Football fans must support the Asian Champions League

Diving is rife in rugby league these days but the fans are still being convinced of its existence. Every weekend I'm pointing out diving incidents to fellow league fans (you can like both) hoping they'll recognise the prevalence of this 'evil scourge'. Anyway, I think there's an algorithm that measures prevalence of diving alongside potential financial gain for an individual or team. The more money floating around in sports like league and AFL the more likely someone is to dive. Unfortunately the quaint old notion that diving is un-Australian will soon be obsolete - kind of a measure of our 'progress'.

should play an ACL game up here in Darwin.

Biggest issue facing the tournament is previous boss Mohammed Bin Hamman selling the media rights till 2020. The tournament has the potential to be the most prestigious football tournament on the Asian continent just like the UCL is for europe. Present AFC boss President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in an interview on SBS expressed his frustration, that he was powerless to help clubs . He noted that the ACL had exploded in interest, yet with media rights locked up for another five years could do nothing. He did intimate at the end of the interview a new media partner would be sought when rights would come up for negotiation.

But of course it's very 'Australian' and manly in the AFL to line an opponent up when he's focussing on the ball and run full pelt into his face with your hip and shoulder when you weigh 120kg. Well played AFL, well played. Bring back the biff.

Gentlemen, the other codes see the future and the future is not in there grasp, the future is Asia. Football has the future, and no matter how they spin and try to hype up the oval ball games. You can bet the other codes are sweating with fear as the A league teams are becoming more competitive and more professional in Asia. Each ACL game is has an audience of 1.3M viewers. Each game not overall. Now if I were in someone in Marketing of a company who would I be looking at sponsoring?

Although this conversation has been steered way off topic, I thought it might be an appropriate forum to raise the major issue I feel is holding rugby union back from engaging mainstream Australia - professional fouls. I don't know how many union games I have watched which have been determined by flagrant and repeated professional and cynical fouls by the players (aaah, Richie McCaw - how I love to loathe you). The game just seems to be determined in large part by deliberate cheating - either cheating and getting away with it, or cheating and getting caught. It is un-Australian (although I guess the kiwis are just getting their own back - I am looking at you Ian and Trevor Chappell - the underam ball in the 81 cricket test was truly the nadir of Australian sporting conduct). To be fair, union administrators have tried to adjust the rules to get this out of the game - but unfortunately it just seems to be part of the fabric of the game and will never be eradicated. Perhaps I could give the AFL a go but to be honest, the recent lenient treatment of systemic and apparently widespread doping in the sport has left me with the unsettling feeling that doping (aka cheating) is part and parcel of the Australian Football League. Talk about unAustralian.

I think the lack of media exposure creates a vacuum. FTA TV would help.(I know, dugghh) How many people know Melbourne Victory are playing in Korea tonight. Or the Wanderers are at home to some Chinese outfit that just happen to be reigning champions.These games are tucked away. Hidden from view..There's no Aussies v China thing going on. All that. I realise the above comments are 'chicken and egg'. If people don't go to games then the media will not report on it. I will watch both games ,streamed live on my computer. Love it. I wish we had small boutique grounds for these matches.It would enhance the experience..

It's funny you pick up on the "fair go" line. I suppose it is a "fair go" for us to compete at the Olympics having pumped millions of dollars into our sporting programs, more than the GDP of a lot of the countries participating even. That to me isn't a "fair go" but I don't see too many Australian sports fans complaining about it. Was going to pick apart some of your arguments - love the "not as widely spread line" :lol: but essentially it seems what you are saying is that a lot of blokes you talk to say they don't like diving. You then pick on one example from 8 years ago and despite the suggestion from you that it happens all the time seem unable or unwilling to talk about any other examples. This suggests that, undoubtedly like the people you talk to who agree with you, you don't actually watch a lot. This is not news to us. What people fail to realise is that there is a difference between attracting illegal contact and falling over (I wonder just how many critics have ever copped a kick to the shins - something that just doesn't happen in other codes) and the diving. To me there is no difference between that and every man and his dog in the AFL ducking into tackles to win a free. And when there has been no contact, it is penalised. What's the problem?

