afc quarterly issue 5

5/24/2018 Afc Quarterly Issue 5

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SHINJI ON

Much-travelled legend on his neAustralia aheadto ACL this year

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION ISSQUARTERLY

ISSUE

5January 2014

AFC Player of the Year

Award for GuangzhouEvergrandes influentialcaptain

HAKEEM SHAKIR

The coach at the centre ofIraqs rebuilding processand the start of a newgolden generation

SANHARIB MALKI

Globetrotting Syria strikerreflects on his decision torepresent his homelandat international level

ZHENGZHI

AFGHANISTA

PLUOnce war-torn nation la

the foundations for the fuwith success bot

and off the


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CONTENTS

26 HAKEEM SHAKIRCoach Hakeem Shakir is the man behind

Iraqs recent upturn in fortunes at all

levels having been involved withthe national team for over 20 years

28 SANHARIB MALKISyria striker Sanharib Malki has enjoyed a

successful career in Belgium, Greece, the

Netherlands and now Turkey havingstarted his career playing alongside

a host of household names

34 IN FOCUS: AFGHANISTANAfghanistans victory at last years SAFF

Championship, coupled with a secondsuccessful domestic season, have laid the

foundations for a bright future for

the once war-torn nation

40 SHINJI ONOJapanese legend Shinji Ono is

enjoying a new lease of life with

Australias Western Sydney Wanderersfollowing a remarkable career

46 AFC CHAMPIONSLEAGUE DRAW PREVIEW

We take an in-depth look at each of the

teams who have qualied for the group

stage of the 2014 AFC ChampionsLeague,while also previewing the play-offs

52 CLUB FOCUS:GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDE

The newly crowned AFC Champions

League winners Guangzhou Evergrande

on their aims to build on their incrediblecontinental and domestic success to

create a lasting legacy for Chinese football

Regular Sections

4 In the News

58 Toyota Top Goal Scorer

60 AFC Asian Cup Update

64 AFC Champions League

66 AFC Cup

68 AFC U-19 Womens Championship

71 AFC U-19 Championship

Qualifers

72 AFC Futsal Championship

Qualifers

74 Inside AFC

78 Great Grounds of Asia

20Interview: Zheng Zhi

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

QUA

Issue NJanuary-March 2

Ofcial quarterly

Asian Football C

Published on be

Football Confed

Sport Group

Asian Football CAFC House, Jal

5700 Kuala Lum

Malaysia

Tel: +603 8994 3Fax: + 603 8994

www.the-afc.co

President:Shaikh Salman B

Vice President

Zhang JilongHRH Prince AbdAhmad Shah

Yousuf Yaqoob Y

Moya Dodd

Ganesh Thapa

FIFA Vice PresiHRH Prince Ali B

FIFA Executive

Members:Dato Worawi M

Shaikh Salman B

AFC Executive

Members:Dr Hafez Al Med

Zaw, Mahfuza A

Patel, Kohzo Tas

Buyannemekh, A

Khalid Hamed ASyed Faisal Sale

Lee, Dr Tran Quo

Shalabi Molano

General SecretDato Alex Soos

Managing EditoMichael Church

Editor:Andrew Mullen

Deputy Editor:Daniel Pordes

Designer:David Chung

Photos:World Sport Gro

Adnan Hajj Ali

Any views expre

Quarterly do notreect those of t

Confederation. T

photos and artic

is prohibited unl

been sought fro

reference is mad


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AFC PRESIDEN

Dear friends,

A New Year brings excitement, hope and expectation: 2014 will be no different and it comes

on the back of a highly successful 12 months that highlighted once more the improvementsand developments being made throughout Asian football.

Our sport hit new levels in 2013, with greater heights achieved through increased

professionalism, and the signs are that the benchmarks set previously will be surpassed again

in 2014.

In the coming year, Australia, Iran, Japan and Korea Republic will travel to Brazil with the

support of the entire confederation as they aim to underline the progress made across Asianfootball at the FIFA World Cup finals in June and July.

Last year our mens youth teams proved that Asian football continues to grow and develop atglobal level and there can be little doubt that, in 2014, their female counterparts will build on

those successes in their equivalent competitions over the next 12 months.

The club game, too, is flourishing and with the newly expanded AFC Champions League we

will see in 2014 a more inclusive competition from which the benefits will be felt across evenmore leagues and national associations.

We have also taken steps with regards to transparency by adopting the AFC Code of Ethics

and Electoral Code. We have also pledged to protect the integrity of the sport during the AFCAnnual Awards, which also saw talent being recognised for their contribution to Asian football.

With greater levels of professionalism come a higher standard of football, and with it we will see

Asia continue to move ever closer to the summit of our sport.

Our progress has been rapid, our growth continual and the excitement around Asian football

palpable, so lets continue working together to ensure the future remains bright and successwithin our grasp.

Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa

AFC President

Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al KhalifaAFC President


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AFC General Secreta

Dear friends,

On and off the pitch, 2013 was another monumental year for Asian football, culminating inChina and Guangzhou Evergrande captain Zheng Zhi being named the AFC Player of the Year

at our Annual Awards Night in Kuala Lumpur in late November.

Zhengs influence on Guangzhous AFC Champions League victory highlighted the importance

of experience, dedication and determination in reaching the highest levels and he follows in thefootsteps of a long line of fine professionals in claiming the highest individual accolade in Asian

football.

Throughout 2013 there were positives aplenty, among the most inspirational being

Afghanistans victory in the SAFF Championship; there are lessons that can be learned by

many of us from a nation that has emerged from such prolonged upheaval to garner success.

Iraq, too, showed that football can be a unifying, positive factor for everyone by advancing to

the last four of the FIFA U-20 World Cup under the tutelage of their enthusiastic and passionatecoach, Hakeem Shakir.

No doubt 2014 will deliver many more moments to savour as our representatives travel toBrazil for the FIFA World Cup finals while the AFC Champions League becomes ever more

inclusive, allowing the benefits of professionalism to filter deeper into our game.

