Football Blog Daily

Greek Super League play-offs promise further drama

2011-05-09T16:24:00.000+10:00

This past weekend, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Greek domestic football was perfectly surmised over two hours in the nation's capital.

Last Saturday saw the meeting of two sides who between them boast over 150 years of rich and colourful history, with Atromitos' presence in the Greek Cup final a testament to the often overlooked, rich tapestry of clubs outside of the traditional 'big three'. The match itself was hardly a classic but had all the makings of one before kick-off, with powerhouses AEK Athens desperate to end a nine-year trophy drought and Atromitos searching for a first taste of major silverware in their 88-year existence.

There was to be no fairytale for the side that only narrowly avoided relegation in this season's Super League, as AEK darling Nikos Lyberopoulos added a belated trophy to his previously empty cabinet. A universally popular figure and wonderful servant of Greek football throughout his long career, he headed home the opening - albeit offside - goal before being named man-of-the-match.

However, the charm of the occasion was overshadowed by the moronic behaviour of a minority of the AEK fan base, who invaded the pitch before full-time, causing the match to finish earlier than scheduled. Attacking members of the Atromitos VIP section, which contained the friends and relatives of the opposing players, their behaviour is all the more bizarre given it was a day of celebration for their club.

The Greek government has suspended funding for Greek domestic football as punishment, though three of those arrested after the riots have been handed suspended sentences.

True football fans will be thankful that the focus this weekend returns to the pitch after the embarrassing scenes on Saturday, as the Greek Super League enters its play-off phase. Four teams will be taking part in the mini-tournament, playing each other twice as they fight for Greece's second allocated UEFA Champions League spot.

Competing teams Panathinaikos, PAOK, AEK and this season's surprise packet Olympiakos Volou, will be desperate to finish top and secure a place in the Champions League third qualifying round. Given the cash windfall associated with group stage participation at European football's top table and the well-documented financial struggles of clubs like AEK, these matches take on added importance.

Of course, the team that finishes first is by no means assured a place in the Champions League proper given they only enter at the qualifying stage, but the mere chance will encourage the respective boardrooms of those clubs to invest in their squads.

On a purely financial level, AEK for instance could be forced into a fire-sale of their best players this summer as they attempt to service some of their debts. However, the prospect of Champions League football might change the situation and entice the likes of coveted Argentine star Nacho Scocco and Greek prodigy Kostas Manolas to stick with the club for at least another season.

Panathinaikos, meanwhile, won't want to see the hard work of the past two seasons - during which they ended bitter rivals Olympiakos' domestic dominance - thrown away. With the latter already assured of entry into the group stages of the Champions League next season, the green side of Athens will be desperate to do the same after a season in which they were well off the pace in the league and on the continent.

After missing out on a place in the group stages of this season's Champions League in heartbreaking fashion against Ajax, PAOK will be keen to banish the disappointment of a Greek Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of AEK by earning themselves another shot at the big time. The notorious Toumba Stadium will be the venue for their home matches and was the setting for ugly scenes in that aforementioned match with AEK, when PAOK's fans invaded the pitch at the end of the game after their side were sent crashing out on aggregate.

Those scenes were perhaps as bad as those witnessed in the recent Greek Cup final, though they attracted less media attention outside of Greece because of the grandeur of the occasion this past weekend. A pitiful one-match stadium ban was handed out to the club despite fans bypassing stadium security and attacking the AEK players, which sets a dangerous precedent for the play-offs.

One can't fault the majority of PAOK fans for their fanaticism and it has been the bane of many a visitor both local and foreign in the past, giving the northerners an edge that their opponents simply can't boast.

Olympiakos Volou are the lesser-known of the four sides competing and have been the surprise package of the Super League this season. Their chairman Achilleas Beos is a controversial character, recently at the centre of a corruption scandal whereby he was accused of influencing Greek referees. The charges have since been dropped as they were not lodged within a month of the date on which Beos' actions allegedly took place.

It would be an incredible story notwithstanding if Volou were to qualify for the Champions League play-offs given their relative lack of reputation and the fact that they were playing in Greece's second tier last season.

However, these play-offs are always a test in quality of depth for the sides that take part and, in that regard, one cannot look past Panathinaikos as the clear favourites. Despite never looking convincing in their failed title defence, they were nonetheless the only side who had the tools to meaningfully challenge Olympiakos and have enough match-winners to get the points needed to finish top.

They, in fact, start with three points as a result of their second-place finish in the league, with AEK on one and PAOK and Volou on none. Already the latter are on the back foot but as Atromitos showed before they were dispatched by AEK in the cup final, this season has been anything but predictable in Greece, both on and off the pitch.

The A-League's ACL farce

2011-04-16T12:59:00.001+10:00

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After three Asian Champions League matchdays, the two competing A-League clubs have amassed a combined total of three points.

Last night two-time champions Sydney FC faced off against a Kashima Antlers side still recovering from the recent natural disasters that hit Japan. Kashima were arguably the J-League club hit hardest by the earthquake, their stadium suffering considerable damage and their squad force to disband, with foreign players returning to their home countries.

It was only last week that Kashima returned to competitive action the J-League temporarily stopped as a result of the disasters. The Antlers managed a respectable 1-1 draw away against the in-form Suwon Bluewings. Brazilian manager Oswaldo de Oliveira also admitted after the Sydney match that his players’ minds were with fellow countrymen back home in Japan, rather than totally on the game itself.

That they still managed to dismantle one of Australian football’s flagship clubs is an indicator that something is not quite right with A-League sides in Asia. Melbourne Victory – the only other club along with Sydney to have won two A-League titles – have been just as ineffective as their local rivals, nailed to the bottom of Group E with just one point.

These are two teams who played out an exhilarating A-League grand final and boasted some of the country’s most exciting local talents, as well as its best imports. Yet that was over a year ago and the teams and clubs have changed considerably since then.

Sydney FC have endured one of their worst seasons since the inception of the A-League after losing the spine of the team that did the Premiership/Championship double; goalkeeper Clint Bolton, defender Simon Colosimo and strikers Alex Brosque and John Aloisi have all moved on. Though they qualified for the finals series this season, Melbourne parted company with foundation manager Ernie Merrick during their Champions League campaign, marking the start of a personnel overhaul on and off the pitch.

Neither side has had any momentum to carry into the ACL this season. While K-League clubs are relatively fresh given their season has only just started and clubs from West Asia are in full flight with their competitions in the final straight, the playing field is anything but level for Australian sides.

"Though they qualified for the finals series this season, Melbourne parted company with foundation manager Ernie Merrick during their Champions League campaign, marking the start of a personnel overhaul on and off the pitch."

Of course, there’s no doubt Japanese teams this season have had to deal with difficulties of a totally different nature. Kashima are to be commended for an outstanding performance under the circumstances and they again highlighted the gulf in class between their own competition and the A-League.

It is frustrating however that a more accurate yardstick can’t be used for domestic football in Australia; an out-of-sorts Sydney and Melbourne are hardly an indicator of the league’s potential.

Whist there’s no guarantee that this season’s A-League grand finalists the Brisbane Roar and the Central Coast Mariners would fare any better in Asia, at least they would provide a fair representation of Australian football. To put things into perspective, even Adelaide United and Gold Coast United – who finished third and fourth respectively this season – would be in a far stronger position to compete in the ACL than Sydney and Melbourne.

Yes, the current J-League and K-League representatives need to contend with running a domestic campaign at the same time as competing on the continent – Australian clubs have the luxury of focusing solely on the Champions League during their off-season – but they also have the luxury of being able to retain their star players from season-to-season as they don’t have the restrictions of a salary cap.

Given their comparative lack of freedom when it comes to player wages, A-League clubs face a constant struggle to hold onto even their local, raw talent, which makes a 13-month delay before competing in Asia a lifetime. During such a period, player turnover is significant and can make all the difference, as has been the case with Sydney.

While technical and tactical shortcomings of Australian teams shouldn’t be excused, the current situation in which they compete is farcical.

It’s up to Football Federation Australia and the Asian Football Confederation to find a solution.

Perhaps the best way to address the problem is to pick a season in which the champion from the campaign before last simply doesn’t compete. For example, if we were to do that this season, Sydney and Melbourne would have their place taken by Brisbane and Central Coast, thus re-aligning the A-League with the Champions League calendar.

Whichever club suffers that fate will rightly feel hard done by but given their disastrous campaigns so far, Sydney and Melbourne might have appreciated a break this time around.

Iran gambling on Queiroz

2011-04-16T12:58:00.000+10:00

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Nearly man, bridesmaid, perennial number two, sidekick – any number of terms that could be used to describe newly-appointed Iran manager Caros Queiroz.

Then there’s tactical genius, unsung hero and pioneer, for those who choose to focus on the two most notable accomplishments in his career: unearthing Portugal’s recent golden generation of talent – including the likes of Rui Costa and Luis Figo – and helping Six Alex Ferguson cement Manchester United’s position as the dominant force of the modern English game.

Queiroz’s coaching career reads like a profile of Jekyll and Hyde, oscillating between tangible, major success in the form of domestic and continental glory with United and the disappointment of a short and ultimately disastrous spell with Real Madrid.

The general rule has been that Mozambique-born 58-year-old’s career highs have occurred whilst an assistant rather than a head coach (his time in charge of Sporting Lisbon during the mid 90s was also unsuccessful).

He made headlines recently when overturning a six-month touchline ban handed down to him after the-then Portugal manager made “sexually descriptive” comments about an anti-doping official's mother in May of 2010, whilst preparing for the World Cup in South Africa.

Such indiscretions won’t go unnoticed in a football-mad country, where scrutiny will be constant.

If Queiroz is unsure as to the passion of the fans he’ll have to win over, he need only take a look at the figures for Iran’s most popular sports show 90 yesterday evening, where almost 1.5 million viewers texted their thoughts on the new national team boss.

Of those that voted, 80 per cent expect Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant to guide Team Melli to the 2014 World Cup.

Scepticism might have met his decision to pull out of talks with the Iranian Football Federation earlier this year – for what Queiroz claimed were personal and family reasons – but the reaction to his appointment has been favourable.

IRAN'S KEY MEN

Javad Nekounam will
be at the heart of
the Iranian midfield
and has over 100
caps to his name. Queiroz will likely
need to build a team
around the cool,
experienced head of
the Osasuna man.

Masoud Shojaei is
a little younger than
Nekounam at 26 years of age but is just as
important, perhaps for that very reason.
Also based in Europe,
alongside Nekounam at Osasuna.

Mehdi Rahmati is
considered one of the
best goalkeepers on
the continent and has
been in outstanding
form for Iran despite
their recent struggles.
His saves could be crucial early on for
Queiroz.

For a country with a football history as proud and long as Iran’s, missing out on the 2010 World Cup is a mistake that simply cannot be repeated again and the minimum expectation for Queiroz will be to guide the team to Brazil.

However, questions not only remain about how suited he is to operating as a head coach but also about what he will be able to do with a country where talent has dried up since Germany 2006.

“The problems right now are a lack of talent, ageing national team, lack of strength at youth level and a lack of competitive friendlies, while other problems are rooted deeper in the system at an early age for players,” says Babak Golriz of Iran Sports Press.

“I certainly don't believe we are the force we once were. The talent has dried up and the mental strength of the new generation is suspect.”

The skills and methods Queiroz applied to unearth the aforementioned golden generation for Portugal in the early 1990's will certainly be put to the test in West Asia.

He’ll need to get the best out of the likes of 21- year-old prodigy Karim Ansarifard but also keep an eye on a cluster of key veterans, none more so than Javad Nekounam, who is 30 but remains the heartbeat of the Iranian side.

How Queiroz balances these needs will be crucial, as will be how he deals with elements of a press who have vested interests in alternative, local candidates for the job of Iran manager.

Any early failures will be pounced upon by such individuals and Queiroz would do well to get off to a good start despite his relative inexperience in Asia, a considerable challenge given Iran are a shadow of the continental powerhouse they once were.

Gone is the swagger from their football that used to inspire fear in the east Asian pillars of Japan and South Korea, two teams who have extended the gap between themselves and their West Asian equivalent.

Far from inheriting a side that is widely expected to guarantee itself a place in Brazil, Queiroz must revive a team whose fortunes revolve around two or three key players at most.

Of the current squad, only goalkeeper Mehdi Rahmati and Osasuna duo Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei can really be considered top class and when you consider the later two are the only Iranians plying their trade in Europe, the scale of the task becomes apparent.

“I believe a proper dossier on how to develop Iranian football is needed,” Golriz continues. “I can't see Queiroz being that influential in terms of legacy.”

In truth, he has neither the time nor the resources to be thinking in terms of legacy.

Timeline of the Indonesian football crisis

2011-04-06T20:09:00.001+10:00

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October 21, 2003: Nurdin Halid is elected chairman of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), despite having a travel ban because of his alleged involvement in a major graft case. He takes over a national team and a domestic scene in crisis.

July 16, 2004: Halid is held as a suspect in the smuggling of illegally imported sugar. Detained on suspicion of corruption in the distribution of cooking oil and sentenced to two years in prison. Runs the PSSI from behind bars.

August 17, 2006: Released from prison after getting remission from government that coincides with Indonesia's Independence day.

April 20, 2007: Halid re-elected president for a second four-year term.

December 10, 2009: Indonesia fail to reach the semi-finals of the SEA Games in Laos, losing 3-1 to Myanmar. The fans call for Nurdin Halid to resign.

January 6, 2010: Indonesia fail to win a single match in their group Asian Cup qualifying group. A fan by the name of Hendri Mulyadi invades the pitch during the 2-1 loss to Oman and makes headlines, using the action to protest against Halid.

January 26, 2010: Indonesian president Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono (pictured right) holds a private meeting with his ministers to discuss the state of Indonesian football.

February 5, 2010: Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng announces that Indonesia will hold a National Football Congress (KSN).

March 21, 2010: Former footballers, national sportsmen, businessmen and the media all hold a discussion on how to reform Indonesian football before the KSN.