"If I am in the MVFC marketing department, when I’m talking to potential sponsors for the ACL, I will be selling the opportunity to have brand exposure to 30 million people (x2) for the matches against Chinese opponents. That’s 10 times the TV audience that would see my brand when they’re watching AFL Grand Final, or NRL SoO." I cant believe that we aren't using this as one of our major selling points. In fact how did the Mariners struggle to find a sponsor for the ACL tournament. In the end they found a sponsor which ended up being a Tibetan water company, WTF. I am not having a go at the Mariners here, but how come Aussie companies are not seizing this opportunity is beyond me. If you want to get a foothold into Asia then why wouldn't you become a sponsor of one of the Aussie teams in the ACL. Next stop is the AFC tournament, the most populous continent in the world is going to be looking at Australia for a month when this tournament is on. I have no idea how much the cumulative audience is over 4 weeks but I would think it would easily add up to over a billion people. That is over 1 billion people looking at your product being advertised. It doesn't take a genius to work out that this is the biggest sporting event to hit our shores since the 2000 Olympics. Who gives a crap about NRL, AFL, SoO viewing audiences, they are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Hi Guys, I'm a German living in Australia - simply, I think one of the big issues is how soccer is administrated in this country it does not support growth of the code like in Europe but there is a big difference in money, draft and culture. I have read the comments of Soccer is un Australian and others arguing stupidly about soccer and AFL. You are all right but can't see through your passion. I love soccer, but I will admit that there is a problem with diving and penalties that at times can upset a game, I do think every country has different playing styles and cultures that is highlighted by watching different games around the globe something that isn't a possibility in AFL. I will say that I think the culture as mentioned is "Australia" of "fair go" is true not only in sporting but business. I have seen it introducing system into Australia to streamline work processes and have come across this "fiar go" attitude so, yes part of Australian culture it is, maybe it is a point for soccer in this country, who knows or who really cares just get on with life and enjoy your own codes.

Ian, who has the rose coloured glasses on? Seriously, the point in question that you still danced around was wether Italy in a World Cup decider "acted to get a penalty" did it cause a major controversy at the time? Yes, I'm 45 years old and remember it well. It wasn't only in Australia as you claim but was talked in Germany, UK etc so to say that it is Australians "whinging" I think is unfounded, again there is plenty of literature on it in as well in other languages. Personally, myself and my colleagues have no issue and your "physc" of whinging because we loose is totally flawed. Like I have flagged, I'm not a soccer guru like you gentlemen up here, but I find this issue of "acting to get a penalty" a detractor for me with soccer as a potential follower of the code. I concede the name I chose was controversial but it was to high light a cultural ethos of "fair go" in Australia, nothing more and taken in the context that I have written - to highlight a nations ethos it identifies with. Culture is not racial, or having a culture is rather how a society identifies itself with customs, social attitudes etc. I have never stated in any post that it happens all through the game but said it is prolific and I have seen it in every game I have watched, if not a few times, to me that is wrong. Regardless of frequency wether once or twice a game, it's still can ruin a game. My brother inlaw admits it's a problem but concedes it is part of the game...... Sorry, I don't get it. Again soccer I believe has great potential in Australia, I think this issue as I've mentioned before to be a stumbling block, where if it were addressed, it could swamp Australia - it's the "fair go" factor that mar it in Australia. Mate, by the way I applaud any country that beats us fair and square, I'm not a bad sport and certainly my friends and I are not in the whinging category that you raised. I've more important things to concern myself about. I in fact only thought to drop a line from an outsider to give some feedback that is quite commonly thought in Australia in circles I run in executive corporate and social scenes I run. AFL is uniquely Australian game albeit it is not as widely spread globally as soccer not even close but it is a home grown game I enjoy to follow. Again, this is not a peeing contest and the codes are so remarkably different to the other they are poles apart and it is impossible to compare them. You may note from the start that you have all overlooked is that I stated my only beef was that "acting to get penalties" culture inherit in the game, whether it happens three time or more a game to me it spoils it. I trust that I have clarified my point - secondly still no one has even admitted a problem that I raised? Oh Ian, per head per capita we are actually don't to bad at Olympics (state the obvious global competition) all been considered, we once dominated the swimming or that doesn't count? Cheers

Hope you can make it this week! Big game.