The finals of the AFC Asian Cup also grow ever closer and the iconic Sydney Opera Housewill host the draw for the finals on March 26 as preparations for the showdown in January2015 gather pace. The excitement is sure to build in what is shaping up to be a wonderful year

ahead.

Dato Alex SoosayAFC General Secretary

Dato Alex SoosayAFC General Secretary


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IN THE NEWS

Zheng Zhi CrownedAFC Player Of The Year

Asian Teams LearnWorld Cup Fate

G

uangzhou Evergrandecaptain Zheng Zhi cappeda remarkable year afterbeing named AFC Playerof the Year.

Veteran midelderZheng played an

instrumental role as Guangzhou won theAFC Champions League to become the rstChinese side to win continental honourssince 1990, while the 33-year-old alsohelped the club reclaim their domestic crown.

The China international edged out Iranand Esteghlal midelder Javad Nekounamand FC Seoul captain Ha Dae-sung to followin the footsteps of 2001 recipient Fan Zhiyi.

I am very excited after coming last yearwithout an award, its very special this time.There is a special feeling of winning thisaward at the age of 33. Its a big occasion

A

sian champions Japan,Australia, Iran and KoreaRepublic learnt their fates forthe group stage of the 2014FIFA World Cup following

Decembers draw in Brazil.Reigning AFC Asian Cup

champions Japan were drawnalongside Colombia, Greece and Cote dIvoirein Group C, while Australia will join 2010nalists Spain and the Netherlands as well asChile in Group B.

Group H sees Korea Republic face Belgium,Algeria and Russia, while Iran are scheduledto take on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria andArgentina in Group F.

It could be better, but it could be worse too,said Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni, whooversaw Japans fth successful qualicationfor the FIFA World Cup.

trick of awards after being named MVPand top goalscorer as Guangzhou won theAFC Champions League title by beatingKorea Republics FC Seoul on away goalsfollowing a 3-3 draw on aggregate.

The Brazilian was chosen for therecognition ahead of team-mate DarioConca and FC Seoul striker DejanDamjanovic.

I am so happy to have won this award,but this was the result of teamwork ratherthan individual efforts, said Muriqui. Imalso very happy with our performance in theACL this year.

Japan international Yuto Nagatomo,meanwhile, was also honoured as the InterMilan midelder was named AFC AsianInternational Player of the Year aheadof compatriot Keisuke Honda and KoreaRepublic international Son Heung-min.

People may think thbut thats not true, saidMyung-bo.

We shouldnt undereopponents because the

that are capable of goinIran are returning to

for the rst time since fstage in Germany 2010

For my players, it shplay against these rivathey go out and enjoy ematch, eager to make iround, said coach Car

Jordan had been unaquartet in the draw afteintercontinental play-ofto Uruguay at the end oearning a creditable gosecond leg in Montevid

for me to win this award, said Zheng,who lost out last year to Korea Republicinternational Lee Keun-ho having beennominated alongside Irans Ali Karimi.

This season has been fantastic, not only

for me but the whole team.Honestly, I thought that I would not

win the award again after I was connedto being only a nominee last year, but itsdown to my team-mates without whom itwould have been impossible to win thistime.

I am not young anymore, but I still havedesire to produce my best, not only for theclub, but for my national team as well.

Zhengs Guangzhou team-mate, Muriqui,was named AFC Foreign Player of theYear, while the club was also named AFCClub of the Year.

Muriquis latest plaudit made it a hat-

I am not just saying this because wehave ended up in the same group, but I haveconsidered Colombia one of the World Cupfavourites since well before the nal draw.

Australia nished runners-up to Japan in

the nal round of qualiers to earn a thirdconsecutive appearance at the FIFA WorldCup.

Theres no doubt we have a toughgroup, said Australia coach AngePostecoglou.

Australias sporting history is full ofstories where we have embraced theunderdog status and we will come to theWorld Cup looking to create some magicmoments that all Australians will rememberfor years to come.

Korea enter their eighth consecutive FIFAWorld Cup having, like Japan, reached theRound of 16 in South Africa.

GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDE CAPTAIN WINS ASIAS TOP INDIVIDUAL

HONOUR AHEAD OF FELLOW MIDFIELDERS JAVAD NEKOUNAM AND

HA DAE-SUNG AT A GALA NIGHT IN KUALA LUMPUR IN NOVEMBER.

DECEMBERS DRAW IN BRAZIL SAW JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, IRAN AND

KOREA REPUBLIC LEARN THEIR OPPONENTS FOR THE 2014 FIFA WORL

ALTHOUGH JORDAN MISSED OUT AFTER LOSING THEIR PLAY-OFF AGAINST


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IN THE NEWS

Iraq, Korea Republic ClaimTeam, Youth Recognition

Iraqs maiden semi-finalappearance at the 2013FIFA U-20 World Cup wasrecognised at the AFC AnnualAwards with Hakeem Shakirsside named AFC MensNational Team of the Year,with highly-rated defender Ali

Adnan taking home the AFC YouthPlayer of the Year accolade.

Having progressed to the semi-

finals in Turkey with an unbeatenrecord following wins overParaguay and Korea Republicin the knockout stage, Iraq wereeventually edged out by Uruguayon penalties.

Adnan was ever-present duringIraqs campaign in Turkey, withthe full-back scoring a stoppage-time equaliser against Englandbefore opening the scoring with anoutrageous free-kick in the semi-final defeat by Uruguay.

It is the recognition of ourefforts in a difficult but memorable

year, said Shakir, who isalso the coach of the Iraqnational team. We had severalchallenges but finally impressedthe world by our football. Thisaward also shows that Iraqifootball is heading in the rightdirection and we have goodstrategies in place.

AFC Womens U-19Championship winners Korea

Republic claimed the AFCWomens National Team of theYear award, with tournamentMVP and top scorer Jang Sel-ginamed AFC Youth Player of theYear.