March 30-31, 2010: The KSN produces the "Malang Recommendation" which outlines important elements for reform of football:

PSSI to reform and restructure on the basis of proposals, suggestions, criticisms and expectations of society
PSSI to improve communication, co-ordination and synchronisation with all stakeholders, especially the Central Sports Committee (KONI) and the government.
Development of youth football through a special handling approach based on science and technology, involving a team of doctors, psychologists, scouts and sports experts, as well as the need to quickly set a national standard curriculum for organising football schools.
Government provides a budget to support and sustain the achievement of targets and objectives
Formulate and implement development programs that work towards the national team becoming champions at the 2011 SEA Games

July 11, 2010: The 2010 World Cup comes to an end but the PSSI have done nothing as a result of the KSN. President Yudhoyono is hoping for improvements and winning the Asia Cup or becoming champions of south-east Asia is considered a must.

Dec 29, 2010: Indonesia fail to win the AFF Cup. Despite beating Malaysia in the group stage and the second leg of the final, Indonesia lose 4-2 on aggregate. They have not won the Asian Cup since 1996 and thousands of fans chant "Nurdin turun, Nurdin turun!" ("Nurdin resign!") in front of the man himself at the second leg of the AFF Cup final.

Dec 30, 2010: Three Indonesian Super League clubs - Persema Malang, PSM Makassar and Persibo Bojonegoro - defect to the newly established break-away Indonesian Premier League.

January 4, 2011: National team star Irfan Bachdim decides to move to the LPI (Indonesian Premier League) despite intimidation from the PSSI and possible sanctions.

January 6, 2011: Nurdin Halid fails to make the AFC Executive Committee.

January 8, 2011: The LPI is launched and a capacity crowd of 20,000 fans came to see the first match between Solo FC and Persema.

March 29, 2011: PSSI congress descends into farce as FIFA observer Frank van Hattum is refused entry amidst scenes of unrest, with the congress cancelled.

April 4, 2011: FIFA confirms the PSSI's powers have been revoked and the world game's governing body installs a Normalisation Committee to run the game during a crisis period. Halid is banned from running again to be president of the football association.

Heavy spending failing to bring Saudi Arabian clubs success

2011-04-06T20:06:00.000+10:00

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It’s been six years since a Saudi Arabian club laid its hands on an Asian Champions League trophy.

Back in 2004, Al-Ittihad beat Seongnam Ilhwa 6-3 in an astonishing two-legged final before successfully defending their crown the following season against Emirate club Al-Ain.

In the subsequent five editions of the tournament the trophy has gone to East Asia but that isn’t for a lack of trying by the Saudi clubs, some of whom have made continental success a priority over domestic.

For the likes of Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, league and cup success is fairly regular, assured by the fact that expenditure per season can reach over €15,000,000.

Though this sort of figure is the exception to the rule in the Saudi Pro League, where only the top five clubs are able to draw upon sponsorship, television rights and the backing from powerful individuals described by Goal.com Saudi Arabia chief Mohammed Al Jalal as “honoured members”, it nonetheless is a significant one.

Al-Nassr for instance spent €3.5 million on Romania international Ovidiu Petre, while Al-Shabab spent €2 million on Brazilian defender Marcelo Tavares, two players who have had key roles in their recent Champions League campaigns.

When compared to the increasingly exorbitant fees paid by European clubs in modern football for player transfers, a couple of million euros might not seem a risky investment.

Within the context of Asian football however it is a large sum of money to spend on one player and contracts offered to foreign coaches often eclipse the money spent on players.

The thirst for success in the competition is understandable given the opportunity now afforded by winning the Champions League, a competition that has a rising profile beyond the borders of Asia and one which affords the victor a place at the FIFA Club World Cup.

For supporters and administrators of a club like Al Hilal, the prospect of facing Inter in front of a global audience as Seongnam Ilhwa did last season is a tantalising one.

Yet in the pursuit of such goals, youth development often falls by the wayside with relatively large amounts of money thrown at mercenaries – or at least they seem to be, given the constant exchange of managerial personell at club level – in an attempt to garner immediate success.

The lack of focus on actually producing players rather than trying to lure ready-made professionals to the club seems to be hurting not only the clubs themselves in the long-term but also the Saudi national team, which failed to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before failing spectacularly at the Asian Cup earlier this year.

Though the administrators who run Saudi clubs are far more professional than those in charge of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, the fortunes of the country’s domestic and international football are entwined.

In fact, the ability for club sides to sign big name coaches where the Saudi federation has been unable to has led to club coaches interfering with the national team in the past, creating friction and disruption.

As it stands, five of the eight groups in the Asian Champions League are led by either South Korean or Saudi Arabian clubs after two match-days.

Though they have made a bright start and will likely have a big part to play when the knockout stages eventually begin, one wonders what another failure on the continent will mean for Saudi clubs.

Reform perhaps? A realisation that the cash-heavy, stop-gap solutions that prevail in their part of the football world is merely a placebo?

To their detriment and the detriment of the national team, the answer is most probably no.

Australian football facing a number of challenges five years on from Germany 2006

2011-04-06T20:05:00.002+10:00

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Germany is a nation that will forever be inextricably linked to Australian football.

To most Germans of course, Australia is probably a nation of little significance given the illustrious history of their own clubs and national team.

Yet Germany has played a central role in two of Australia’s landmark football achievements: the first being their maiden World Cup campaign in West Germany in 1974, and the second being their reappearance at the tournament in 2006, ending a 32-year absence from football’s showpiece event.

While the Socceroos of 1974 were pioneers, giving a respectable account of themselves at the tournament itself, the 2006 generation arguably had a more tangible impact on the game in Australia.

Frank Lowy | Much has changed during the reign of the FFA supremo

The likes of Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer and Lucas Neill re-introduced their country to the football world, for whom Germany and not West Germany is their first point of reference for Australian football.

In Australia, a football-skeptical public and media similarly were stunned by the achievements of Guus Hiddink’s side and the game received a huge public relations boost as a result of qualification for and the performance at the tournament. Suddenly the Socceroos had become a brand worth millions.

The game’s governing body too had undergone a facelift, with Frank Lowy – a billionaire with ties to the NSL and a period of the game’s history branded ‘old soccer’ - taking over and Football Federation Australia established in the lead-up to that famous qualifying tie with Uruguay.

It appeared at the time as though Australian football could do no wrong, reaping the benefits of administrative reform and the perfectly timed success of the Socceroos.

Just under five years have past and now the national team returns to Germany to face off against die Mannschaft in a friendly in Monchengladbach, with much change having occurred in Australian football since then.

Socceroos

The spine of the 2006 squad hasn’t quite been broken but certainly re-aligned in the wake of the retirements of Mark Viduka, Craig Moore and Scott Chipperfield. Marco Bresciano and Vince Grella too are no longer regulars.

Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill are the players from that campaign who have since formed the core of the side.

The Socceroos embarrassed themselves in their first Asian Cup in 2007, knocked out at the quarter-final stage after the team exuded a conspicuous arrogance in the lead-up to the competition.

Under Pim Verbeek they then cruised through the Asian qualifying zone to reach the 2010 World Cup, though were humbled by none other than Germany 4-0 in their opening group game, setting the tone for an ultimately disappointing campaign in which they failed to get out of their group.

The 2011 Asian Cup saw the team’s reputation restored somewhat within Asia, the tone of the players diplomatic and the performance of the side superb as they reached the final, where they fell to Japan.

Australia’s next generation of internationals are only just beginning to emerge for both club and country, with the facilitation of their development ahead of Brazil 2014 the biggest challenge.

Football Federation Australia

The FFA has undergone considerable change since the departure of CEO John O’Neill in 2006, a man who was instrumental in raising the profile of football.

Ben Buckley (pictured) was the man chosen to succeed O’Neill and is not a universally popular figure, having notably failed in the bid to bring the 2022 World Cup to these shores.

Buckley remains in power, though there have been a number of personnel changes within key positions at FFA offices during his tenure.

From being an organisation that turned whatever it touched into gold before and immediately after the 2006 World Cup, failures such as the 2022 bid and the struggles of the fledgling A-League has seen the governing body come under increasing scrutiny from fans, media and even politicians.

A-League

The sixth season of Australia’s premier competition has now ended, with average attendances having steadily fallen since peaking during 2007-2008.

Financially clubs have struggled to break even - and two have been dissolved - often living beyond their means despite the existence of a salary cap that has largely prevented the league from being able to attract big-name overseas stars, aside from isolated instances.

The FFA has had to assume ownership of certain A-League clubs, largely due to a lack of interest in investing in institutions that are a sure way to lose rather than make money.

Germany 2006 unfortunately did little for the competition, perhaps due to the fact that the general public acknowledge the Socceroos and the A-League are separate entities: fans of the Socceroos aren’t necessarily followers of the A-League.

Struggling on a number of fronts, the national competition is the foundation upon which the future of Australian football simply must be built and is the greatest cause for concern for administrators of the game.

Indian football facing a number of problems

2011-04-06T20:01:00.001+10:00

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When India take on Pakistan in Mohali in five days time, the subcontinent will come to a stand-still as a place in the Cricket World Cup Final goes on the line.

The importance of the match won’t be lost on the players, who know that this is a rivalry steeped in the social and political relations of the two nations, channelled fiercely through bat and ball.

Only hardcore football fans though would have known that 24 hours before Yuvraj Singh inspired India to a historic victory over defending champions Australia in Motera, India and Pakistan met in Petaling Jaya.

Goal posts and 18-yard boxes took the place of stumps and a batting crease, as the Indians under English manager Bob Houghton secured their place at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup with a 3-1 win.

Indian football fans anticipated the match as much as their cricket equivalents no doubt did the always-entertaining meeting between their country and Australia on the cricket pitch.

Yet 3-1 win wasn’t broadcast live and your average Indian would have been more informed about the over-by-over score in the quarter-final meeting between Pakistan and the West Indies than the mere existence of a football match involving their own country.

Cricket’s place as India’s number one sport is conspicuous and the talk over the next couple of days will be of Singh’s memorable half-century and the legendary Ricky Ponting’s career-defining century in his final World Cup match.

Barely a newspaper column was given to the India-Pakistan football meeting and according to Goal.com India’s Rahul Bali, the situation would have been much the same even if the World Cup hadn’t been on at the same time.

Describing football in the country as a sport that isn’t well broadcasted or marketed – save for European football, which contrastingly attracts great attention – one wonders just why the game hasn’t been embraced, given its long and rich history.

In the 1850s the first recorded football match in India took place between the Calcutta Club of Civilians and the Gentlemen of Barrackpore, while the Calcutta Football Club was formed in 1872; just 15 years after Sheffield Football Club, which is recognized by the English FA and FIFA as the world’s first Association Football club.

This history and the game’s golden period during the 50s seems to have acted as a double-edged sword: evidence of the potential for the game in India but also a former glory that the game has for too long tried to live off.

Currently the game is run by the All India Football Federation, an organization made up of elected officials from across the country, many of whom lack the requisite knowledge or initiative to take football forward.

"The AIFF has an Executive Committee... most of these individuals have been around for long and haven't been brought in anything valuable on the table either in terms of ideas or anything tangible... Praful Patel [pictured], the president, has done relatively better... and focused on developing infrastructure."

“The AIFF has an Executive Committee... most of these individuals have been around for long and haven't brought in anything valuable on table either in terms of ideas or anything tangible,” Bali says.

“They are just in there thanks to some elections which are merely a con job.

“Praful Patel, the president, has done relatively better... and has focussed on developing infrastructure.

“Kushal Das, the general secretary, has been recently appointed and is still understanding the basics of the game.

“[As for] the Executive Committee members, except for a couple of them, most are useless.”

It’s a damning assessment of the administration of the game but Bali isn’t only critical of his own country’s association.

The Vision Asia project which is one of the hallmarks of Mohamed Bin Hammam’s reign as Asian Football Confederation president is also criticized, Bali describing the program as one of the “biggest flops of [Mohamed] Bin Hammam’s tenure.”

One of the main problems plaguing football in India is the presence of short-sighted individuals running the game who aren’t receptive to change and are attached to their positions, lacking basic technical understanding of football. Within such a framework and given a lack of meaningful funding, Vision Asia has failed to have a tangible impact.

Rank unprofessionalism is a constant source of frustration for those who want to see football develop in the country, though the faith shown in national team boss Bob Houghton has been a rare positive over the past few years.

A somewhat controversial figure who divides opinion with his managerial style, Houghton has nonetheless held his post for five years, guiding India to three tournament victories and securing qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup.

Yet it is at club level that the key issues need to be tackled, with youth development programmes only existing on paper and the AIFF failing to seize initiative and outline a clearly defined mission.

The AFC’s half-hearted attempts to start up developmental programs are only short-term solutions, with the game’s lack of marketability meaning such initiatives only last for a year or two before collapsing due to a lack of investment from clubs who are only just getting by financially.

It is a stark contrast to the multi-billion dollar brand that is the Indian Premier League, aptly named given the popularity of its English football equivalent in the country.

Cricket’s lofty standards of marketing and financial power set a high standard for football, though the game owes it to itself to be something more given its origins.

The day that the name Bhaichung Bhutia resonates as much as that of Sachin Tendulkar is some way away, however.

All the angles on Bin Hammam's FIFA presidency campaign

2011-03-18T17:17:00.002+11:00

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With less than 24 hours to go until what could be a historic announcement at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Mohamed Bin Hammam is playing his cards very close to his chest.

So much so that not even the AFC president's personal press officer knows whether he’ll be announcing plans to run against FIFA president Sepp Blatter this year. A source close to both the game’s organising body and Bin Hammam himself has told Goal.com that the 61 year-old will notify his press officer only half-an-hour before his announcement is made so that a release may be prepared.

Bin Hammam will make a decision that will define his career in football administration.

If he announces that he’ll immediately challenge Blatter for FIFA’s top job, the implications for the game’s 208 member associations will be far-reaching both in the immediate and long-term future.

Goal.com takes a looks at the key factors and political machinations affecting any potential Bin Hammam campaign.