I'm a WSW member and bought the three game ticket for WSW games. Went to the first game but had to miss the second because of football training that night and the start of the season being close. I wonder if that is a common problem for week nights? Kids, parents etc having training commitments?

Skips are dirty pink monkeys

yes you made a good observation, outright elitist and partly racism in aus still there is

You responding to an error I made posting. take a chill pill. Ahhh I now see I underestimated your lack of knowledge. The 2006 World Cup - wow that's a stretch. Anyone who knows anything nows Lucas Neil made the mistake and cost us the game. You don't fall over in the penalty box in front of an attacker. You forget that Italy had a player sent off and Australia was a man up for most of the 2nd half and we couldn't score. Your cries are that 'we wuz robbed' There is another part of Australian sporting culture that you forgot - its the whinging mentality that when we lose we must have been cheated. Its impossible for Australia to lose fair and square to anyone. In true fashion any damage from Italy beating Australia 8 years ago is due to other parts of the Australian psyche. If there was any damage. The fact you think there was indicates you believe Australia was robbed of the world cup. When other countries actually play a sport its hard to be the number one country at it. And you might not know there was a time when Australia became very insular in a sporting sense and we focussed on sports that are played by a handful of countries or with AFL, no one else. Anything with a decent global representation we generally aren't that good, apart from special exceptions like winning the Tour De France, a Golf Major. Your whole response is the the entire game of soccer is 'acting for penalties'. There are occasions when this happens, it doesn't happen for the entire game as you suggested. Acting for penalties happens in all games, I have watched league for 25 years, plenty of AFL and union and cricket. All these games that originated in England. Cheating exists in all sports - the point you ignored from Mitch above. Time to throw away the rose coloured glasses and the 'unaustralian' line. By the way - the A-League attendance is closing in on rugby league - I love how because the attendance is less than AFL that equals 'no one goes to soccer in this country'.

to the person not even using a name....................umm...AFL does have trouble filling all their stadiums. do you think I haven't watched AFL in all my years? How old are you by the way? not sure say in brisbane if the Brisbane Roar are supposed to fill Suncorp Stadium when the Broncos don't fill it and the Lions don't go anywhere near filling the Gabba or Suns Metricon? You serious? AFL is only a sport dominant in half of one country. Guess that shows it doesn't have enough good qualities for any other country to care about it. AFL isn't the biggest game for half the population of Australia. You make your above rants then claim you aren't creating a divide. Get real Mr MultiCultural 2014.

All I can say is WOW! Look at your response..............you call yourself 'soccer is unaustralian' Quote of the year - 'i don't know if the guys responding live in Australia' you Sir are everything that is wrong with the AFL attitude. I'm embarrassed that you are probably an Anglo Saxon Australian like me. You live in your own world, write a incorrect obsessive diatribe and still claim you know what being Australian is. People like you cannot be 'argued' with or 'debated'. These 'guys that responded' must not live in Australia because they question your comments. In return you question if they know what being an Australian is all about. look at your blog name, you hide behind a phrase saying soccer isn't Australian, and of course you don't see cheating in your favourite sport because you don't want to. You should get into politics with your use of 'Australian' You didn't use any facts - you quoted some youtube post and said every soccer player cheats. All those millions of Australians involved with soccer every week that apparently endorse this rampant cheating and players diving every minute of the game. Wow.

Come on Ian, be sporting you had the intestinal fortitude to personally attack me and not comment on the point of my post highlighting a known "challenge" of "acting for penalties" that spoils soccer, nor your thoughts on the World Cup where Italy won by this very "acting for penalties!. Please, try and focus on answering that on point...... A) "acting for penalties" and b) Italy defeat of Australia in World Cup and wether that may have damaged the game in Australia due to this "acting for penalties".......... Ahhhh not personal but educated response to those two points, mate.

Ian ..... In Australia AFL has no problem filling their stadiums unlike soccer, so your statement is worthless. Again this was never meant to be an us or them argument, that you have personally successfully turned into. Really, I at least have no problem saying that any sportsman playing the top of their league deserves respect regarding skill, time and commitment. Regardless, soccer, cricket, AFL, Union or league. I salute them especially if they do it fairly and are good role models and ambassadors for their code and kids.