Elsewhere, Choi Yong-soowas named AFC Coach of theYear after leading FC Seoul tothe AFC Champions Leaguefinal, with Asako Takemotowinning the Womens awardhaving led Japan to success atthe 2013 AFC U-16 WomensChampionship.

AFC Diamond of Asia Dr. Chung Moon-joon

AFC Dream Asia Award Myanmar Football Federation

AFC Fair Play Association of the Year Chinese Football Federation

AFC Futsal Team of the Year Chonburi Bluewave (Thailand)

AFC Futsal Player of the Year Suphawut Thueanklang (Chonburi

Bluewave)

AFC Assistant Referee of the Year (Women) Allyson Flynn (Australia)

AFC Assistant Referee of the Year (Men) Toshiyuki Nagi (Japan)

AFC Referee of the Year (Women) Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)

AFC Referee of the Year (Men) Benjamin Williams (Australia)

AFC Member Association of the Year for Grassroots Football

Japan Football Association

AFC Inspiring Member Association of the Year

Chinese Football Federation

AFC Developing Member Association of the Year

Jordan Football Association

AFC Aspiring Member Association of the Year

Pakistan Football Federation

Familiar Foes ForChampionsGuangzh

Defending champions GuangzhouEvergrande will face familiar foesJeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the groupstage of the AFC Champions Leaguefollowing Decembers draw in KualaLumpur.

Marcello Lippis side became therst Chinese side to be crowned

continental champions in 23 years after edging out Koreancounterparts FC Seoul on away goals following a 3-3 drawon aggregate in the nal having advanced from the groupstage alongside 2006 champions Jeonbuk.

And having also faced 2011 nalists Jeonbuk in thegroup stage of theirmaiden continentalcampaign a

year earlier,Guangzhou willbe joined in GroupG by JapaneseEmperors Cupwinners YokohamaF.Marinos and oneof two teams whoadvance from theplay-offs in theEast when thegroup stage getsunderway at theend of February.

We will playagainst Jeonbukfor a third time,so theyre oldopponents buttheyre also friends,said GuangzhouEvergrandepresident Liu Yongzhou. I think it is fate that weve beendrawn against them.

I believe this year all of the Chinese clubs will devotethemselves to doing their best in the AFC ChampionsLeague. They will ght for China and we believe the otherChinese clubs will do well.

Beaten 2013 nalists FC Seoul will face J.Leaguechampions Sanfrecce Hiroshima, A-League Grand Finalwinners Central Coast Mariners, and another play-off

winner in Group F.Elsewhere in the East, K-League Classic championsand 2009 AFC Champions League winners PohangSteelers will meet Thai double winners Buriram United,Chinas Shandong Luneng and Japans Cerezo Osaka inGroup E.

And in Group H, A-League Premiers and AFC

Champions League debutants Western SydneWanderers will face 2011 champions Ulsan HChinas Guizhou Renhe and Japans Kawasain Group H.

In the West, two-time champions Al Ittihad wtheir return to the competition in Group C aloninaugural AFC Champions League winners AlUnited Arab Emirates as well as Irans Tractorand one of two play-off winners from the West

The draw is good and fair for us, said Al Ittteam manager Atef Tashkandi. We were not iChampions League last year and this gives usmotivation to do well this year and get into the

Al Agood tare als

team. team fdifculwill hahard.

Fellwinnefrom QreturncompeGroupSaudi Al HilaSepahAl AhlUnitedEmirawon thQatar Leagu

ElseSaudi

and AFC Champions League debutants Al Fatjoined in Group B by two-time semi-nalists Bfrom Uzbekistan and Irans Foolad as well as advancing from the play-offs.

Finally, Iran champions Esteghlal will look tlast years semi-nal appearance as the two-tClub Championship winners begin their campGroup A against Qatars Al Rayyan, Al Jazira fUAE and Saudi Arabias Al Shabab.

The four outstanding places in the group stAFC Champions League will be decided by thoffs which take place over three rounds at theFebruary.

Following a change to the competition formaChampions League will remain separated geogensure East and West representation in Novem

Group B

Al Fateh (KSA)

Foolad (IRN)

Play-Off Winner

Bunyodkor (UZB)

Group C

Al Ain (UAE)

Al Ittihad (KSA)

Tractorsazi Tabriz (IRN)

Play-Off Winner

Group D

Al Sadd (QAT)

Al Ahli (UAE)

Al Hilal (KSA)

Sepahan (IRN)

Group E

PohangSteelers(KOR)

BuriramUnited(THA)

ShandongLuneng(CHN)

CerezoOsaka(JPN)

Group F

SanfrecceHiroshima (JPN)

CentralCoastMariners(AUS)

FCSeoul(KOR)

Play-OffWinner

Group G

GuangzhouEvergrande (CHN)

YokohamaF.Marinos (JPN)

JeonbukHyundaiMotors(KOR)

Play-OffWinner

W

Group A

Esteghlal (IRN)

Al Rayyan (QAT)

Al Jazira (UAE)

Al Shabab (KSA)


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IN THE NEWS

Australia To Begin Title DefAgainst World Champio

Defending champions Australiawill face FIFA World Cup winners

Japan, hosts Vietnam andtournament debutants Jordan inthe group stage of the 2014 AFCWomens Asian Cup.

The Matildas won thecontinental crown for the rst time in 2010 afteredging out DPR Korea on penalties following a1-1 draw, and will look to defend their title in HoChi Minh City in May.

Eight-time champions China, Korea Republic,Thailand and Myanmar will make up Group B forthe tournament, with the top ve teams earningqualication for the 2015 FIFA World Cup inCanada.

I think the two groups are very equal so I am

World Cup, Japan havWomens Asian Cup h

in the semi-nals in 20triumph in Germany a

Hosts Vietnam are sappearance in the knoJordan are the rst-evto qualify for the nals

China won the last o2006 having also reachome soil in 2010, witreaching the nal four

Thailand won the titseeking a rst appearastage since nishing tMyanmar have yet to pgroup stage.

very happy to have Japan in the group, saidformer Netherlands international Hesterine de

Reus, who replaced 2010 AFC Womens AsianCup winner Tom Sermanni as Australia coachat the start of the year.

