Jason Culina’s decision to sign with the Newcastle Jets bucked the trend of Australian players heading to Asia. Linked with a move to the J. League, the Socceroos midfielder chose to continue his career alongside father Branko at the Jets.
But with A-League players slowly warming to the delights of Asian football, Australian fans may need an attitude adjustment to truly appreciate their exploits.
For every fair-minded fan who applauds the merits of an A-League player moving to Asia, there’s usually another who criticises such players for not moving to Europe.
There seems to be a consensus that signing for clubs in the J. League or K-League is a soft option, despite the fact the two leagues are considered the best in Asia.
Japanese and South Korean sides have dished out a few thrashings to Australian clubs in the AFC Champions League, and off the pitch both leagues are capably run and well financed.
Then there’s the Chinese Super League, which doesn’t quite reach the same technical heights, but still offers Australian players the chance to earn a good living in a fully professional competition.
So why the outcry from certain quarters when a player like Dino Djulbic negotiates with Shaanxi Chaanba, and where were the similar complaints when he signed for a German second tier (soon to be third tier) club in Ahlen?
Part of the problem stems from the insistence that players are ‘only’ moving for the money, as if they can’t improve their game by playing in Asian leagues.
And it’s a shame some of us are still so quick to judge others for partaking in what should be considered an educational and often life-changing experience.
Rare is the traveller who doesn’t return with a broader perspective, so to suggest that moving overseas is only about money is to do a disservice to those players with a keen interest in the world – as I’m sure someone like Thomas Broich would attest.
It doesn’t help to consistently read media reports about “cashed up” clubs offering “lucrative contracts” in virtually every article about A-League players moving to Asia.
Shimizu S-Pulse might be one of the few community-based clubs in Japan without a major corporate backer, they may even have just sold their three Asian Cup players and drastically reduced their wage bill, but it didn’t stop Australian media reports from ludicrously labelling one of Japan’s most cash-strapped clubs as “cashed up” when Alex Brosque put pen to paper for the Shizuoka side.
Yet the players themselves don’t help their own cause if money genuinely is their only concern.
A well-informed source recently told me Brosque might struggle in the J. League because he was only there for the pay cheque and may be largely unaware of how much pressure he is under to fill the shoes of departed playmaker Jungo Fujimoto.
Shane Smeltz is another who turned his back on Asian football in record time, so perhaps it’s not only some fans, but also some players who need to shift their focus.
The more players who end up in Asia, the more positive our attitudes towards this fledgling football region will be, so I salute those with the courage to take a chance to try and make a name for themselves on the continent.
I hope Alex Brosque does well in Shimizu, just like I hope Dino Djulbic finds China to his liking and Steve Pantelidis excels in Indonesia.
And I hope those who feel that A-League players moving to Asian clubs is somehow beneath us change their mind, because after watching plenty of football throughout the vast region, I can assure them that such a move is very much a positive step.
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