Why He'll Challenge Now

Warner Support: CONCACAF president Jack Warner controls the Central American and Carribean Zone of his confederation, which equates to 32 of the 35 votes that will be cast in the FIFA presidential race. This is the region where any potential battle between Blatter and Bin Hammam will be won and lost and if the latter decides to run this year, it’s a sign that he’s been given assurances by Warner of CONCACAF’S support. Warner has strong ties with Blatter but Bin Hammam might capitalise on the region’s lack of World Cup places and offer them a full extra berth in order to sway the associations.

"CONCACAF president Jack Warner controls the Central American and Carribean Zone of his confederation, which equates to 32 of the 35 votes that will be cast in the FIFA presidential race. This is the region where any potential battle between Blatter and Bin Hammam will be won and lost."

European Backlash: Certain western European nations, England most notably, are ready to back a challenger to Blatter and will throw their support behind Bin Hammam if he runs now. This is largely a backlash for the recent World Cup bid results and if Blatter can secure CONCACAF, he’ll need only a handful of UEFA votes in order to gain the edge during his campaign.

Frosty Relations: Bin Hammam’s support for Blatter was crucial to his winning the 1998 FIFA elections, during which time he was able to secure the use of the emir of Qatar’s personal jet to take his campaign through Africa. Said to be a continent that would throw its support behind Blatter’s opponent, Lennart Johansson, Blatter’s travels turned the election on its head and secured him victory.

However, the relationship between the two men turned frosty in 2009, when Bin Hammam was the subject of a coup within his own confederation to remove him from the FIFA Executive Committee. The Qatari expected Blatter to lend his support when he arrived for the AFC Conference that year but it was not forthcoming, the president remaining politically neutral. The divide between the two individuals was made clear in the aftermath.

Royal Support: Bin Hammam won’t operate without the support of the emir of Qatar. Previously he had been instructed to keep quiet on the issue of the FIFA presidency as his home country fought for World Cup hosting rights and he largely did so. Now that Qatar have won, it has allowed Bin Hammam room to manoeuvre, knowing that it won’t jeopardise their chances of hosting the 2022 tournament.

Why He Won't

Michel Platini: “Platini would not be receptive to the idea of Bin Hammam challenging Blatter,” says a Goal.com source. Platini’s close relationship with Blatter has its origins in the 1998 World Cup in France and for that reason the UEFA president won’t challenge now, despite his aspirations to replace him. If Bin Hammam on the other hand challenges and is successful, it would likely give him eight years in office, by which time it may be too late for Platini to nominate himself. Blatter’s retirement in four years' time would be the perfect opportunity for Platini to run, and for that reason he will garner UEFA support to keep Blatter in power until then.

“Platini would not be
receptive to the idea
of Bin Hammam
challenging Blatter.”

Problems At Home: Aside from the fact that Bin Hammam will have to sway the opinions of those in CONCACAF and Africa, he’ll also face opposition from within his own confederation. Opinion is definitely divided on him, with the East Asians in particular bitter about the lack of representation on the AFC’s Executive Committee. They are unlikely to want to see his power grow.

Blatter Entrenched: Sepp Blatter’s power is characterised by a support base that spreads itself throughout the world, particularly in developing nations. Largely through the work of his Goal project – of which Bin Hammam is an important part – he has provided a great deal of funding for national associations who won’t quickly forget his generosity.

Is He The Right Man?

Authoritarian: The manner of Bin Hammam’s leadership style at AFC House is particularly pronounced. Staff are often treated like “schoolchildren”, with Hammam running his confederation and office “like a factory”. His style has its critics and the strict rules with which he runs his current office will come as a culture shock to FIFA’s 300+ employees. Staff who work at AFC House are reportedly unable to enter the office if they are more than 15 minutes late for work, while holiday periods are always set at the end of August and December. The Qatari’s approach simply must change if he is to run FIFA, where employees won’t appreciate been told when to go on vacation.

A Lesser Of Two Evils: As a result of the lack of transparency with which his organisation is run, Sepp Blatter’s reputation has taken a beating over the years, coming to a head with the controversy surrounding the recent World Cup bid process. The popular perception is that any change would be positive at the top, though Bin Hammam’s own methods are questionable. After retaining his seat on the FIFA Ex. Co. he rejected calls for an inquiry into the election process and results, deeming it a closed case.

Moderniser: There’s no doubt that Bin Hammam has changed the face of Asian football, elevating it to a level of professionalism and financial strength previously unseen. This is reflected in his creation of the Asian Champions League, inclusion of Australia in the AFC and establishment of the Vision Asian project. He transformed a confederation which had become something of a laughing stock into a potential future powerbase of the football world after his takeover from Ahmad Shah in 2002. We could expect similarly pioneering work with FIFA, an organisation that has been criticised in the past for an inability to embrace modern needs of the game.

Is now the right time for Bin Hammam to challenge Blatter?

2011-03-17T00:34:00.001+11:00

Link:

Mohamed Bin Hammam appears to have all the makings of a president: knowledge of the inner workings of his political system, charisma, charm and a willingness to promote fundamental change.

If he announces on Friday at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur that he will challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency later this year, these qualities will undergo their greatest acid test.

After largely remaining coy on the subject of succeeding Blatter, Hammam has now given his strongest indication that he will finally run against the Swiss supremo, who has held his position for 13 years.

The 61-year-old Qatari has meanwhile been on the FIFA Executive Committee for the past 15 years, working his way through the administrative ranks of football and sport within his country.

His impact on Asian football has been unquestionable: he has brought an air of professionalism to the region with a view to turning it into a financial and organisational force capable of surpassing football’s traditional power-base of Europe.

Hammam’s reform of the Asian Champions League is but one example of his long-term strategy, alongside developmental projects such as Vision Asia, backing up his rhetoric about Asia transforming into football’s new centre of power over the next two decades.

Yet despite improving the economic strength of his confederation, Hammam has his critics and is a somewhat divisive figure in Asia.

Calls for a change from Blatter’s dominance at the top of FIFA are a perhaps a little ironic given the uncouth manner of Hammam’s recent battle with Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim al-Khalifah for the spot as West Asia’s FIFA Executive Committee member, and the fact that the former Al-Rayyan chief has held Asian football’s top job for a not inconsiderable eight-year spell.

All Smiles | Hammam's charm and England's backlash could be a potent mix

However, now would appear an opportune time in many respects for Hammam to challenge, after reportedly attempting to persuade the likes of Michel Platini (who is expected to run in 2015) to dethrone Blatter.

The current FIFA President’s reputation and credibility suffered a huge blow following the voting scandal during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process, while the English Football Association are set to back any credible candidate as backlash for their defeat.

Though they represent only one member FIFA association of 208, it might just be that the FA’s disillusionment with the operations of the governing body is a sentiment shared by others.

Having said that, Hamam doesn’t command universal support from within even his own confederation, so one wonders what chance he would have running against a candidate as entrenched as Blatter.

Indeed, his pathway to succeeding the man he once so staunchly supported appeared for quite some time to be smooth: wait for Blatter to retire.

BIN HAMMAM AT A GLANCE

- FIFA Executive Committee member
since 1996
- AFC President since 2002
- Responsible for reforming a number of
aspects of the game in Asia
- Divides opinion within his own
confederation
- Recently had to fight for his seat on the
FIFA Executive
- Made his millions through various
business ventures during 70s and 80s
- Worked his way up the football and
sporting administrative ranks in Qatar

Yet the latter’s decision to prolong his tenure as president and thus renege on a personal agreement to step aside after two terms appears to have been the tipping point for Bin Hammam.

Another crucial moment and factor in the Qatari’s impending decision to run against Blatter now is Qatar’s recent World Cup bid victory.

Cynics will argue that the victory for Hammam’s home country was a compromise between the two powerbrokers, whereby Blatter would be allowed to continue unopposed.

Another plausible viewpoint might be that the Middle Eastern triumph symbols a shift in the balance of power within the corridors of FIFA headquarters and world football; Hammam may indeed have been convinced that support for a rank Asian underdog in Qatar will translate to momentum for his own campaign against a traditionalist.

His role in Qatar’s bid victory is also a sign of his influence on the executive and his ability to garner support where logically it might not otherwise exist.

Certainly Hammam will need to be confident of his ability to engage not only with Europe – where the links with Asia as a current and future market for television, merchandise and expansion is conspicuous – but also with the likes of the African and American confederations, to whom the benefits of a first Asian president might not seem as tangible.

It’s here where the Qatari will face his biggest challenge and again one can reference his lack of universal support within Asia as a stumbling block; as the cliche goes, it would be beneficial for Bin Hammam to first have his own house in order.

Having said that, Blatter would have anything but total support from within Europe; furthermore, judging by the comments of CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer and given the unpredictability of the hugely influential Jack Warner, the same goes for the Americas.

This one could go down to the wire.

Asian Champions League Team Profiles (Part 2)

2011-03-14T15:11:00.000+11:00

Nick Carle will be Sydney's go-to man in the 2011 ACL.

Link:

GROUP E

Gamba Osaka

Key Player: Takashi Usami. This prodigious young talent will look to shake things up on the continent with his dribbling ability and has already attracted the attention of overseas suitors.

Manager: Akira Nishino. Has been manager of Gamba since 2002 and during his reign has won the Asian Champions League, Emperor’s Cup, J-League Cup and J-League.

Basics: A recent former winner of the competition, they are recognized as one of Japan’s most aesthetically pleasing sides. Set to embark on a new era with a relatively young squad.

Tianjin Teda

Key Player: Li Weifeng. An enigmatic figure who has made over 100 appearances for the Chinese national team, his defensive skills are varied and the centre-back’s performances will be crucial to Tianjin’s chances.

Manager: Arie Haan. Former Ajax and Netherlands legend, his managerial career has brought him to China, where he has suffered relegation with Chongqing Lifan but also been in charge of the national team.

Basics: Did superbly well to finish second in the Chinese Super League last season, the performance of their local stars will be important on the continent this season.

Jeju United

Key Player: Kim Eun-Jung. The Jeju captain is hugely experienced and will lead the line for the K-League runners-up.

Manager: Park Kyung-Hoon. Former manager of South Korea’s youth outfits, he was a decorated player who played in two World Cups for his country.

Basics: Did well to finish second last season and have only ever won one K-League title, all the way back in 1989. Will be pleased to simply be participating in this competition.

Melbourne Victory

Key Player: Carlos Hernandez. The Costa Rican midfielder is one of the best players in Australia at the moment and on his day, is virtually impossible to contain. Watch out for his long-range strikes in particular.

Manager: Ernie Merrick. Has been at the club since its inception and brought two A-League titles, though he has failed to impress leading them through Asia, where they have struggled.

Basics: Perhaps a lack of mobility afflicts them most on the continent, they certainly aren’t the same clinical side that has made such an impact in the short history of the A-League. Coming off the back of a slightly disappointing A-League campaign.

GROUP F

Hangzhou Greentown

Key Player: Du Wei. The China international endured a nightmare loan spell with Scottish giants Celtic but has since returned to his home country and rebuilt his reputation with Hangzhou, where he has been extremely influential.

Manager: Wu Jingui. Spent almost a decade at Shanghai Shenhua, leading them to a first league title in eight years back in 2003. Was also assistant to Dutch legend Arie Haan when he was in charge of the Chinese national team.

Basics: Arguably the weakest of the Chinese candidates in this year’s Asian Champions League, they finished fourth in the Super League last season and have been drawn in a tough-looking group alongside the Korean and Japanese champions.

FC Seoul

Key Player: Mauricio Molina. A big off-season buy, Molina inspired Seongnam to Asian Champions League glory last season and the Colombian has the talent to do the same with an already strong squad in Seoul.

Manager: Hwangbo Kwan. Has spent his entire coaching career with Japanese club Oita Trinita until this point.

Basics: Completed their first ever league and cup double last season and will have big expectations in the ACL, where quality-laden squad has a real chance to shine.

Nick Carle will be Sydney's go-to
man in the 2011 ACL.

Al-Ain

Key Player: Valentin Badea. The much-travelled Romanian striker has plenty of experience at the age of 28 years-old and it will be crucial against the big guns in Group F.

Manager: Alexandre Gallo. Has been in charge of some big clubs back home in Brazil and has been assistant to none other than former Real Madrid boss Vanderlei Luxemburgo in the past.

Basics: Beat Indonesian side Sriwijaya in a one-legged play-off to qualify for the group stages after finishing third in the UAE last season, they are one of their country’s biggest and most successful clubs.

Nagoya Grampus

Key Player: Tulio Tanaka. The combative centre-back missed Japan’s Asian Cup triumph but is one of the continent’s best players and offers a great deal to his side in defence and attack.

Manager: Dragan Stojkovic. A legend as a player with Yugoslavia, he made over 150 appearances for Nagoya and managed the club to its first ever J-League triumph last season.

Basics: A newly arrived power on the continent, they’ve got plenty of momentum after their historic title victory but don’t have a great deal of experience at this level.

GROUP G

Cerezo Osaka

Key Player: Ryuji Bando. Veteran striker and Japan international, he’s scored goals wherever he has gone and he’ll have to have his shooting boots on if Cerezo are to make an impact in the ACL.

Manager: Levir Cupli. In his second stint in charge of Cerezo, the Brazilian has set about winning promotion and then continental qualification with the club.

Basics: Only recently returned to Japan’s top-flight, they are the lesser-known of Japan’s Asian Champions League challengers.

Shandong Luneng

Key Player: Han Peng. Scored the goals that helped the club to the Chinese Super League title last season, has international experience and a big frame that will make life uncomfortable for defenders.

Manager: Branko Ivanković. Has had an immediate impact at Shandong, guiding the club to a title in his first season. Has been in charge of the Iranian national team in the past.

Basics: The Chinese champions have a strong squad and know how to win trophies, which should stand them in good stead for the tournament.

Jeonbuk

Key Player: Eninho. The Brazilian midfielder is a two-time member of the K-League Team of the Year and has an excellent goal-scoring record.

Manager: Choi Kang-Hee. Has done an outstanding job at the club since joining in 2005, guiding Jeonbuk to its maiden K-League title in 2009.