I am looking forward to a very competitivecompetition and we are eager to qualify for theWorld Cup.

I worked in Jordan before I took this job,as I was the coach of the womens nationalteam, so I know Jordan a bit. We watchedall the teams at a tournament in Myanmar inSeptember, and there are still six months togo to get information about our opponents,so I think everything is well organised andplanned.

Despite winning the 2011 FIFA Womens

THE MATILDAS WILL BEGIN THE DEFENCE OF THEIR AFC WOMENS A

CUP TITLE AGAINST FIFA WORLD CUP WINNERS JAPAN FOLLOWIN

NOVEMBERS FINALS DRAW IN HO CHI MINH CITY.

Jordan, Korea Republic,India, Malaysia Honoured

Arbil Eye AFC Cup Success

Jordan, Korea Republic and India have been grantedhosting rights for high-prole FIFA events in 2016 and2017 following decisions by the Executive Committee offootballs world governing body.

The rst West Asian nation to qualify for the AFCWomens Asian Cup in 2014, Jordan will now host the2016 FIFA Womens U-17 World Cup.

By granting Jordan the honour of hosting thistournament, FIFA is investing in football development that would haveimmeasurable positive impact on the progress of womens football notonly in Jordan, but also across the region, said HRH Prince Ali BinHussein, FIFA Vice President and President of the Jordan FootballAssociation.

Jordan, from its people to its public and private sectors, has set

its heart on embracing this opportunity. We are very appreciative toFIFA for their support and we hope to deliver an outstanding U-17Womens World Cup that sets the bar for FIFA events in the MiddleEast and makes both FIFA and Jordanians proud.

And having successfully co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup withJapan, the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be played in Korea in 2017.

Previously, we co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japanand now we are ready to host the second biggest FIFA competitionalone and this means a lot to us. We will do our best to host itsuccessfully, said Korea Football Association President ChungMong-gyu.

India, meanwhile, will host the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017, whilethe 2017 FIFA Congress has been scheduled to take place in KualaLumpur, Malaysia.

Former nalists Arbil from Iraq are condent of areturn to success in the AFC Cup after avoidingnemesis and defending champions Kuwait SportsClub in the group stage following Decembers draw.

Arbil will face either Shabab Al Ordon or AlWehdat of Jordan, Bahraini outt Riffa and thewinner of Februarys qualifying play-off betweenKyrgyzstan League champions Alay and Al Dharia of

Palestine in Group D having been eliminated from the tournamentby three-time winners Kuwait SC on three separate occasions.

After defeating domestic rivals Al Qadsia in the nal last year,Kuwait SC will take their place inFebruarys play-offs for the AFCChampions League with a placein the AFC Cup available shouldthey fail to progress through thequaliers.

Im happy that theres no Kuwaititeams in our group, said Arbil clubrepresentative Rebi Ramzi. We lostthree times to Kuwait Sports Club, inthe nal [2012], semi-nal [2011] andquarter-nal [2009] stage.

If Kuwait SC get into the AFCChampions League then theresa big chance for Arbil to win the

tournament.Failure to qualify for the AFC Champions League will see Kuwait

SC join 2004 AFC Cup champions Al Jaish of Syria, Nejmeh fromLebanon and Omans Fanja in Group B with Al Arabi on standby toll the place.

Elsewhere in the West, Group A will see either Al Suwaiq orSaham of Oman take on Jordanian debutants That Ras Club and

Safa from Lebanon, in addition to the winners of the play-offbetween Tajikistans FC Ravshan and Al Yarmouk of Yemen.

Syrian side Al Wahda will have to wait until the completion ofthe AFC Champions League play-offs to learn their opponents inGroup C as Bahrains Al Hidd, Kuwaits Al Qadsia and Al Shortaof Iraq are all involved in Februarys xtures with Manama, AlNasaf, and Air Force their potential replacements.

In the East, meanwhile, Group E features three domesticleague champions in Indonesias Persipura Jayapura, Maldivianside New Radiant and I-League table-toppers Churchill Brothers

of India as well as Singapore Cupwinners Home United.

Group F encompasses Selangorof Malaysia and Maldivian teamMaziya Sports and Recreation,along with Arema Indonesia andeither Ha Noi T&T or SHB DaNang of Vietnam depending onthe formers fortunes in the AFCChampions League play-offs.

Hong Kongs AFC ChampionsLeague hopefuls South China oralternates Sun Pegasus make-upGroup G alongside Yangon Unitedof Myanmar, Vietnamese outt XMVissai Ninh Binh and Malaysia FA

Cup winners Kelantan.Finally, Group H contains either Tampines Rovers or Balestier

Khalsa of Singapore, Indian teams Pune FC or East Bengal, NayPyi Taw of Myanmar and Hong Kongs Kitchee.

The AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs concludes onFebruary 15, with the AFC group stage beginning on February25/26.

Group B

KuwaitSC/AlArabi(KUW)

Fanja(OMN)

AlJaish(SYR)

Nejmeh(LIB)

Group C

AlHidd/Manama(BHR)

AlQadsia/AlNasaf(KUW)

AlShorta/AirForce(IRQ)

AlWahda(SYR)

Group D

ShababAlOrdon/AlWehdat(JOR)

Riffa(BHR)

Play-OffWinner

Arbil(IRQ)

Group E

PersipuraJayapura(IDN)

HomeUnited(SIN)

NewRadiantSC(MDV)

ChurchillBrothers(IND)

Group F

HaNoiT&T/SHBDa Nang(VIE)

AremaIndonesia(IDN)

Selangor(MAS)

MaziyaSports&Recreation(MDV)

Group G

YangonUnited(MYA)

XMVissaiNinhBinh (VIE)

SouthChina/Pegasus(HKG)

Kelantan(MAS)

Group H

TampinesRovers/Balestier(SIN)

NayPyiTaw (MYA)

Pune/EastBengal(IND)

Kitchee(HKG)

Group A

AlSuwaiq/Saham(OMN)

ThatRasClub (JOR)

Safa(LIB)

Play-OffWinner


11/41

AFC QUARTERLY 20

ZHENG ZHI WAS NAMED 2013 AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR HAVING PLAYED A

PIVOTAL ROLE IN GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDES HISTORIC AFC CHAMPIONS

LEAGUE SUCCESS LAST YEAR, COMPLETING A FAIRYTALE STORY AFTER

RETURNING TO HIS HOMELAND FROM EUROPE THREE YEARS

EARLIER WITH THE CLUB IN THE SECOND DIVISION.

