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Why it was vital for China to qualify for the Asian Cup

20th March, 2014
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Australian goal keeper Mark Schwarzer is congratulated by teammates after saving a penalty by China’s Shao Jiayi. AP Photo/Greg Baker
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20th March, 2014
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One of the heroes of next year’s Asian Cup won’t even play in the tournament. Thailand may have failed to qualify, but Australian officials might wish to erect a statue of Adisak Kraisorn anyway.

Until the 23-year-old Kraisorn intervened on the final day of qualifying, it looked like one of the tournament’s biggest drawcards would be spending the 2015 AFC Asian Cup polishing their boots at home.

Then the Buriram United striker came off the bench to score his first international goal in a competitive fixture, in a 5-2 defeat to Lebanon.

The goal meant China – not Lebanon – claimed one of the final qualification places, courtesy of possessing a superior goal difference by just one goal.

That’s despite the fact China, desperate to avoid defeat in its final qualifier away to Iraq, was thumped 3-1 in the neutral confines of Sharjah.

As far as qualifying campaigns go, it was another disaster from a Chinese team which finished miles behind Group C winners Saudi Arabia and was pipped to second place by a battle-hardened Iraq.

So why should Australians care about the best third-place finisher scraping into the Asian Cup via a goal difference of minus one?

In a word: revenue.

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The relief from Asian Cup officials was palpable, with a press release nailing down exactly why Australian officials are so enthused to welcome new coach Alain Perrin’s team to the continental showdown.

“China’s appearance Down Under is of special significance, given its huge TV audience and its strong economic and cultural links with Australia,” it said.

Those economic and cultural links extend to the record numbers of Chinese tourists pouring into the country each year, at least some of whom might reasonably be expected to attend the Asian Cup.

And with patchy ticket sales likely to be an issue, local organisers could ill-afford to see one of the better-supported teams miss out.

“Of the 2.5 million Australians of Asian heritage, Chinese make up by far the biggest single group with more than 900,000 residents,” said the New South Wales Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Victor Dominello.

That’s an important statistic to note in a week in which just over 6,000 fans turned out in Melbourne for the visit of one of Japan’s biggest clubs, while under 10,000 showed up the following evening in Parramatta for another sparsely-attended AFC Champions League fixture.

Asian football has so far failed to capture the attention of the Australian public, so the Asian Cup is a litmus test for the theory that Australian sports fans will turn out for any major international event.

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Even if Chinese fans turn out en masse, there’s little chance they’ll hang around beyond the group stage, given the team’s recent poor form.

Spanish coach Jose Antonio Camacho was shown the door after a shocking 5-1 friendly defeat to Thailand in June 2013 – despite reports of being on a salary of almost $9 million a year.

Camacho was supposed to oversee a long-term restructuring of Chinese football, but a succession of abysmal results – including a humiliating 8-0 loss to a youthful Brazil – means it’s back to square one.

Frenchman Perrin has been brought in at a substantially cheaper rate, but already there are rumblings that the Ligue 1-winning coach is purely a stop-gap appointment.

But no matter how China performs, they’ll still be watched by plenty of fans back home.

The final of a thrilling 2004 Asian Cup was one of the most-watched events in Chinese television history, and with a favourable time difference and a booming middle-class curious to get a glimpse of Australia, there’ll be plenty of eyeballs on what’s transpiring Down Under.

Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the Sydney Opera House, with the tournament’s main draw set to take place on March 26.

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Perrin will hope to improve his side’s fortunes before the big kick-off, but for organisers, the most crucial aspect is that China is in the mix.

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