Basics: Knocked out of this competition at the quarter-final stage last time around, finished third in the defence of their crown last season domestically. Have come to the fore in recent years in Korea.

Arema FC

Key Player: Noh Alam Shah. Captain of the side and striker, the Singapore international has been with the club since 2009.

Manager: Miroslav Janu. The 51 year-old Czech manager is now in his second spell in charge of the club and has been an assistant manager and youth coach with native giants Slavia Prague in the past.

Basics: Relative unknowns and minnows of the competition, they are nonetheless Indonesian champions and will be hoping for a respectable performance.

GROUP H

Sydney FC

Key Player: Nick Carle. The Australia international is his side’s playmaker. A big-name signing this season, he failed to hit top form in the A-League and will want to do so now that he’s given the chance in Asia.

Manager: Vitezslav Lavicka. In his first season with the club led them to the A-League title but in his second season failed to secure a finals spot. His future rests on this ACL campaign.

Basics: A team lacking in confidence after a disastrous defence of their league title, they don’t seem to have the individual quality either to challenge the bigger sides in the competition.

Kashima Antlers

Key Player: Masahiko Inoha. Versatile defender who can also slot into midfield, he made his international debut at the 2011 Asian Cup and impressed for his country.

Manager: Oswaldo de Oliveira. The 50 year-old Brazilian has overseen one of the most successful periods in the club’s history since taking over as manager in 2007, winning five trophies (including three league titles) since then.

Basics: Perhaps the most successful J-League club of the past decade, they finished a disappointing fourth last season but will be expected to go far in the Champions League nonetheless.

Shanghai Shenhua


Oliveira has led Kashima to three J-League title victories.

Key Player: Duvier Riascos. Prolific striker from Colombia who has had his loan with Shanghai Shenhua extended by parent club Estudiantes de Mérida.

Manager: Xi Zhikang.

Basics: Their squad contains an interesting mix of foreign and local talent but much will depend on whether Riascos fires in front of goal.

Suwon Bluewings

Key Player: Jung Sung-Ryong. All eyes will be on South Korea’s goalkeeper after his high-profile move to the club, after winning the Asian Champions League with previous employers Seongnam Ilhwa.

Manager: Yoon Sung-Hyo. The former player won the FA Cup with the club in his debut season but will need to improve on their poor league finish.

Basics: One of the strongest sides in the competition on paper, they’ve got international quality and only just lost out to Seongnam in the quarter-finals of the ACL last season.

Asian Champions League Team Profiles (Part 1)

2011-03-14T15:10:00.001+11:00

Younis Mahmoud will be looking for goals.

Link:

GROUP A

Al-Hilal

Key Player: Yasser Al-Qahtani. Known as ‘The Sniper’, this prolific striker will spearhead Al Hilal’s attack and is lethal both in the air and anywhere near the six yard box.

Manager: Gabriel Calderon. Former Argentina international with experience in the region after spells in charge of the Saudi national team, Oman and Al Ittihad, whom he lead to a Saudi Premier League triumph in 2008.

Basics: One of Asia’s biggest and most decorated clubs, they are the reigning champions of Saudi Arabia and came within touching distance of winning the Champions League last season. Boast some big names in their roster and will expect to go all the way this time.

Al-Gharafa

Key Player: Younis Mahmoud. The Iraq captain is one of Asian football’s most recognisable faces and led his country to a historic triumph at the 2007 Asian Cup. Top-scored in Qatar last season.

Manager: Caio Junior. The journeyman Brazilian manager led the club to the league title last season and has been at the helm of the side since 2009.

Basics: Made it into the knockout stages of the tournament last season where they were beaten over two legs by Al-Hilal, they nonetheless gave the Saudis a real fright and the presence of Mahmoud and former Lyon captain Juninho mean they’re a team not to be taken lightly.

Al-Jazira

Key Player: Ricardo Oliveira. You can’t look past the pedigree of the Brazil international, who has played for AC Milan, Real Zaragoza and Real Betis and cost the Emirate outfit €14 million.

Manager: Abel Braga. Hugely experienced Brazilian manager who is enjoying his first stint in Asia with Al-Jazira and is set to win the club their first ever UAE Pro League title this season.

Basics: Don’t have the pedigree of some of the other teams in this year’s competition but are a product of the ridiculous sums of money being pumped into football in the Middle East. Boast some decent foreign talent and finished runners-up in the UAE last season.

Sepahan

Key Player: Ibrahima Toure. The Ivorian striker’s goals were crucial as his club lifted only their second ever league title last season and he’ll carry their goal-scoring burden in the Champions League.

Manager: Amir Ghalenoei. Former Iran international who has won three league titles in Iran during his coaching career, the last coming with Sepahan.

Younis Mahmoud will
be looking for goals.

Basics: Reigning champions in Iran, they have enjoyed most of their success in recent years but don’t have the reputation of the likes of Esteghlal and Persepolis.

GROUP B

Esteghlal

Key Player: Farhad Majidi. The experienced striker was in excellent form both domestically and on the continent last season and will look to recapture it again in 2011. Will captain the side.

Manager: Parviz Mazloomi. Has enjoyed successful if short reigns at whichever club he has generally joined, though a club the size of Esteghlal represents his biggest test yet.

Basics: Command a huge following and are two-time champions of Asia, a club of Esteghlal’s pedigree should by rights be challenging consistently for continental glory and will have high hopes of progressing farther than they did in the ACL last time out.

Al-Nassr

Key Player: Bader Al-Mutwa. The Kuwait international is highly thought of in his homeland and is a recent signing for Al-Nassr. He'll be hoping to reproduce the electric displays that have seen him become a lynchpin for his national team.

Manager: Dragan Skocic. The Croatian manager only joined Al-Nassr this January after a stint in charge of Al-Shabab in the United Arab Emirates.

Basics: With sixteen domestic trophies to their name Al-Nassr are yet another Saudi power ready to challenge East Asian dominance this season. They’ve certainly got the individual quality to do it.

Pakhtakor

Key Player: Bojan Miladinović. The former Serbian youth international will have a key role to play for his side at centre-back and is a former Red Star Belgrade player.

Manager: Ravshan Khaydarov. Will be concerned with the manner in which his side dropped points as Bunyodkor romped to the league title last season, as well as the departure of two key players in Aleksandr Geynrikh and Odil Akhmedov.

Basics: Their standing as Uzbekistan’s powerhouse club has all but evaporated thanks to the success of cashed-up Bunyodkor, who have won the Uzbek League on the last three occasions. Pakhtakor appear to have an uphill battle on their hands in Asia this season after losing Geynrikh and Akhmedov.

Al-Sadd

Key Player: Nadir Belhadj. The explosive wing-back brings with him invaluable experience after time spent with Lyon and Portsmouth in the English Premier League.

Manager: Jorge Fossati. The Uruguayan has taken the reigns of his country’s national team in the past as well as Qatar in a brief spell cut down by ill health.

Basics: Eleven-time domestic champions, they are Qatar’s most successful ever club but finished runners-up last season to Al-Gharafa, just as they had done twice before that. Will be keen to throw their weight around in the Champions League with some notable foreign names in their roster.

GROUP C


Hickersberger's experience will be crucial to Al-Wahda.

Al-Wahda

Key Player: Fernando Baiano. The Brazilian youth international has European experience and is a journeyman striker who has scored goals wherever he has gone. Has enjoyed huge success since joining Al-Wahda.

Manager: Josef Hickersberger. Hugely experienced manager who has been at the helm of the Bahrain and Austrian national teams on two separate occasions each in the past.

Basics: Reigning champions of the UAE, they are one of the country’s most successful and popular clubs who are always in the mix for silverware.

Persepolis

Key Player: Sepehr Heidari. The towering central defender has been a regular fixture in this side since moving from Zob Ahan and will captain Persepolis during their ACL campaign.

Manager: Ali Daei. This icon of Asian and Iranian football needs no introduction, though his managerial career is still in its infancy.

Basics: One of the most popular clubs in Asia, they have won the Iranian league nine times though a Champions League trophy has as of yet eluded them. Will be expecting to mix it with the Champions League big guns.

Al-Ittihad

Key Player: Mohammed Noor. The 33 year-old captains the club and is recognized as one of Asia’s best players. Exerts a huge influence creatively from his attacking midfield role.

Manager: Toni. Took Benfica to the final of the European Champions Cup (UEFA Champions League) in 1988 and will be hoping to repeat the feat with a club that enjoys similar standing to the Portuguese giants on its own continent.

Basics: Won back-to-back Champions League titles in 2004 and 2005 and were runners-up to Al-Hilal last season in Saudi Arabia. Clearly know what it takes to win this competition.

Bunyodkor

Key Player: Viktor Karpenko. The midfielder's versatility and experience will be invaluable for his side. Can play through the middle and on the right in both midfield and defence and has an eye for goal.

Manager: Mirjalol Qosimov. Former national team player and manager is in his second spell in charge of the cashed-up club.

Basics: Having signed a host of new faces for this season it's hard to say how well the Swallows will gel together but the Uzbek champions will be keen to continue where they left off last season. They are traditionally a tight side who don't concede many but at the same time don't score many either.

GROUP D

Al-Rayyan

Key Player: Fabio Cesar. The 32 year-old Brazilian-born Qatar international formerly played for Napoli and will be a key figure in the centre of the park for the Al-Rayyan.

Manager: Paulo Autuori. Has been managing for more than three decades and the latter part of the 54 year-old’s coaching career has seen him spend more time in Asia, where he was previously head coach of J-League side Kashima Antlers.

Basics: Finished only fifth in the league last season but nonetheless lifted the Emir of Qatar Cup.

Emirates Club

Key Player: Hadj Bouguèche. An Algeria international, he is also a relative newcomer to the club and will be hoping to make an impact on the continent this season.

Manager: Tunisian manager Ghazi Ghrairi.

Basics: Won two domestic cups last year: the UAE Super Cup and the UAE President Cup.

Zobahan

Key Player: Igor Castro. The Brazilian brings a cultured passing game and calm on the ball that is crucial to the way the Iranian side operates. Instrumental in their run to the final last season.

Manager: Mansour Ebrahimzadeh. Perennial runner-up at the helm of this club, his outstanding work with Zobahan is set to be rewarded with the club on course for a belated league title.

Basics: One of the rising powers of Iranian football, Zobahan stunned the continent by making it to the final of the 2010 Asian Champions League, only to be beaten by a strong Seongnam Ilhwa side.

Al-Shabab

Key Player: Marcelo Tavares. The Brazilian is the rock at the heart of the Al-Shabab defence and will be a key figure for the Saudi club, as he was in the last Champions League.

Manager: Enzo Trossero. In charge of his second successive Saudi Arabian side, the Argentina international having previously been manager of Al-Ittihad.

Basics: Whilst not quite of the size of Al-Ittihad or Al-Hilal, they showed they're a force to be reckoned with last season in the ACL and will be dangerous if they hit form again.

Asian Champions League 2011: Ten Players To Watch

2011-03-06T23:13:00.000+11:00

Link:

Mauricio Molina
Club: FC Seoul
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 30

The Colombian midfielder was instrumental in Seongnam Ilhwa’s Asian Champions League triumph in 2010 and represents a huge coup for reigning K-League champions FC Seoul. A provider of goals as well as a scorer of them, the 30 year-old is the K-League’s best foreigner and one of the continent’s most dangerous players, a threat from outside the box and a wonderful dribbler and passer of a football.

Hong Jeong-Ho
Club: Jeju United
Position: Centre-back
Age: 21

This locally produced 21 year-old is set to shine on the bigger stage this year and is considered the successor to legendary South Korean defender Hong Myung-Bo. A consistent player who is strong in the air and always a threat from set pieces, he is about to have one of the busiest seasons of his life as he represents club and country on a number of fronts.

Yusef Ahmed
Club: Al-Sadd
Position: Striker
Age: 22

Burst onto the scene at the 2011 Asian Cup with his energetic performances for the Qatar national team, he re-joins Al Sadd for their Asian Champions League campaign after a loan spell with Qatar SC. Recently the subject of an official approach from Belgian club Standard Liege, the 22 year-old has a number of European suitors monitoring him. Possesses pace and a natural instinct in front of goal, as well as the capacity to do the unexpected.

Han Peng
Club: Shandong Luneng
Position: Striker
Age: 27

The towering striker netted 17 times last season in the Chinese Super League as his club lifted the league title and his return from a toe fracture on the eve of the Champions League is a welcome boost to Shandong Luneng. Will look to use his aerial prowess and tall frame in leading the line for the Chinese side. His job has been made all the more important given the retirement of usual striker partner Li Jinyu this year.

Nick Carle
Club: Sydney FC
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 29

Sydney FC’s marquee signing failed to light up the A-League this season, though he showed glimpses of the ability that has seen him hang round the fringes of the national team over the past few years. A big performance in the ACL will go some way to justifying his high wages. One of the most technically gifted Australian players of his generation, Carle will need to pull the strings as Sydney’s playmaker.

Carlos Hernandez
Club: Melbourne Victory
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 28

One of the A-League’s best players, Hernandez is virtually unplayable when at his best. Combines physical strength with guile, boasting a wonderful ability from distance as well as a cultured passing game. Always a danger from set-pieces, he is his team’s attacking talisman and their fortunes tend to be dependent on his form.

Takashi Usami
Club: Gamba Osaka
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Age: 18

An 18 year-old enfant terrible who has attracted the attention of Bayern Munich, Usami was named the J-League’s best young player last season and has a bright future ahead of him. An adept dribbler and passer, he will give another dimension to Gamba Osaka’s attack as they look to recapture the trophy that they won back in 2008.

Yasser Al-Qahtani
Club: Al Hilal
Position: Striker
Age: 28

It just wouldn’t be a complete list without the name of ‘The Sniper’, who has already netted ten times in the Saudi Pro League this season and helped Al Hilal open up an eight-point lead over the chasing pack. An incredibly prolific striker, he’ll be looking to bounce back after a low-key Asian Cup campaign by leading his club to continental glory. His aerial prowess and sharpness in front of goal mean he will be a constant menace to defenders.