By:Andrew Mullen Photos:: World Sport Group/Asian Football Confederation

Zheng Zhi was onlystarting out on his football

journey the last time aChinese side claimed acontinental title.

But now, with thecoveted AFC Player of theYear award also sitting

in pride of place in an ever-expandingtrophy cabinet back in his hometown inthe province of Liaoning home of the1990 Asian Club Championship winners

Guangzhou Evergrandes AFCChampions League winning captaincan consider himself a member of avery elite club.

While Guangzhous formidableSouth American attacking trio of AFCForeign Player of the Year Muriqui,Dario Conca and Elkeson grabbed theheadlines, the hard yards put in byZheng in mideld for Marcello Lippisside in the AFC Champions Leaguelast year were a key factor for the now


12/41

INTERVIEW: ZHENG ZHI

three-time Chinese champions.Lippis decision soon after his arrival in mid-

2012 to shift the 33-year-old into mideld aftera year-and-a-half spent featuring principally indefence was one of the unheralded but vitalfactors in Guangzhous ascent to the summitof Asian football.

The benets were felt keenly in the AFCChampions League as Zheng started everygame in Guangzhous second appearance inthe continental competition, with the formerShenzhen Jianlibao and Shandong Lunengplayer missing only a handful of minutes in theknockout stage.

By the end of the campaign, Zheng andLippi were sharing the winners rostrum infront of their own fans to hoist the trophy into

the air having edged out FC Seoul on awaygoals to claim the continental title, and a littlemore than two weeks later Zheng became therst Chinese player to win the AFC Player ofthe Year award since Fan Zhiyi in 2001.

Zheng had been edged out by KoreaRepublic international and 2012 AFCChampions League MVP Lee Keun-ho a yearearlier after being nominated alongside IransAli Karimi. But on this occasion, Iran andEsteghlal midelder Javad Nekounam and FCSeoul captain Ha Dae-sung were forced towatch on as Zheng claimed the continents topindividual accolade.

I am very happy to have received the

match-xing scandal, Guangzhou had beenbought by Evergrande Real Estate Group,with president Xu Jiayin insisting the SuperLeague title would be won in three years andthe AFC Champions League crown would bedelivered within ve.

The team was in the second division inChina when I came back, says Zheng. AfterI had discussions with the managers of club,I gured out this club had very big ambitionsso I made a decision to join them so we couldprogress together.

Zheng was no stranger to eithercompetition having tasted domestic successwith both Shenzhen and Shandong.

He had also helped Shandong reach thequarter-nals of the AFC Champions League

in 2005 having watched on as Liaoning beatJapans Nissan FC to win the 1990 Asian ClubChampionship.

A 25-year-old Zheng was in the Shandongside who held Al Ittihad to a 1-1 draw at homein the rst leg of their 2005 quarter-nal tiebefore the defending champions ran riot in thereturn xture and posted a 7-2 win to advance8-3 on aggregate on their way to winning asecond consecutive continental title.

I had just began training as a footballerwhen Liaoning were crowned Asianchampions, he says. My hometown isLiaoning, so I watched Liaoning becomeAsian champion on TV with great excitement.

Player of the Year trophy. It is a reward of mydevotion and I hope this trophy will give morecondence to young players in China, saysZheng. I have put the trophy on a specialtrophy wall in my house in my home town.

A trophy laden November, which was

subsequently followed by Guangzhousappearance at the 2013 FIFA World Cup inMorocco, completed a rapid rise for Chinasnewest footballing heavyweight and ensuredthe shelving on Zhengs domestic displaywill be groaning under the weight of rapidlyaccumulated silverware.

Having won the Chinese title in 2004 withShenzhen Jianlibao and Shandong Lunengin 2006, Zheng returned to China followingspells in Europe with Charlton Athletic andCeltic to join ambitious second divisionside Guangzhou mid-way through the 2010campaign.

Relegated to the second tier following a

After I had discussionswith the managersof club, I figured outthis club had very bigambitions so I made adecision to join themso we could progresstogether.

Going to England wasnot a hard decision forme because I was alwaysthirsty to play footballin Europe, which is thecentre of football.

The rst championship with Shenzhenmeant a lot to me, but now the AFCChampions League victory is a continentaltitle playing against much stronger opponentswho are also champions.

Shandong were a very strong team. Ijoined Shandong in order to improve myselfand of course win more championships.And I was also able to experience the AFCChampions League with Shandong.

It was while at Shenzhen, having switchedfrom Liaonings youth team, that Zheng wasgiven the chance to play in mideld.

I have tried many positions in my career,he adds. I played in defence, then I triedmideld after I came to Shenzhen becauseI was young and coach Zhu Guanghu found

that I could do very well in mideld.Success with Shandong, as the club won

the domestic double in 2006, subsequentlyled to interest from Europe and Zhengeventually joined English Premier Leagueside Charlton on loan.

The rst Chinese player to play forCharlton, Zheng featured in 12 games in thePremier League but was unable to stop theAddicks being relegated.

