australian clubs live and uninterrupted. This is a major logistical effort and they do it well. I can’t imagine any FTA outfit doing anything comparable.
May 17th 2010 @ 8:50pm
Timmuh said | May 17th 2010 @ 8:50pm | Report comment
Availability and take-up rates are quite different beasts. As of February this year, approximately 33% of households had some form of subscription television according to the relevant department. My understanding is that the growth has stalled somewhat. Without that figure growing substantially that is the maximum reach of being pay-TV only (in the household, obviously there is pub viewing, etc, as well but that won’t get new people watching the league).
http://www.dbcde.gov.au/television/pay_tv
May 17th 2010 @ 11:18am
Damiano said | May 17th 2010 @ 11:18am | Report comment
I don’t havev foxtel, but I’d still prefer not to see the A-League on SBS.
SBS have devoted so much energy towards its hostility to the A-League, I’m not sure the attitude would change should they become the broadcaster.
I have visions of SBS commentator bemoaning the quality of games during broadcasts ad naseum… hardly the way to build interest in the local competition.