Igor Castro
Club: Zobahan
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Age: 29

The Brazilian was a key figure in Zobahan’s memorable run to the final last season and tends to step up for the most important matches. Strong on the ball, he’s also an excellent finisher and intelligent player who takes up effective positions on the pitch. Will need to call upon all of his big-game experience in order to take his side deep into the competition again.

Hawar Mulla Mohammed
Club: Esteghlal
Position: Winger
Age: 29

A talented winger, he was part of the Iraq side that famously won the 2007 Asian Cup and again impressed as they reached the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament. His career high point was playing and scoring in the UEFA Champions League with Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta, though he has never quite kicked on to make it big at club level. Provides Esteghlal with a real X-Factor for this tournament.

China flatter to deceive again

2011-01-21T11:40:00.000+11:00

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Another major international tournament, another false dawn for Chinese football.

After the rapid progress made under fresh-faced manager Gao Hongbo there was a sense of optimism about China’s young squad ahead of the 2011 Asian Cup.

Gone apparently were the unrealistic expectations that usually accompanied a national team that has flattered to deceive, with the focus instead on a long-term plan leading into the 2014 World Cup.

Yet the disappointment of fans and commentators can’t be denied after the Chinese were dumped out of the tournament by Uzbekistan in their final group game, just as they were four years ago. This time they managed a draw against the Central Asian nation rather than suffer the ignominy of a 3-0 defeat but they were a shadow of their opponents nonetheless.

It all began so promisingly after a 2-0 win over Kuwait to open the campaign, though in truth a first-half red card suffered by the Gulf side helped China’s cause immeasurably.

The subsequent match saw them outplayed by hosts Qatar and it was always going to be a tough ask to beat the competition’s form team, who had the individual talent to keep the Gao’s men at bay for large parts of the match.

To many, one of the great mysteries of Chinese football is why there seems to be such a dearth of talent given the size of the country’s population.

According to Goal.com China’s Tony Mutong, a lack of basic facilities such as football pitches and the general absence of football from the education curriculum is at the heart of a well-documented problem: the country’s talent pool.

Widespread corruption in the Chinese Super League and at administrative levels within the game has also reportedly driven away the masses, who much prefer to focus their energies on supporting and following Europe’s major leagues from their homes.

In the wake of the national team’s latest failure on the international stage, Chinese Football Association president Wei Di has confirmed the governing body will stick with manager Gao, who has overseen the country’s rise through the FIFA World Rankings.

A series of impressive performances against high profile opposition in friendly matches suggests the young coach has the talent to nurture China’s next generation of players.

However, the absence of a strategic plan to improve the game at grassroots is conspicuous and according to Mutong, China’s large population does not necessarily make it a “football population”.

The aforementioned Wei is apparently embarking on a five-year plan to overhaul the game at various levels, having previously stated that Chinese football has “degraded to an intolerable level”. He is expected to announce the details of his plans in the wake of the Asian Cup exit.

While there were shining lights at the tournament in the form of Rong Hao and Li Xue Peng, they in truth have been few and far between in recent years as China has struggled to leave its mark on the football world.

Furthermore, the success of minnows Jordan at the Asian Cup has exacerbated the sense of frustration after the Chinese players failed to meet fan and media expectations yet again.

Sheer weight of numbers is no solution to the problem as the country now looks to regroup ahead of Brazil 2014.

Five things we learned from the Asian Cup group stages

2011-01-21T11:39:00.000+11:00

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1. Japan Are Not The Favourites: With Tulio Tanaka and Yuji Nakazawa out with injury and Shinji Kagawa failing to fire, this is a Japan team that is a shadow of the one that reached the knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Alberto Zacchoroni’s side are lacking cohesion and fluidity, particularly in the final third and can thank Shinji Okazaki for sparing their blushes throughout the group stages. He’s been the bright spark in their campaign, coming off the bench to inspire the Samurai Blue in their opening two matches. Still though the Asian powerhouses look lacklustre and will need to make substantial improvements if they are to have any chance of winning this tournament. Jordan have provided a worryingly effective blueprint for nullifying the Japanese: stay compact, narrow and close down space just outside the penalty box.

2. Iran Are Alive And Well: No Iranian player made Goal.com’s Team of the Group Stages but if anything it’s a reflection of collective effort of Afshin Ghotbi’s side, rather than the absence of a standout individual. Under immense scrutiny heading into the tournament, the Iranians have banded together and waltzed through what was labelled the ‘Group of Death’, racking up three consecutive victories. It has to be said that the UAE, North Korea and Iraq have hardly been at their best but that’s not to detract from Iran’s effort. They’ve got plenty of momentum to take with them into their quarter final against South Korea, with key contributions being made between the posts, in defence, midfield and attack.

3. Size Doesn’t Matter: China and India boast a combined population of over two billion people, yet neither side has managed to make it out of the group stage of the Asian Cup. In India’s case that was certainly expected but China have disappointed after winning their opening match 2-0 in Kuwait. As Goal.com China’s Tony Mutong so eloquently put it, nations like these have large populations but not necessarily “football populations”.

Uzbekistan | Can they go on and win it?

4. Saudi Arabia Have Fallen: Saudi Arabia have made six of the last seven finals of the Asian Cup and are a recognized power on the continent, also having qualified for four consecutive World Cups before South Africa 2010. That has meant nothing in Qatar, where they have been unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament after losing all three of their group stage games. Nasser Al-Johar was called in to replace Jose Peseiro after the Saudis started off their campaign with defeat at the hands of Syria, before he too found himself sacked at the end of the group stages. A number of issues ranging from a lack of focus on youth development to interference from higher powers in team selection and the running of the team are plaguing a once-feared side.

5. Uzbekistan Are The Dark Horses: Before the Asian Cup began it wasn’t exactly clear which side would challenge the traditional powers in Qatar. There were a number of candidates, including the likes of Kuwait, China and North Korea but at the end of the group stages it’s clear who the dark horses of this year’s competition are: Uzbekistan. Led by former AFC Player of the Year winner Server Djeparov, they’ve been the most impressive team during the group stages. Odil Ahmedov has been one of the surprise talents, scoring a screamer in his team’s opening match and looking a real star for the future.

Asian Cup team of the group stages

2011-01-21T11:38:00.000+11:00

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Mark Schwarzer (Goalkeeper, Australia): Just edges India shot-stopper Subrata Paul by virtue of his heroics in the final group game against Bahrain, where he pulled off a string of superb saves to seal Australia’s passage into the knockout stages when they weren’t at their best. Has made an international career out of doing that and was his usual reliable self during the first three matches.

Yuto Nagatomo (Defender, Japan): The Samurai Blue haven’t hit top gear in the early parts of the tournament and in defence in particular they’ve looked shaky without usual centre-backs Tulio Tanaka and Yuji Nakazawa. Nagatomo has not only made his usual lung-bursting runs forward but taken care of his defensive duties and often covered the other three members of Zaccheroni’s back-line.

Odil Ahmedov (Defender, Uzbekistan): A converted midfielder, Ahmedov has been one of the stars of the Asian Cup thus far, starting off the tournament by scoring a thunderbolt in his side’s 2-0 win over Qatar. He’s been extremely impressive at the heart of Uzbekistan’s defence, where his technical abilities have come to the fore. Will doubtless attract the attention of European suitors if his form continues.

Maya Yoshida (Defender, Japan): At just 22 years-old has had to deputise for the aforementioned Tanaka and Nakazawa in central defence. An unfortunate own-goal against Jordan in his side’s opening match was cancelled out when the VVV-Venlo man surged forward to head home a dramatic late equalizer. Has looked solid, displaying mobility and a composure beyond his years.

Cha Du-Ri (Defender, South Korea): One of the stand-out performers in Cho Kwang-Rae’s side, turning in a man-of-the-match display against Australia, where he marked out Everton’s Tim Cahill. Has brought an uncompromising physicality to the Korean back-line that has been crucial to their progress and has also contributed offensively also, both in the air and on the ground.

Mile Jedinak (Midfielder, Australia): Netted two crucial goals for his country during the group stages: the first an equalizer against South Korea and the second the winner against Bahrain. Though he hasn’t necessarily impressed in his defensive duties, his goals have given him confidence and particularly against Bahrain he was able to drive his side forward out of midfield. Turning into a key player.

Koo Ja-Cheol (Midfielder, South Korea): An impressive return of four goals from the group stages, the attacking midfielder has stepped up to the breach and delivered in front of goal. One of South Korea’s biggest concerns heading into the tournament was the absence of striker Park Chu-Young and with no recognizable name leading the line, Koo has done superbly. Is leading the scoring charts.

Park Ji-Sung (Midfielder, South Korea): One of the few big-name players to deliver on his reputation so far in this tournament, Park turned in an industrious display against Australia in particular to help his side to a point. Carrying his excellent club form with Manchester United onto the international arena, his energy and drive has been at the heart of Korea’s play.

Server Djeparov (Midfielder, Uzbekistan): Netted twice during the group stages and has arguably been the star performer of the tournament, pulling the strings in an impressive Uzbekistan side. Showing the sort of form that won him the AFC Player of the Year Award in 2008, like Park before him is continuing his excellent club form (with FC Seoul). Scored a goal-of-the-tournament contender against Kuwait.

Yusef Ahmed (Striker, Qatar): This 22 year-old has burst onto the scene, the catalyst for Qatar’s progress into the knockout stages. His incredible double against China turned around the hosts’ campaign, his first goal a stunning volley and his second a classy finish on the turn. Turned in a busy display in the final match against Kuwait and is one to watch from here on in.

Shinji Okazaki (Striker, Japan): Netted a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia in a 5-0 win to make sure of his side’s place in the quarter finals but in truth, his contributions were more telling when used as a substitute in the first two matches. Came off the bench against Jordan and Syria with his side in trouble on both occasions, changing the game with his energy and enthusiasm before finally winning a starting berth. Will now lead the line.

Greek talents to watch

2011-01-21T11:37:00.000+11:00

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As Fernando Santos looks to take Greek football forwards after the Otto Rehhagel era, ESPNsoccernet selects a list of players to watch.

1. Vasilis Torosidis

GettyImagesVasilis Torosidis made headlines during the World Cup last summer

Age: 25
Position: Full back, midfield
Club: Olympiakos

At the age of 25, he is no longer a youngster but instead the complete package: an established star of the national team and of Greece's biggest club. Scorer of the winner in the 2-1 win over Nigeria in South Africa - his country's first ever victory at a World Cup - his stock has long been rising back home after a string of fine performances for Olympiakos, attracting the attention of European suitors; he is sure to make a big move within the next 12 months. Aside from his technical and physical qualities, he boasts an explosiveness that is extremely difficult to contain. Versatile enough to play in defence or midfield and equally adept at either role .

2. Sotiris Ninis

Age: 20
Position: Attacking midfielder
Club: Panathinaikos

A recognisable name to most followers of European football, Ninis has long been touted as the next big thing in Greece and has been the subject of sensational links to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United in the past. Whether there's any legitimacy to the claims is uncertain, but they are a reflection on the exciting potential he possesses. Made his mark at youth level for the national team and has since made his full debut, featuring briefly in South Africa. Helped his club to a league and cup double last season, and can change a game in an instant with moments of brilliance .

3. Georgios Tzavelas

Age: 23
Position: Full back
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt

Made his name with Panionios, eventually securing for himself a move to the Bundesliga and so joining a number of his fellow countrymen making a living for themselves on the pitch in Germany. Has worked his way into the first team in Frankfurt already and made his international debut in Greece's Euro 2012 qualifier against Croatia in September; receiving plenty of plaudits for his performance. A cultured, balanced defender who keeps his cool under pressure.

4. Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Age: 18
Position: Centre back
Club: Schalke

Like Ninis before him, caught the attention of prestigious European clubs after starring for Greece's youth sides. An uncompromising and brave defender who is excellent in the air but who also appears to possess an awareness on the pitch beyond his years, he's already shown signs while playing for Schalke's first team that a big career lies ahead.

5. Kostas Manolas

Age: 19
Position: Centre back
5. Club: AEK Athens

Sure to follow in the footsteps of fellow former AEK Athens player Sokratis Papastathopoulos and secure a big move overseas, Manolas is nephew of the legendary Stelios Manolas, who has anointed his relative as his successor at the club. Manolas Jnr has certainly lived up to that billing during his formative years as a footballer and has been a bright light for AEK during an otherwise dark period in the club's history. Steps up for the big matches, reads the game well and is an excellent tackler - expect to see him in one of Europe's top leagues soon.

6. Sokratis Papastathopoulos

Age: 22
Position: Centre back
Club: AC Milan

Proof that 'Sokratis' is one of Europe's most exciting young defenders can be found in this video (ignore the questionable music) , where he is seen to mark Lionel Messi out of a football match and in doing so join what is a select club. Sokratis hasn't enjoyed a successful start to life with Milan but that's not overly surprising given the size of the club and the need to settle. Following Sotiris Kyrgiakos' international retirement, he is now the main man at the back for Greece, where his tenacity, mobility and instinct all come to the fore.

7. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos

GettyImagesLazaros Christodoulopoulos has been a key figure for Panathinaikos this season

Age: 24
Position: Attacking midfielder, winger
Club: Panathinaikos

A prodigious talent who began his professional career with northern giants PAOK, where he attracted attention from outside of Greece before his relationship with the club deteriorated. Apparently nicknamed 'The Builder' after quipping he'd be better off working construction than playing for the Thessaloniki outfit, his career stuttered somewhat at Panathinaikos initially. This season, though, he's been a main figure at the club and has provided some telling contributions in their title battle with Olympiakos. He is a natural finisher who unsettles defences with his direct running style and sharpness inside the penalty area .

8. Ioannis Papadopoulos

Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
Club: Olympiakos

A dynamic left-footed midfielder who made his name at Iraklis, he is also growing into a key player at Olympiakos. Possesses a lethal shot from long range but is equally capable of tight finishes in front of goal, and isn't afraid to run at defenders or to get stuck into the physical battles - a potent mix. He can create goals as well as score them, and has all the necessary attributes to develop into a fine player.