But having tasted life at the top level inEurope, Zheng completed a permanent moveto London despite Charltons relegation andhe scored nine goals in his rst season in thesecond tier to nish runner-up in the player of

eliminated after pickingfrom a group that featuBelgium and Brazil. To a groin injury picked upimpacted on the start oEngland after Zheng magainst Brazil due to su

He returned briey tobut, after another injuryrelegation to League OEnglish football was aZheng had again recovhis comeback.

Charlton had been kof the midelder to booan instant return to the after 70 appearances a

opted against agreeingeventually joined ScottCeltic in September 20deal.

I was on loan at Chaseason, but we were sadidnt change to anothealready settled into thisZheng. But the club chyears, mostly becauseMany good players leftin order to remain at a h

Then Celtic managetried to sign Zheng fromearlier when in charge

the year poll.Going to England was not a hard decision

for me because I was always thirsty to playfootball in Europe, which is the centre offootball, he says. My dream came true and

I was able to show my ability to the wholeworld.

There were many differences betweenthe two leagues. The Chinese league didnthave a long history at that time, but I hopenow more young players can play in Englandbecause they play very fast with very quicktransition.

While Zhengs rst 18 months in Englandhad gone well personally, the 2008 Englishseason was to start on a sour note.

Chinas performance at the OlympicGames in which Zheng played as one ofthree permitted overage players in Beijinghad been less than stellar, with the team

LefWinning the 2013AFC Champions League.

RightZheng helped China reachthe final o the 2004 AFC Asian Cup.

Above Zheng signed orCeltic in September 2009.


13/41

Albion and the former Middlesbrough defendershowed his faith in Zhengs talents by handingthe China captain his Celtic debut against ercecross-Glasgow rivals Rangers in the Old Firmderby at Ibrox.

Celtic lost 2-1, but Zheng enjoyed animpressive debut in the Scottish Premier League.

Celtic have a long history in Scotland andmy rst match was a national derby, he says. Iknew about football games in Europe before I gotthere, but the rst match was the most intensegame Ive ever experienced.

In total, Zheng made 16 appearances forCeltic before being released in July 2010.

He was quickly snapped up by Guangzhou

and led the southern Chinese outt to an instantreturn to the top-ight by winning the seconddivision title.

A rst Super League title soon followedin 2011, which earned Guangzhou a maidenappearance in the AFC Champions League.

That ended in the quarter-nals as Zhengagain fell foul of Al Ittihad, with the two-timechampions prevailing 5-4 on aggregate despitethe arrival of Lippi prior to their Round of 16success over FC Tokyo and having won theirgroup ahead of three fellow domestic champions.

Lippi was very disappointed that we didntmake it as far as the semi-nals, but nextyear we will prepare according to the AFC

Champions League schedule and we will givethe competition more priority, said Zheng at the2012 AFC Annual Awards.

It is the rst year for the club to play in boththe AFC Champions League and the domesticleague in parallel and what we have learned willprepare the team better for next year.

That focus certainly paid off in 2013 with theonly black mark a defeat in the FA Cup nal byGuizhou Renhe as Guangzhou retained thedomestic title for a third consecutive season.

Zheng also helped China move to withintouching distance of an 11th consecutiveappearance at the AFC Asian Cup in Australia.

China, who Zheng helped reach the nal onhome soil in 2004 only to lose to Japan, needto avoid defeat against Iraq in Marchs nal

qualier to secure qualication for Australiahaving failed to reach the nal round ofqualiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Playing for my country is most important,but I regret that we couldnt win AFC Asian Cupat home in 2004. I think I will have very fewopportunities to win this cup in the future, saysZheng. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup will be mylast AFC Asian Cup and Im pretty sure we willbe Australia and I hope we can perform well.

Before then, Zheng will enjoy a well-earnedbreak following Guangzhous appearance at the2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco beforethoughts turn to how many more shelves willneed to be added to his trophy wall at home.

Nationality

DOB:20/08

Position:M

Current clu

Guangzhou

(China)

Previous cl

Shenzhen Ji

Shandong L

(both China)

Charlton Ath

Celtic (Scotl

Zhe

LefFirst leg o the 2013AFC Champions League final.

AboveRepresenting China

INTERVIEW


14/41

AFTER IRAQS 2007 AFC ASIAN CUP VICTORY RECEIVED WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM,

THE ONCE WAR-RAVAGED NATION AGAIN CLAIMED GLOBAL HEADLINES AS A

SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCE AT LAST YEARS FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP BROUGHT A

NEW GENERATION OF STARS TO THE FOREFRONT, WITH COACH

HAKEEM SHAKIR CENTRAL TO THE REBUILDING PROCESS.

INTERVIEW: HAKEEM SHAKIR

GOLDEN TIMESAHEAD FOR IRAQ

The year 2013 heralded sucha revival in the fortunes ofIraqi football, that talk hasbegun of a new goldengeneration of players torepeat the feats of thelegendary 2007 Asian Cupwinners, should they qualify

for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.This time last year, the senior team

made it to the nals at the Gulf Cup andover the summer, with the world watching,Iraq claimed a historic fourth place atthe FIFA U-20 World Cup as the nationsyoungsters shocked the world. Iraq alsoqualied for the AFC U-22 Championshipnals in Oman with an unbeaten record.

From leading the national team at theregional tournament in Bahrain, to guidingIraqs youth on their unprecedented FIFAU-20 World Cup campaign in Turkey,there has been a consistent inuencethroughout: the man of many coachinghats, Hakeem Shakir.

All the success we have had has beenbecause of this new golden generation andI am sure this generation can continue oursuccess in the upcoming matches, saysthe 51-year-old Shakir.

If we can keep this group of playerstogether I hope that they can achieve alot of success, and especially in the bigcompetitions.

Shakir has been involved in some formof Iraqi football for over 20 years and hascoached the national team from the U-17level upwards.

Indeed, such was Shakirs omnipresencethat at one period, from late 2012 to early2013, the multi-tasking maestro was incharge of three Iraqi national teams thesenior team, the Olympic team and theyouth team - at the same time.

