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“To be honest, playing in Asia, is not all that enjoyable.” Those were the words Kevin Muscat used in 2010 after Melbourne Victory were eliminated from the Asian Champions League group stages following defeat to Beijing Guoan.
“People going down left, right and centre, stalling for time… I think it’s evident for people to see. Being involved in it and watching it I can understand why people don’t come to watch,” Muscat continued.
While he was talking about the competition’s playing style – not the long flights and the disrupted A-League season – it was a comment that epitomised many Australians’ attitude to the ACL.
The country’s foray into the ACL in 2007 initially sparked excitement among fans. More than 20,000 turned up to the SFS to witness Sydney FC grab a memorable 2-2 draw against Japan powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds.
Adelaide United then reached the final in 2008, where Gamba Osaka proved a class too far above.
But the competition has not been able to build on that, and capture the wider attention of fans. That partly falls down to negative views sprouted from mainstream media and A-League club personalities.
It’s not wonder the Asian Football Confederation downgraded our participants from three to two in 2013. Last year’s final between Guangzhou Evergrande and Seoul FC wasn’t even televised in Australia.
But now, we have hope again. Western Sydney Wanderers have brought a breath of fresh air to the ACL, and are the perfect example to other A-League clubs of how to approach the tournament.
They’ve embraced the competition and have brought back excitement levels that haven’t been seen since Adelaide’s charge in 2008.
The club may no longer have talismanic playmaker Shinji Ono, whose last act for the club was to steer them past Japanese league champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the round of 16, but they still have a tight group of quality players.
That group performed wonders on Wednesday night, seeing off Asian juggernauts Evergrande in a hard-fought and gritty 1-0 win at Pirtek Stadium.
The first leg of the Wanderer’s quarter-final was played in front of 17,000 fans, and the 60th minute goal from Antony Golec/Tommy Juric was enough to ensure a return leg in China is fiercely contested. And the injury time histrionics from Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi should not take anything away from the result.
You can bet the Wanderers’ players are relishing playing in China. Hear that Musky? A place in the semi-finals of Asia’s pinnacle competition beckons, and the whole of Australia should be brimming with anticipation.
But a lot of people won’t bother tuning in, even though the game will screen live at 10pm next Wednesday, August 27.
For whatever reason, the ACL still hasn’t piqued serious interest in this country. Articles fly around in print and online about how it compromises our clubs when they should be concentrating on winning trophies. We have to endure long flights, the gulfs in financial clout are too big.
Do we think we’re better than competing in the ACL? If so, then we’re not going to reach the lofty heights that many expect or want.
We’re so keen to use the AFC as a platform for success with the Socceroos, but we are quick to deride the confederation’s premier competition.
The ACL offers a better playing standard, passionate support (at times) and exposure to lucrative commercial opportunities. We should embrace that, not cast it aside because we hold an unwarranted high opinion of ourselves.
The two other qualifiers for the ACL this year, Central Coast and Melbourne Victory, were both rewarded for their lack of enthusiasm, prior and during the competition, with group stage exits.
And while Western Sydney were hosting one of the biggest clubs in Asia in front of 17,000 fans, Melbourne and Central Coast were in regional towns battling semi-professional sides in the FFA Cup.
That’s not a dig at the FFA Cup, or Bayswater City and South Coast Wolves. Not at all. The FFA Cup is another competition that is crucial to our development as a football nation, it’s just on the other side of the spectrum.
But what competition do you think Victory and Mariners’ players would have preferred to be involved in on Wednesday? You’d be a fool to say the FFA Cup, which would have been scheduled for another day.
The ACL to A-League clubs should be what the FFA Cup is to semi-professional sides – an opportunity for wider exposure, a platform to produce a giant killing and a chance to gain respect.
Because what WSW achieved was indeed a giant killing.
Evergrande are the ACL defending champions and currently sit top of the Chinese Super League. Led by the talents of World Cup-winning coach Lippi, they boast big-name talents such as Alberto Gilardino and Alessandro Diamanti and feature an astronomical wage bill.
It was a massive result for Tony Popovic’s men, and is exactly what the ACL is all about for A-League clubs and fans. It wasn’t a perfect performance, and there’s still work to do in the return leg, but it was full of grit and determination.
The players want success in the ACL, the manager wants it, the club wants it and the fans most certainly want it. This is how Australia should treat the Asian Champions League.