9. Ioannis Fetfatzidis

Age: 20
Position: Winger
Club: Olympiakos

Of all the young talents mentioned here, Fetfatzidis is probably the most exciting to watch when in full flight . Made a good impression on his senior international debut last year, where he displayed his ability to beat opponents with a delightful mixture of skill and pace. In that regard, he is a rare breed of Greek player and is set to develop into a crucial figure for the national team in the years to come. Highly regarded by his club side, Fetfatzidis is also a sharp distributor of the ball and, despite his slight frame, keeps possession superbly and rarely wastes a pass.

10. Georgios Samaras

Age: 25
Position: Striker
Club: Celtic

The mercurial former Manchester City forward is widely regarded as one of the club's biggest flops but, since bursting onto the scene with Heerenveen in the Netherlands, he has been Greece's Great White Hope. Things haven't quite worked out as planned as this talented individual has also waned at Celtic as well as barely making an impression on the national team. A recent double against Rangers could be the most important goals of his career.

Greek clubs playing with fire

2010-12-23T20:10:00.000+11:00

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"Twelve years, 24 coaches."

Rarely has such a clear, concise and powerful observation been made about Greek football's managerial merry-go-round, which routinely chews, spits out and sucks the life from talented young coaches and even battle-hardened veterans of the dug-out.

The quote came from Alberto Malesani, former manager of Panathinaikos, who uttered the line during an infamous rant in which he attacked journalists and fans who had been critical of his work at the club that season. He was sacked before it ended.

Granted, the juicy detail about the post-match press conference was his generous use of the Italian swearword cazzo - apparently employed 21 times - but the style of his delivery shouldn't detract from the essence of his argument: that too often, managers are made scapegoats by fans, journalists and owners (though he was defending his employer at the time).

It isn't an uncommon trait in the global game these days, but the volatility of Greece's coaching environment is incredible.

Since Malesani's departure, Panathinaikos have been through seven managers in four years, sacking Dutchman Henk ten Cate after he laid the foundations for their first league and cup double last year, with Nikos Nioplias taking over and finishing the job that the former Barcelona assistant had started.

Nioplias took the job after doing some outstanding work with Greece's youth teams but was soon overawed and incredibly left by "mutual consent" this November. Not exactly the step forward his promising career needed.

AEK Athens have, meanwhile, been under the care of eight different managers over the past six years, and haven't won the league since 1994, or the Greek Cup since 2002. PAOK - who have ironically been a model of stability under chairman and Euro 2004 winner Theodoros Zagorakis - have appointed three managers this season already. They did the same during the 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.

Undoubtedly the dominant force of Greek football over the past 15 years, Olympiakos should logically present the blueprint for stability and success, but they have changed coach nine times over the past two years, with Ernesto Valverde back this season at the club, having led them to the league and couple double during the 2008-09 season.

Five managers - legendary Brazilian Zico among them - tried and failed to succeed him as bitter rivals Panathinaikos secured a historic double; trigger-happy owner Sokratis Kokkalis paying the price for failing to meet Valverde's financial demands when the time came for a contract renewal (no pun intended).

Outside Greece's biggest clubs, things aren't too much better, with the likes of Panionios, Xanthi and Larissa all having changed hands this season - you wouldn't bet on them going through the rest of the season without doing so again.

The question, then, is how this sacking culture developed.

A ridiculous scale of media coverage, with each of the top clubs having entire sports newspapers dedicated to them and any number of prominent websites and outlets to choose from, means intense scrutiny inevitably follows even the slightest hiccup.

Depending on the pedigree of the club, style is just as important as results, with a number of managers having been shown the door after failing to impose an aesthetically pleasing brand of football quickly enough to appease onlookers.

Often these are the coaches who haven't even had a chance to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, leaving after a matter of months, only to be replaced by a manager who has previous spells at the club.

Dusan Bajevic, for example, has managed AEK on three separate occasions and is one of the most revered players in the club's history. Having led them to unprecedented success during the early 1990s as a manager, he made the mistake of moving to rivals Olympiakos. Never forgiven by a hardcore element of fans, his subsequent returns were tense and his departure on both occasions the result of inexcusable behaviour towards him by those holding what is in truth a ridiculous grudge.

The fans of course, are an element that cannot be ignored in Greece, with hooliganism still a problem.

Just this weekend, fans stormed onto the pitch as Panathinaikos lost at home against minnows Olympiakos Volou and fell further behind in the title race, with new manager Jesualdo Ferreira quickly learning that life in Greece's top-flight probably won't be as stable as his recent four-year spell with Porto.

The much-discussed honeymoon period certainly isn't a privilege afforded to coaches in Greece, where newcomers often need to grind out results at the beginning of their reign to survive.

Given the aforementioned need to play an attractive brand of football, though, you can see why it's such a complex and bizarre situation, where expectations border on fantasy.

A major problem with Greek football is quite simply that the general standard isn't particularly good - understandable given the majority of the country's domestic history has been amateur to semi-professional.

It's unlikely that non-Greek readers of this piece will ever see footage of Greek football during the 1960s, '70s and '80s, which is important in establishing context. Back then, the game was primitive and charming, with the Athenian clubs dominating their regional opponents with little resistance offered, unless by northern outfits such as Aris and PAOK.

During those years, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos and AEK built a rich history both domestically and on the continent, largely unrestricted in plucking the country's best talents. Times have changed drastically, with standards improving on and off the pitch. Teams who were once cannon fodder for the big three now offer serious opposition and, as Volou showed, are never to be taken lightly.

Meanwhile, the success of the national team has alerted European suitors to the cut-price talent available in Greece, so the quality of local players available to bigger clubs has diminished substantially, many would argue to the benefit of the sport.

In short, no Greek club - no matter how big - can be expected to win every single Greek Super League game or even close to it, and certainly can't transform itself into a Mediterranean replica of the modern Barcelona or Cruyff's Ajax of the 70s overnight.

This is something that owners, analysts and some fans don't seem to understand, clouded by delusions of grandeur and the supposed right for their club to be considered a powerhouse of European football. Greek expeditions in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League have brought only sporadic moments of excellence in recent years and this is the strongest indicator yet that Olympiakos, AEK and Panathinaikos have done nothing to earn that title.

In total, they have changed coaches 18 times over the past two years - hardly a recipe for the stability or rising standards that have been at the heart of the national team's historic success.

For the record, between 2001 and 2010, Greece were led by just one manager.

Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung is honouring Cha Bum-Kun's legacy

2010-12-19T15:13:00.001+11:00

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Park Ji-Sung doesn’t have the conspicuous talents of a Cristiano Ronaldo or even a Carlos Tevez, superstars who have both left gaping holes in the Manchester United starting line-up following their relatively recent departures.

If Sir Alex Ferguson were to justify the lack of direct replacements for the now Real Madrid and Manchester City players by pointing out that Park could simply slot into the starting line-up, most would dismiss the notion as fanciful.

Without a prolific goal-scoring record, Park also doesn’t boast particularly silky technique or raw physicality and tenacity, qualities that characterized the aforementioned departed duo. Looking at the rest of the United line-up, the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra can lay claim to qualities that allow them to be classified as world class.

It isn’t a term used to describe the South Korea captain when his name comes up. Instead, a rather cliché depiction of an honest and hard-working footballer has stuck to the 29 year-old. Not a world-beater but a useful squad member, appears to be the verdict.

“Park is rightly renowned for his engine and his ability to cover every inch of grass is invaluable. However, this doesn't show the whole picture,” says Goal.com UK’s Matt Monaghan.

“In particular, he and Wayne Rooney seem to excel playing off one another. Their one touch play and Park's ability to find space - previously hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson - make him a useful player.”

This season might just change the widespread perception of Park simply as a squad player at United, with the former PSV Eindhoven man coming to the fore at a time where his employers desperately need to get the most of all the playing resources at their disposal.

“Park is a manager's dream in an era tarnished by the petulant behaviour of players like Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.”

Without the goals of Tevez, Ronaldo and the aforementioned Rooney – who is desperately out of form – and Ryan Giggs edging closer toward retirement, this is Park’s moment.

The careers of professional footballers can make or break on delicate periods such as these and Park has grabbed his opportunity with both hands, netting four times in the English Premier League this season. It might just be that he is finally nailing down a starting spot in Ferguson’s side, putting behind him painful memories of a recurring knee injury that had previously hampered his United career.

A key figure in the Red Devils’ run to the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, his omission from the match day squad despite his match-winning performances in the competition perhaps best summed up his predicament. Ferguson quipped that it was one of the most difficult decisions of his managerial career.

Whilst it might seem patronizing, there’s no doubting the manager’s admiration for Park.

“He regularly speaks fondly of Park and who could blame him?” says Monaghan. “Park is a manager's dream in an era tarnished by the petulant behaviour of players like Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.”

Indeed, Park is renowned for staying out of the limelight, rarely giving interviews to the English-speaking media and keeping his private life shielded. It is a humility that has endeared him to teammates, supporters and the club’s administration.

There’s no doubting however the sheer marketability of Park, particularly back in his homeland, where his name has been utilized by Nike, Gillete, Caltex and Shin Ramyun noodles.

Cynics might have once suggested that his move to United back in 2005 was nothing more than a business move by a club looking to take advantage of an exciting new market in Asia.

If that were the case, then it has proved to be one of the more astute dealings done by the English club in recent years.

To give you an impression of just how much United’s popularity in Korea has risen as a result of Park’s move, Goal.com Korea's Yonghun Lee recently described the country as the “Republic of Man Utd”, with a weekly fixation on the individual’s fortunes.

Park's Big United Moments

JULY 2005
Joins Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven.

OCTOBER 2005
Becomes first ever Asian player to captain Manchester United when he takes the armband from Ryan Giggs in the UEFA Champions League vs Lille.

DECEMBER 2005
Scores first ever United goal in 3-1 win over Birmingham in the League Cup.

APRIL 2006
Scores first league goal for club in 2-0 win over Arsenal.

APRIL 2008
Turns in match-winning performance for club in UEFA Champions League semi final win against Barcelona. Surprisingly dropped for final against Chelsea next month.

DECEMBER 2008
Makes 100th appearance for Manchester United against Tottenham.

MAY 2009
Becomes first ever Asian player to participate in UEFA Champions League final. Barcelona beat United 2-0.

The versatile winger has proven an equally valuable asset on the pitch for the club, silencing suggestions his was a transfer motivated by economics.

Goals like that against Arsenal this weekend better illustrate how important Park has been and is becoming to Ferguson at a time where the margins are particularly fine in the title race; it might just be that his superb show of reflexes against the Gunners is a turning point.

Given his unassuming style of play and behaviour, that’s what it takes for Park to prove himself to those unfamiliar with what he regularly offers to United.

In doing so he continues to honour the legacy of Korean legend Cha Bum-Kun, who over 30 years ago paved the way for his future fellow countrymen in the Bundesliga.

Where other Asian players are often unable to last the distance in the unforgiving professional climate that is the Premier League and Europe in general, Park’s adaptability and mental strength allow him to fly the flag for his country and continent as Cha once did. He remains the doyen of Asia’s Europe-based stars and rightly so.

Not that you need to tell that to Alex Ferguson or the Manchester United faithful, who not for the first time will be counting on his many qualities this season.

Greek drama rocks foundations

2010-12-19T15:10:00.000+11:00

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This is undoubtedly a great era for Spain. After the Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 triumphs, it's hard to think of another side at the moment who can boast such a wonderful chapter in their history given the context of perennial underachievement.

Greece, though, is one team that can rival the Spaniards in that regard.

Yes, yes, supposedly the extent of their tactical sophistication is Angelos Charisteas' forehead (he's no longer a fixture in the starting line-up, by the way), putting ten men behind the ball and generally doing their best to earn their place as an asterisk alongside the term 'anti-football'.

Regardless of your predisposition towards the Greeks, you can't deny that the last six years have been the most incredible in their football history. To those familiar with the team, Zagorakis, Dellas and Seitaridis will be held in equally high esteem as their Spanish equivalents.

Crowned European champions, they have gone on to secure back-to-back qualification for that tournament and made only their second ever appearance at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year. They currently sit in 11th spot on the FIFA World Rankings and can genuinely claim to be one of the world's top 30 outfits.

This is an unprecedented era of success for the Ethniki, with a crop of exciting young talents emerging and promising to build on the foundations laid by legendary German manager Otto Rehhagel.

A stark contrast to the disaster that was USA '94, where Alketas Panagoulias sent out an ageing, out-of-form and largely embarrassing side to be unceremoniously walloped. Greece's decades in the football wilderness are best summed up by an incredible video showing Panagoulias colourfully berating his side at half-time in one of those three matches.

Of course, being the birthplace of theatre, any Greek institution wouldn't truly be Greek without its share of drama. Football, it appears, is no exception.

Despite everything looking rather rosy after Rehhagel's retirement, with Greece seemingly on course to qualify for Euro 2012 and the aforementioned younger generation promising so much, a "sickness" within the national team has been brought to the attention of fans and media.

The recent retirements of Sotiris Kyrgiakos, Ioannis Amanatidis and Theofanis Gekas were accompanied by worrying statements in the aftermath of an acceptable World Cup campaign.

In their 30s and, in the case of Kyrgiakos and Gekas especially, in their prime as footballers, their decision to exit the international stage was totally unexpected. Indeed, Gekas and Kyrgiakos have largely been the driving force of the side in the aftermath of failure to qualify for Germany 2006, with passage to Euro 2008 and South Africa 2010 secured largely on the back of their goals and hard work.

Why was it, though, that they made their decision against such a successful backdrop?

The testimony of Amanatidis, who has been a comparative bit-part player over the past few years, would suggest that the climate within the current squad may not be conducive to continued success.

"It is not possible for players to be regular in the national team when they are not even in the 18-member squad of their clubs," Amanatidis told gazzetta.gr in November. "It is not possible!

"Need I give you names? Anyone can find them. There was no competition within that team.

"They would get on the airplane to go and play with the national team, knowing that some ten out of the 11 were certain to start. It did not matter whether they played with their clubs."