But it was in 2011, in his second stint as

Iraq U-20 manager, that he came across agroup of players that would begin to mouldinto the newest stars of the mens nationalteam.

The side advanced to the 2012 AFCU-19 Championship nals with anunbeaten record in the qualiers andreached the nal undefeated, only to loseto Korea Republic on penalties after a 1-1draw.

However, the top three nish meantqualication for the 2013 FIFA U-20 WorldCup the following year in Turkey, wherethe team were about to become the talk ofthe tournament.

After winning Group E by beating bothEgypt and Chile, and salvaging a drawwith England thanks to a sumptuous last-minute equaliser from full-back Ali Adnan,Iraq knocked out Paraguay in the Round of16 and Korea Republic at the quarter-nalstage before suffering penalty shootoutheartbreak against Uruguay in the semi-nals.

And at the AFC Annual Awards inNovember, recognition of their efforts wasduly given as the Iraq U-20s were namedAFC National Team of the Year and theprodigiously talented Adnan won AFC

Youth Player of the Year, while Shakirreceived a nomination for AFC Coach ofthe Year.

It is great to be recognised for yourwork and your success and when thesuccess comes after so many challenges,getting a chance to win an award showsyou are on the right direction, says Shakir.

Our success came after so manychallenges. Football might still not be inthe country but through our hard workwe are achieving success and winningawards.

Just as the fabled 2007 AFC Asian Cupwinners proved their worth at U-22 level

eight of the players who were in the squadthat nished fourth at the 2004 OlympicGames, including icons Younus Mahmoodand Nashat Akram, started in the continentalnal against Saudi Arabia three years later so, too, have the new stars that Shakir hasbrought through the ranks looking to makean impact at the tournament in Australia nextyear.

All 11 of the players who played for him atthe 2012 AFC U-19 Championship nals havereceived senior call-ups. Along with Adnan,Mohammed Hameed, Humam Tareq, SarifSalman, Mohanad Abdulraheem, MohammedJabbar Rabat and Ali Faez Atiyah have allplayed in the most recent 2015 AFC AsianCup qualifying games under watchful eyesthat belong to a familiar face.

Following his caretaker role overseeingthe 2012 West Asian Football FederationChampionship and 2013 Gulf Cup nalists,Shakir was restored to the helm of thesenior mens team in September after aseries of bad results led to the dismissal ofhis predecessor, Serbian coach VladimirPetrovic.

However, back-to-back defeats againstregional rivals Saudi Arabia in the qualifyingstage mean that should this new generation

of players wish to emulate the 2007 vintage,they must pass their next test: the crucial nalqualifying match against China in March.

Having won just two of their qualiersso far, and with the Chinese national teamcurrently two points ahead, Shakir knows thisgame is a must-win for him and his men.

We have to prove our success throughmore hard work and achieve more success,he adds.

We now have a very important matchagainst China in the Asian Cup qualiers andin this match we can qualify for the AsianCup. We can prove that we are on the righttrack so we will look to continue our success.


15/41

BELGIUM-RAISED SANHARIBMALKI WAS IN THE SAME

TEAM AS A NUMBER OF

HOUSEHOLD NAMES SET TOFEATURE IN THE FIFA WORLD

CUP LATER THIS YEAR.

BUT AFTER CHOOSING TOREPRESENT THE COUNTRY

OF HIS BIRTH, THE MUCH-

TRAVELLED SYRIA STRIKERWILL BE AMONGST THE

SPECTATORS THIS SUMMER.

By:Colin Pereira Photos:World Sport Group/Getty Images

HOME

COMFORTS

PROFILE: SANHARIB MALKI


16/41

When the FIFA WorldCup takes place thissummer, SanharibMalki will be justone of the billions offootball fans watchingthe events as theyunfold in Brazil.

But it could have all been very different forthe 29-year-old if not for a fateful decision thathe made six years ago.

Born in the north-eastern Syrian city ofQamshili, Malki emigrated to Belgium with his

Aramean family at the age of six.He played for Union Saint-Gilloise in the

countrys lower leagues, and after a solidseason in the top ight with Roeselare, he

joined Germinal Beerschot in 2007.A pacey striker who is strong in the air and

an accomplished nisher with either foot,Malki netted 16 goals in his rst year with theAntwerp club as he nished as the divisions

joint top scorer.That earned him an invitation to join the

Belgium under-23 side for a training camp inthe build-up to the 2008 Olympic Games wherehe found himself in the company of severalplayers who would soon make their mark at

English Premier League clubs.It was a very talented squad in which we

had quality players like Vincent Kompany,Thomas Vermaelen, Marouane Fellaini, KevinMirallas and Jan Vertonghen, says Malki,who now plays for Turkish Super Lig clubKasimpasa.

However, Belgium was not Malkis onlyoption as far as international football wasconcerned as he also qualied to play forSyria and for his mothers homeland ofTurkey.

He ultimately decided to represent the

country of his birth and made his internationaldebut for the Qasioun Eagles in a FIFA WorldCup qualier against Kuwait in June 2008.

I have spent most of my life in Europe butI still have a strong feeling for Syria, explainsMalki, who speaks English, French, Dutch,Arabic and his native Aramaic while he is alsolearning Turkish.

I was born in Syria and my father is fromthere so while I have a European identity now,I am still proud to play for the national teamof Syria.

He scored his rst international goal in a3-1 win over the United Arab Emirates in aFIFA World Cup qualier later that month,

although it was not enoin contention for a spot they missed the Final Rqualiers by just a sing

However, Malki woulto play at a major internwhen Syria qualied fofor the rst time in 15 y

He failed to score in

lost narrowly to Jordan champions Japan, but in attack for his countrytheir rst win against Sacompetitive match in 35

It was a very good ethe rst game when weSaudi Arabia. We had athere and they created because it was the rstbeaten Saudi Arabia in Malki.

The second game aso close to getting one from a late penalty and

PROFILE: SAN

AboveCelebrating scoring orRoda JC in their relegation play-oagainst De Graaschap in May 20


17/41

needed to beat Jordan, but unfortunately we lost2-1 and we were eliminated.