So why do we, as a whole, treat the ACL with a considerable amount of disdain? There could be an underlying issue unrelated to football, but that’s not for me to delve into it.
And while there is no one reason, I can’t help but think the attitudes of football personalities definitely has a lot to do with it.
Muscat has certainly improved in playing up the comp, but he still hasn’t done enough during his time in the dugout, highlighted by comments in March when his side were about to play Yokohama F. Marinos.
“It makes life so much harder,” he said.
“That’s just a fact. More times than most you’re having to travel. But it’s exciting, I think we should embrace it.”
If there was ever a more inauthentic plug made in history, then I haven’t heard it. Muscat called for Australia to embrace the ACL, but preceded that with a whine about how much of a pain in the arse it was.
Why the excuses? Is it a contingency plan in case of failure? Or is Kevin Muscat still an ACL detractor? Leave out the negatives and focus on the positives, then maybe the comp can grown among the fans.
Noises coming out of the third ACL qualifier for 2014, the Central Coast Mariners, were also a concern.
Englishman owner Mike Charlesworth exasperated the negativity surrounding the ACL when he made some disparaging comments while asking the FFA for financial assistance to compete in this year’s ACL.
“We don’t get any support from the FFA, though we have asked for it, and I feel that we are representing Australia,” Charlesworth said.
“We are victims of our own success. We qualify year-in year-out and keep losing money. I feel the AFC and FFA need to have a long hard look at the financial model.”
Victims? C’mon, Mike. Even if there are concerns about the financial model, then airing dirty laundry, which further derides the competition, is hardly beneficial. Hardly the message we want to send the AFC after they reinstated our three-team involvement. Keep it in-house with the FFA.
And people can argue that if the FFA want this partnership with the AFC to grow then they have to step in and assist financially. But if clubs approach the ACL correctly, then they will see it has the scope to provide financial benefits.
Money can be made from the tournament, and that should be seen as an incentive to do well, not a chore. The Mariners were top of Group F when they hosted Seoul FC in Gosford in April, days after Charlesworth’s comments.
A meager crowd showed up and the Mariners went on to lose the match and were subsequently eliminated from the group stages on goal difference.
Charlesworth’s comment that “there’s a general lack of interest” in the ACL was hardly going to convince fans to part with their hard earned. How much did his quip influence fans shunning Bluetongue Stadium that night?
If he doesn’t value the competition, then why should they? The Mariners were complaining about the cost of flights, yet a group match win of $44,000 and a subsidy from the AFC of $35,000 should cover those costs.
The Mariners have also been involved in four ACL campaigns, yet failed to acquire an AFC-specific sponsorship deal this year, something the Wanderers achieved at their first attempt. That sounds like poor business acumen to me, and a lost opportunity.
If crowds are so bad, then market the competition better, instead of wailing about how much of a drain it is. That’s hardly going to stir up fan support, is it?
We are in the Asian Football Confederation now, and we have to therefore embrace everything about it. Our acceptance was seen as a game-changer, a chance for a new era.
But we can’t take the benefits of the Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup through Asia and then ignore the region’s premier competition. It’s disrespectful and arrogant. We need to show we appreciate and respect being part of the AFC.
Australia is not the powerhouse football nation in Asia. We have to deal with that. We’re the new kid on the block and so we have to gently ease our way into a position of power. Until then, scheduling will stay the same. That’s how it is, and how it’s going to be for quite some time. It’s not ideal, but it’s manageable.
This is the biggest and most respected tournament we can compete in, and qualification should be seen as a reward rather than a distraction. If Australian clubs perform well in Asia, against the odds, then the fans will follow. As will the sponsors, scouts and investors.
It could also pave the way for our locally-based players to secure lucrative contracts in Asia, and expose them to a higher level of football.
So stand up Western Sydney Wanderers, from the players, fans, coaches and up to the board members. You deserve a standing ovation. Thank you for your efforts and your commitment.
Hopefully a lot more eyes than the 17,000 at Pirtek Stadium are glued to the telly next week, and hopefully come September the Wanderers are facing off against either Pohang Steelers or Seoul FC in the ACL semi-final.
Wednesday, August 27, 10pm. Set your alarms and cheer on our boys from the couch as they look to conquer Asia. This tournament is bigger than many give it credit.
Follow Janek on Twitter @JanekSpeight
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