Amanatidis, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt, went on to suggest that certain players were abusing their position within the squad, using friendly matches to put themselves in the shop window at club level.

While Liverpool defender Kyrgiakos was rather more diplomatic in his explanation after announcing his retirement, Gekas followed Amanatidis' act and didn't hold back.

"We are talking about a team that is sick and nobody does anything to heal it. What annoyed me the most was seeing people inside the national team set-up who knew the reasons I quit, and agreed with me, not having the courage to come out and support me.

"Instead they were the first ones to shoot at me and tried to blame it all on me with their statements."

It's an imposing situation for new manager Fernando Santos, who succeeded Rehhagel and has had all three players announce their retirement under his watch.

Whilst Gekas and Amanatidis haven't explicitly said as much, at the heart of the current player politics appear to be Euro 2004-winning duo Giorgios Karagounis and Kostas Katouranis, current team-mates at Panathinaikos.

Both played under Santos at club level and Katsouranis in particular thrived under the Portuguese manager when he was in charge at AEK Athens from 2004 to 2006. When Santos left to manage Benfica, he took Katsouranis with him.

Having said that, Santos has pointed out when questioned about the trio of retirements that both Gekas and Kyrgiakos have also played under him in the past. True as it is, his bond with Katsouranis is conspicuously strong and undeniable.

Conspiracy theorists would suggest that Gekas - who reportedly issued a "start me or I retire" ultimatum ahead of Greece's opening Euro 2012 qualifiers against Georgia and Croatia - and co have picked up on the increased influences of certain players and acted.

We can only speculate as to the real situation and the players involved. The problem for Katsouranis and Karagounis is that their performances for Greece have been on the wane for some time now, particularly in the former's case, doing nothing to improve their reputation in the eyes of disillusioned fans.

In the wake of inspirational captain Theodoros Zagorakis' retirement, Karagounis has been an outstanding leader on the pitch, shouldering a burden both defensively and offensively despite his ageing legs (which are finally catching up with him). Delaying his retirement only serves to make his energetic, match-winning performances easier to forget.

Katsouranis, though, has failed to transform his excellent club form onto the international stage over the past six years and the body language and general demeanour he displays on the pitch isn't encouraging at all. Often, the 31-year-old can be seen berating team-mates and largely waltzing about in a crucial midfield role that requires the box-to-box version of his old self.

The disastrous opening match of the World Cup against South Korea perhaps best highlighted that something was amiss within the side: Rehhagel bizarrely named an entirely alien back-line for one of the most important matches in Greece's history. Signs of the in-fighting that must have affected the German's personnel decisions made its way onto the pitch for the more perceptive viewers.

It never descended to the cringeworthy level of Panagoulias' half-time talks, but one imagines that, if there is a situation where certain individuals are heavily influencing the current manager's selections, another classic YouTube moment isn't too far away.

Of more concern is the impact this current malaise will have on the development of a generation of exciting young footballers - Sotiris Ninis, Ioannis Fetfatzidis and Kostas Mitroglou among them - who are expected to carry the national team into a new era.

If the pioneering work of Zagorakis and his 2004 team-mates is not to be wasted, Santos must assert his authority and end this Greek drama before it turns into a Euripidean tragedy.

Where to from here after Australia's failed World Cup bid?

2010-12-06T15:52:00.000+11:00

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Since Frank Lowy’s takeover of Australian football and Soccer Australia’s rebranding as Football Federation Australia, the honeymoon period has been long and sweet for the game down under.

What preceded this period was a mixture of a colourful and at times painful few decades of progress and then rapid regression. Football had survived racism, stereotype and the most deep of self-inflicted wounds.

There have been setbacks since the establishment of the FFA but the landmarks have far outweighed these and have arrived in the form of the creation of a professional league, consecutive qualification for the World Cup and entry into the Asian Football Confederation.

It would have been difficult to foresee Australia as even a contender to host football’s greatest tournament not too long ago, so in the aftermath of a disappointing – though not unsurprising – defeat in the bid race, it is time for context and reflection.

This is perhaps the first major setback to Lowy’s plans of establishing football as one of the country’s premier sports and to the lasting legacy he is trying to impart on the game.

Yet it is by no means a death knell for the game and in truth, was never going to single-handedly propel it.

Of course, hosting a World Cup in 2022 would have ensured new infrastructure for football yet it would not have been enjoyed exclusively by football; the varied use of the facilities left over from the Sydney 2000 Olympics is testament to this.

Certainly it wouldn’t have markedly improved the strength of the domestic game in the immediate years to come.

Back in 2005, on the week in which the nation memorably qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Sydney, it was hailed as a turning point.

Despite the steady increase in the brand power of the Socceroos, the A-League – FFA’s flagship domestic competition, around which the future of the game in this country will need to be built – has suffered from a number of problems in the ensuing years.

The most concerning has been a lack of general public interest and attendance, with seasoned football fans and neutrals alike preferring to channel their support onto the international stage, where a higher quality of football and star-quality are guaranteed.

Winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup would have resulted in euphoria but would it have been enough on its own to convince people to get out and support a competition to which it is not linked? No.

AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LANDMARKS
_________________________________________________________________________

Creation Of A-League
Year: 2004

SIGNIFICANCE:

- First fully professional national league
- Competition more accessible to wider audience
- Complete, polished television coverage
- Landmark television deal eventually agreed

_________________________________________________________________________

World Cup Qualification
Year(s): 2006, 2010

SIGNIFICANCE:

- 2006 ended a 32-year wait for World Cup football
- Brand power of Socceroos increases
- Positive publicity/increased interest in game
- Profile of Australian football raised internationally

_________________________________________________________________________

Joining The AFC
Year: 2006

SIGNIFICANCE:

- More beneficial/consistent qualification path to WC
- Chance to compete/host Asian Cup
- Profile/power of FFA on world stage raised
- Chance to compete in Asian Champions League

_________________________________________________________________________

Doubtless there will be snipes about football in the coming days, weeks and months, claims that Lowy’s biggest failure yet has signalled the start of a long and painful death for the sport, which competes with the likes of Rugby League and Australian Rules Football for attention in a complex and demanding market.

Football fans should simply retort that these competitions probably suffer more than football given the chance missed to advertise themselves to the rest of the watching world in twelve years time. For now, they remain hidden from the view of millions.

In fact, one could argue that hosting the World Cup has wider implications for Australia as a whole than only for football, particularly from an economic viewpoint.

Recent concerns surrounding the legacy of the tournament in South Africa is a stark reminder though of the potential perils associated with the event.

These arguments will do little to ease the pain of fans and commentators alike, the disgust of major media outlets reporting on the unfolding in Zurich barely contained.

Though in poor taste – as I wrote earlier, Qatar deserved to be awarded the tournament – it is an understandable reaction given the passion of these individuals for the game and the emotion they have invested in it over the years, particularly with regard to the bid.

Yet the prevailing sentiment that Australia was wronged and that Qatar are unworthy shouldn’t beallowed to carry on; it only suggests to the rest of the world that we are insular, inconsiderate of the need to take the game to various corners of the globe and undignified losers.

The A-League desperately
needs attention.

Remember that entry into the AFC was a privilege and that a fellow member – whose president isalso Asian football’s chief – has scored a huge victory for the continent. As such they deserve Australia’s congratulations and unflinching support.

Instead of sulking over the defeat, the governing body and football collective (fans and media included) should focus their energies in addressing issues that have largely been ignored in the build-up to the December 2 decision.

This bid has taken away focus from the fledgling domestic competition, which simply must succeed if the game is to meaningfully survive.

Hosting a four-week tournament won’t have solved the issue of the dearth of young talent ready to replace the most recent generation of Socceroos and the absence of a concerted nationwide effort to improve youth development that it highlights.

Nor would it have provided a financial formula whereby A-League clubs would be able to ensure their financial viability whilst providing a quality product on the pitch for fans.

Amongst a host of other issues, these need to be tackled. The manner in which the game moves forward from this point on will say more about its character and resolve than the successful hosting of a World Cup.

One day the World Cup will come to these shores and by that stage, the game will be far more ingrained in the national psyche and far more confident of itself.

For the moment, hosting a successful 2015 Asian Cup would prove to the watching world that such setbacks as this are not unfamiliar to a sport that has survived more damaging lows in the past.

AFC Player Of The Year: Does Park, Cahill and Honda's absence damage Asian football?

2010-11-25T18:56:00.001+11:00

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When the 2010 AFC Player of the Year is announced in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, Tim Cahill, Keisuke Honda and Park Ji-Sung definitely won’t be in the running.

It would seem ludicrous that three of Asian football’s most recognizable faces won’t be rewarded for their various accomplishments and contributions to the enhancement of their continent’s reputation.

Tim Cahill has long been Everton and Australia’s talisman, Keisuke Honda has taken Europe by storm and was one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup and Park Ji-Sung was similarly instrumental as South Korea progressed past the group stages.

Those familiar with the award will know that a key criteria is the ability of the nominees to turn up to the ceremony itself: failure to do so and they won’t be in the running, a fate that was always likely to befall the aforementioned stars given their club commitments.

Managers of bigger European clubs will undoubtedly be reluctant to let their players go for the 2011 Asian Cup in January – something that FIFA regulations won’t allow to happen - so there was little chance David Moyes and co. were going to make exceptions for an award ceremony that is bizarrely timed.

Farcical and controversial are two words that have commonly been used to describe the criteria denying Park and superstars of his ilk the chance to be named Asia’s best in the past.

Asian football already suffers from a lack of knowledge and interest beyond its borders, unfortunate given the quality of its players, football and the size of its clubs.

When English football fans learn that Tim Cahill and Park Ji-Sung aren’t even in the running for the AFC Player of the Year Award, it’s unlikely that their perception of Asian football will improve.

Absent: Keisuke Honda, Tim Cahill, Park Ji-Sung

It would appear that the AFC’s attendance criteria is trying to give a contrasting impression: that far from being beneath European football, it considers Asian football important enough for sacrifices to be made in its name on the part of the individuals vying for the award.

The message is simple: the players and their clubs don’t consider it so.

There is perhaps an argument that the AFC are doing the right thing by putting their own continent at the top of the pecking order and refusing to make concessions. To the outsider though, the confederation seems out-of-touch with Europe, the world’s dominant football calendar.

As such, it’s likely that nowhere near as much importance will be attached to tomorrow’s ceremony.

However, that’s not to take away the accomplishments of the five players who have been short-listed. Certainly they aren’t of the quality of Keisuke Honda but the impact they have had on their respective clubs has been just as great.

If they hadn’t made the cut, would neutrals have heard of the names Farhad Majidi and Farshid Talebi? Most probably not, which would have been a shame considering their accomplishments over the past 12 months.

Perhaps that’s the silver lining from the awards night tomorrow, though the five players will only become more well known to those who actually bother to pay any attention to it.

Is a Barcelona or EPL move the right one for Borussia Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa?

2010-10-31T16:07:00.001+11:00

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Before we delve into an investigation of the practicality and likelihood of Shinji Kagawa making a January move to one of Europe’s elite clubs, it’s important that we recognize that Borussia Dortmund themselves could lay claim to being part of the continent’s football aristocracy.

As was pointed out to me by Goal.com’s resident Bundesliga guru Clark Whitney recently, Dortmund are a club who only 13 years ago were crowned European champions; they also consistently boast Europe’s biggest matchday attendances, regularly attracting over 70,000 fans to Signal Iduna Park (or Westfalenstadion, as it is better known).

Looking beyond the financial troubles that they’ve been forced to battle in recent years, Borussia is a club with a great history.

Yet the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United are instantly thought of when one thinks of “big clubs”, courtesy of an incredibly powerful image both on and off the pitch that fuels a worldwide following. These teams quite simply dominate the headlines, regardless of whether Dortmund match – and at times, even surpass – the level of support they receive in their native homes.

It came as no surprise then to read earlier this month that one of the club's brightest young talents, Shinji Kagawa, was being linked with a January move to Barcelona.

With only nine rounds having been played in the Bundesliga, even by today’s lofty standards of rapid transfer speculation it's a little premature - time to step back and think about the legitimacy of such a move.

“His has been a steep climb,” Whitney says. “It's too early to tell whether he'll even be interested in a move abroad, let alone have enough interest from foreign clubs.

“I reckon he has at least one more year in the Bundesliga after this season.”

A match-winning double in the Ruhr derby away against Schalke might just have been responsible for the hype surrounding 21 year-old striker immediately afterwards.

Key Kagawa Numbers

21	Years old
9	Bundesliga starts this season
4	Bundesliga goals this season
350,000	Euros paid for his transfer to Dortmund
2	Crucial goals in the Ruhr derby
23	Squad number at Borussia

“The Schalke match was definitely his magnum opus thus far,” Whitney continues. “It required tremendous skill and resolve, especially given the fact that it was played in a very hostile Veltins Arena.”

Back home, Kagawa’s star has surpassed that of every other Japanese player, including Keisuke Honda. I penned a piece recently labelling the CSKA Moscow talisman Asia’s best footballer but Kagawa’s meteoric rise from the second tier in Japan to the forefront of the Bundesliga has seen him idolized by a more youthful crowd.

As Goal.com’s Japan correspondent Cesare Polenghi puts it, Kagawa “embodies the dream of every young soccer player in Japan”.

Despite his immense promise, four goals during the embryonic stages of the Bundesliga season hardly seem to warrant a high-profile move on its own. Yes, Kagawa has shown all the ingredients needed to be a future superstar of the game: blistering speed on and off the ball, a characteristic sharp finish and a blend of composure, humility and ambition in his mental approach.

To suggest though that he is even Dortmund’s best player would be remiss when 22 year-old Turkish midfield Nuri Sahin has been more influential than his Japanese counterpart (incidentally, he’s been linked with moves to Liverpool and Bayern Munich).

Kagawa isn’t irreplaceable and will have to maintain the high standards he has already set himself this season if he is to fend off an inevitable fight from Robert Lewandowski for his first-team spot, by virtue of the fact that the Polish attacker was the higher profile summer signing, brought in for €4.5 million compared to the €350,000 bargain that was Kagawa.

Logic would suggest that Dortmund will want to force a return on their hefty investment at some point, whilst at the same time, the proud club will be keen to nurture Kagawa’s development rather than potentially undervalue him and allow him to move in January.

Along with the aforementioned Sahin, Kagawa won’t be the only Dortmund player targeted during the next transfer window, so a siege mentality might just be adopted in order to keep the core of Jürgen Klopp’s young side together.

Certainly if Die Borussen harbour ambitions for what seems at this stage a legitimate challenge for the Bundesliga title, they’ll need to resist looking to make a profit on their starlets in a couple of months. At the same time, one imagines that Kagawa might want to allow himself time to settle at the club, having essentially been turned into a superstar overnight.

In terms of footballing ability, Kagawa is hardly the finished product and even if he were to secure a dream move to a La Liga or English Premier League club, would he realistically stand a chance of securing regular football?

Minutes on the park have been at the heart of his rapid development as a footballer and it wouldn’t necessarily be a prudent move, despite being an enticing one. Barcelona, for example, look set to offload youngster Bojan Krkic and aren’t exactly short of options in the final third.

Consider also that Kagawa might not be as suited to La Liga or the English Premier League as he is the Bundesliga at the moment. Germany’s premier domestic competition doesn’t offer the extremes in the way of physicality and pressure on the ball that its counterparts do and Kagawa’s slight build and fleet-footed nature might take a long time to adjust in such new environments.

On and off the pitch, it just doesn’t seem practical or sensible for Kagawa to move on from Borussia Dortmund at this stage.

With the Asian Cup coming up in January, the starlet would be better off focusing his energy on producing for his country in Qatar off the back of a stable club life and if he so wishes, the tournament will provide the perfect platform for him to parade his many talents to eager scouts.

There really is no rush for this humble 21 year-old who has the world at his nimble feet.

Preview: AEK Athens vs Panathinaikos

2010-10-24T19:26:00.003+11:00

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What is it? An Athenian derby
Who should care? Olympiakos fans wanting to figure out who’s NOT going to challenge for the title, Djibril Cisse fans (not many of you out there I suppose…), people who hate Kostas Katsouranis (AEK fans and just about anyone who knows anything about football)
Will it be a cracking match? Absolutely not – these two have produced a few snooze-fests in recent times…

One headline in Greece described this as a “Derby without stars” and given that both AEK Athens and Panathinaikos will be without key attacking players, you wouldn’t disagree with that statement.

For AEK Athens, the irrepressible Ignacio Scocco and experienced Nikos Lyberopoulos are missing through injury, as are teen prodigy Sotiris Ninis and bullish winger Sebastian Leto for Panathinaikos.

It’s hard to see which players will be missed by their respective sides more. For AEK, Argentine talent Scocco has been their go-to man in derby matches since his arrival at the club, recently scoring a stunning double away against Aris in a 4-0 win and last season memorably doing the same in a 2-1 away win against Olympiakos. Lyberopoulos meanwhile calls upon years of experience as a goal-scorer in both Greece and abroad, having returned to the club where he is adored in order to lead them through difficult times; his ability to score crucial goals and provide a link between midfield and attack is unmatched by any of his teammates.

Perennial Manchester United and Real Madrid target Sotiris Ninis – or so the Greek media would like to believe – is the bright spark in what is a slightly old squad, widely regarded as his country’s most exciting prospect. His creativity was missed in midweek as the Greens played out a drab goalless draw with Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Champions League, as was the drive of Sebastian Leto out wide. The Liverpool man has been a revelation since his fall-out with Olympiakos prompted him to make a controversial move to their hated rivals, helping to inspire them to a domestic double.

Traianos Dellas (Can’t run) vs Djibril Cisse (Can sprint)

Logic would suggest that Panathinaikos won’t be reeling quite as much given the depth of international quality in their playing roster, still able to call upon the likes of Djibril Cisse, who has already banged in five goals against the Greek Super League’s defenders this season after top-scoring last campaign. Yet their injury list extends to his fellow countryman Sidney Govou and the experienced Giourkas Seitaridis, which further dents the preparation of manager Nikos Nioplias.

AEK face a defensive reshuffle with rising star Kosta Manolas, the experienced and versatile Christos Patsatzoglou, usual right-back Sanel Jahic and club stalwart Nikos Georgeas all ruled out, leaving the ageing legs of Traianos Dellas and the uncovincing Christian Nasuti as a central defensive pairing, whom I think could be in for a disastrous evening against the aforementioned Cisse.

I’d use Panathinaikos’ unconvincing display in Europe in midweek as evidence that they’ve lost the attacking mojo that characterized their domestic and continental campaigns last season, though AEK faired hardly any better against Anderlecht in midweek. You get the sense though that Nioplias is feeling the pressure in the PAO hot-seat, having offered his resignation at least once this season, while new AEK boss Manolo Jimenez made a bright start against Aris.

The Spaniard will be no stranger to derby atmospheres after his long association with Sevilla and he handled what was a tricky opening test at the Kleanthis Vikelidis with aplomb; this though is an altogether different prospect against a team who already boasted a far stronger line-up before AEK were beset by injury problems.

In terms of key men for the home side, Rafik Djebbour has looked energetic as the resident lone man up-front all season, netting three times in the league thus far. Brazilian Leonardo can on his day do damage from just about anywhere outside the penalty area, while from the snippets of the Aris match it seemed as though Pantelis Kafes, Papa Bouba Diop and the frustrating Grigoris Makos might be forming an encouraging midfield partnership.

Though lacking the sheer intensity and hatred evoked by the Olympiakos-Panathinaikos match-up, this match is hugely important to the title race and neither team can afford to lose it.

A look at Qatar's World Cup Stadiums

2010-10-24T19:25:00.000+11:00

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At $4 billion dollars, you'd forgive designers Albert Speer and Partner and the Qatar bid team if they simply indulged themselves in building world-class stadiums without thinking too much about the consequences beyond winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup.

Yet what is striking about the proposed five stadiums - three built from scratch and two existing ones expanded - is that they are environmentally friendly and will in some cases be part-disassembled with the remains shipped off to developing countries as part of a lasting legacy of the tournament.

Even the much-publicized cooling systems that will make sitting inside these state-of-the-art venues so much more comfortable operate via environmentally friendly sources, the venues interconnected by an impressive transport system and each portraying aspects of Qatari culture to the watching world.

Goal.com previews five of the twelve stadiums that will form Qatar's World Cup landscape if the Middle Eastern country is successful on December 2.

LUSAIL STADIUM

Key Features

- 86,000 capacity
- Reflects Qatari heritage through traditional dhow sail
- Fully retractable and world’s largest cable-net roof

Design comment

Surrounded by what looks to be a pond of some sort, one wonders whether fans will be able to resist the temptation to go fishing or swim just outside instead of watching a potentially dull opener within its curved walls. The cable-net roof looks to have been concocted by a fan of the Spiderman comics, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering he’s universally popular.

Wow factor

6/10 – Looks a little too like the Allianz Arena to win any marks for originality but the water and roof give it a nice edge. There doesn’t appear to be too much that’s ground breaking about it, though it’s easy on the eyes. Will host the opener and final.

Al-Khor Stadium

Key Features

- Some spectators will be able to se the Arabian Gulf from their seats
- Fans approach stadium under a cooled structure
- Upper tier will be disassembled and shipped to developing countries

Design Comment

‘Compact bowl’ plan should make sure the atmosphere is electric with spectators close to the action, while the seashell roof is particularly unique and cleverly compliments the nearby Gulf. Roof design also provides a virtual hermit crab experience for anyone wondering what it was like to be within a shell for a prolonged period.

Wow factor

8/10 – Merely for its stunning location this is an impressive venue and those lucky enough to get seats with a view of the water can turn their attention away whenever the action on the pitch doesn’t live up to their standards.

Al-Wakrah Stadium

Key Features

- Part of a sports complex that features an aquatic centre, spa and retail outlets.
- Cooling design will be donated to developing countries with similar climates for football reasons
- 140 ‘prime location seats’ for people with disabilities

Design Comment

An elevated view of the proposed park is stunning, though the stadium on its own looks a little like a jelly cake from the outside. If that stirs up anyone’s appetite then they can help themselves at what should be countless food outlets within the massive complex.

Wow Factor

7/10 – Aquatic centre for those who fancy a dip, spa to relax frustrated fans at their team’s group stage exit, retail outlets so that the wives and girlfriends can partake in some shopping so that the other half partake in the football in peace (players and fans alike) – lives up to its billing as a “Football oasis”.

Al-Shamal Stadium

Key Features

- Covered seating for all spectators
- “Flexible roof” provides shade over entire pitch
- Can accommodate water taxies

Design Comment

Fascinating design is supposedly going to make the stadium look from afar as though it is “a boat on the shore waiting to be launched”. Hopefully that won’t misdirect fans looking for something resembling more a stadium on the horizon but with a shoreline nearby, it’s again beautifully placed.

Wow Factor

9/10 – A Qatar-Bahrain “friendship bridge” nearby, water complimenting the fishing boat design. This surely has to be one of the most unique stadium designs in the world (and visitors can say they arrived at a World Cup match via water taxi!)

Al-Rayyan Stadium

Key Features

- Surrounded by a screen on its exterior that will project news, commercials and tournament updates
- Downscaled to its existing capacity after the tournament (21,282) with upper tier shipped to developing countries
- Roof elements to be added to cover seats

Design Comment

The screen that surrounds the stadium gives it limitless potential in the way of showing other matches that might be going on at the same time or even showing what’s going on inside.

Wow Factor

7/10 – The screen alone props up the wow factor here: imagine the atmosphere if fans also surround the stadium to watch the game within its walls...

Al-Gharafa Stadium

Key Features

- Surrounding ‘ribbons’ to be made up of colours of flags of all countries who qualify for the tournament
- Covered seating for all spectators

Design comment

Ribbons give it colour and allow it to be identified from the other venues, while the idea that the colours of the different flags symbolise “football and the friendship, mutual tolerance, respect and understanding the tournament” is a nice one. Then again, that’s potentially a lot of different compressed colours, so hopefully the paint doesn’t run...

Wow Factor

5/10 – Doesn’t quite command the presence of some of the other alternatives but hey, it’s colourful and it’s contributing to the development of third world countries – as all these stadiums are – so the positives are plenty.

Keisuke Honda is Asia's best footballer

2010-10-16T03:12:00.003+11:00

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Beg to differ? No doubt you’ll bring up names such as Tim Cahill, Park Ji-Sung and Yasser Al-Qahtani in dispute of the claim.

Chances are though that if you watched Tuesday’s otherwise dull goalless draw between South Korea and Japan in Seoul, you won’t bother with the alternatives.

Honda was by far and away the best player on the pitch and commanded a presence that suggests he’ll be at one of Europe’s biggest clubs within the next couple of seasons.

With his tenacity off the ball and sublime skill on it he delivered an incredibly balanced performance and should have been the difference between the two sides, had Jung Sung-Ryong not produced a brilliant stop on one occasion and his finishing not let him down on the other.

The CSKA Moscow man attracted attention with his outstanding form in club football in the build-up to the 2010 World Cup, where he didn’t disappoint as he led Japan into the last 16.

In South Africa he displayed the sort of sharp finishing and vision with his passing that makes him a near-perfect attacking unit, capable of providing and scoring in equal measure.

Honda Stat Attack

19	Fouls committed at the World Cup
23	Fouls suffered at the World Cup.
171	Passes made at the World Cup.
101	Passes completed at the World Cup.
46	The amount of km covered by Honda at the World Cup (the second highest for a Japanese player)
6	Goals scored for Japan.

Showing maturity beyond his 24 years, Honda has been able to adapt to a deeper lying role in the Russian Premier League, already setting an example for some of the club’s younger players.

He’s shown a penchant for performing on the big stage, his free-kick in the UEFA Champions League against Sevilla last season the stuff of folk-lore, while he scored in a dramatic late winner on debut for the club in stoppage time.

Unafraid to follow in the footsteps of fashion icons Hidetoshi Nakata and Kazuyoshi Miura off the pitch – where he attracted attention last summer for wearing a watch on either hand – he nonetheless has the ability and work ethic to back it up.

Adored by CSKA fans for the amount of work he does for the team, he has replicated his fine form on the domestic front with his national side.

In South Africa Honda scored twice and generally looked a world class player, undoubtedly one of the stars of the tournament; who knows just how much more his stock would have risen had Japan made it to the quarter finals?

It is unfortunate that we were denied the opportunity to see more of him against world class opposition and no doubt a great deal of people who tuned into the World Cup only caught glimpses of Honda, perhaps uninterested in a group that otherwise contained Cameroon, Denmark and the Netherlands.

When playing for Japan Honda has the luxury of operating within a truly world-class midfield, the hard work of grafters such as Makoto Hasebe only serving to highlight his various attacking talents.

Generally drifting into space in-behind the strikers, he has the ability to conjure goals from nothing, whether shooting from range or playing that crucial final ball.

What makes Honda such an outstanding player though is his aforementioned willingness to do the dirty work in midfield – something rarely expected of players of his ilk.

Indeed, two of the best chances of the game that fell Japan’s way came courtesy of Honda showing the strength to be able to win the ball in deeper areas.

Japanese football supposedly suffers from a lack of cutting edge in front of goal for all its characteristic finesse and neat build-up play, yet Honda is the antithesis to that stereotype.

His finish from a tight angle against Cameroon in the group stages, as well as the presence of mind he showed to set-up Shinji Okazaki for the killer third goal against Denmark, is reflective of a composure in high-pressure situations his peers simply don’t possess.

Honda in many respects is the complete package and individual displays such as the one against South Korea earlier in the week is the reason he’s already being linked with a move away from Russia.

The Asian Cup in January presents the perfect stage for Honda to cement his standing as Asia’s best footballer by dominating the tournament and leading his country to victory.

He’s one of the few players who can single-handedly make such a difference to his team and on current form, you wouldn’t bet against it.