But thats football. Sometimes you win butsometimes you have bad luck and you lose.

But while he was getting an opportunity toplay regular international football for Syria,things were not going so well for Malki at clublevel after his prolic form at Beerschot attractedthe interest of other Belgian teams and he wassnapped up by KSC Lokeren just before thetransfer deadline in the summer of 2009.

It, though, would prove an unhappy move forthe Syria international who scored only threegoals in his rst seasonat a club that foundthemselves battling toavoid relegation.

And worse was to followwhen Malki found himselffrozen out of the rst teamwhen Peter Maes tookcharge of Lokeren thefollowing season.

When I arrived atLokeren, they playedme as a right midelderinstead of a striker so Ididnt score many goalsin my rst season there,he says.

But things got verybad in the second seasonbecause the new coachdecided not to play me.

Barely used by Maes,Malki spent the secondhalf of the 2010-11 season on loan at Greeksecond division side Panthrakikos where hemanaged just a solitary goal.

Although his stock had dwindled after twodisappointing seasons, he still had an admirer informer Beerschot coach Harm van Veldhoven,and he took Malki to Dutch club Roda JC on afree transfer in the summer of 2011.

Malki became the focal point of the Rodaattack and the move paid huge dividends as he

Issakson.The transition from the Eredivisie to the

much tighter Super Lig was not an easy onefor Malki, who managed only two goals inhis rst 12 league matches for Kasimpasabefore he scored in back-to-back gamesagainst Galatasaray and Antalyaspor in earlyDecember.

The style of football in Turkey is moreclosed and there are not so many chances toscore, he says.

I also have a different role now because

we play a counterattacking style and I amplaying alongside another striker (ArgentinianEzequiel Scarione), who has been scoringmore goals. However, I really dont care whoscores because I just try my best to help myteam.

Earning a spot in the UEFA ChampionsLeague or Europa League is certainly notbeyond Kasimpasa who matched traditionalheavyweights Fenerbahce, Galatasaray andBekistas in the rst half of the season.

But on the international front, things arenot looking too bright for Malki with Syriafailing to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cupand struggling to make it to the 2015 AFC

plundered 25 goals for the Kerkrade clubto nish the season as the joint second-highest scorer in the Eredivisie.

Van Veldhoven left the club in thesummer but Malki continued to score ona regular basis under new head coachRuud Brood, with 17 goals in the 2012-13season even as Roda found themselves ina relegation scrap.

Roda managed to beat the drop thanksin no small part to the Syrian, who netted ahat-trick in a crucial play-off win against DeGraafschap.

Malkis goalscoringexploits at Rodaattracted plentyof interest in hisservices last summer,especially fromclubs in the Gulf,but after weighingup his options, hemoved to Istanbulto join ambitiousTurkish Super Lig sideKasimpasa in a 1.5million Euro deal.

Before I came toTurkey, I only knewabout the big clubslike Fenerbahce,Galatasaray andBekistas. But I sawthe ambition of theclub when I metup with them and I

became very interested in joining them,explains Malki, who has signed a three-year contract with Kasimpasa.

They have put a lot of money into theclub as their ambition is to play in theEuropean club competitions next year.They have good coaches as well as goodplayers like (Netherlands internationalforward) Ryan Babel and (Swedeninternational goalkeeper) Andreas

Asian Cup in Australia.The troubles in Syria have resulted in the

national team being forced to play all of theirqualifying matches outside the country, withtheir home games taking place in Tehran.

And while the youthful side without Malkienjoyed success in the West Asian FootballFederation Championship in 2012, they have

found things much tougher in the AFC AsianCup qualiers.

As one of the senior players in the Syriansquad and with experience of playing inEurope, Malki is now one of the teams leaders.

Although he has spent little time in Syria inrecent years, with most of his extended familynow living in Jordan and Turkey, he has greatempathy with his national team-mates and theteams supporters who have been affected bythe turmoil in their homeland.

I have a different situation because I havenow been living in Europe for 23 years butwhen I see what is happening in Syria, its verydramatic and we as players want to help out

our people as much as possible, hesays.

The players talk about it becausethey see the news and when theresan explosion somewhere, everybody isconcerned for their families.

Nobody says anything but mentally Ithink that they are affected and its verydifcult. But we are professional playersand we have to focus on the game.

People want results and they want usto win. And if we win, then they will be

happy and it will be a good moment forthem.

But while his international footballingfuture is tied to Syria, Malki r emains aBelgian at heart and there is no questionas to whom he will be supporting duringthe FIFA World Cup.

Belgium have not played at the WorldCup for a long time but they now havea good generation of players and I thinkthat they are one of the best teams in theworld, he says.

And while I play for Syria, I am alsoa Belgian so I will be cheering for themand hoping that they do well in Brazil.

Nationality:

Syria

DOB:

01/03/1984

Position:

Forward

Current clu

Kasimpasa

Previous cl

Union St-G

Roeselare,

Germinal Be

Lokeren(all

Panthrakiko

Roda JC (N

Sanha

op LefAgainstJordan at the 2011AFC Asian Cup.

AboveAgainstSaudi Arabia at the2011 AFC Asian Cup.

RightPlayingagainst Japan at the2011 AFC Asian Cup.

PROFILE: SANHARIB MALKI


18/41

AFGHANISTANS VICTORY IN THE FINAL OF

THE SOUTH ASIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION

CHAMPIONSHIP IN SEPTEMBER 2013 SAW THE

TROUBLED NATION TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY

AND SIGNALLED A REMARKABLE RETURN TO

PROMINENCE FOR ONE OF THE AFCS FOUNDING

MEMBERS FOLLOWING THREE DECADES OF

OPPRESSIVE RULE BY THE TALIBAN.

By:Andrew Mullen Photos:World Sport Group/Courtesy of Afghanistan Football Federation

:

REBIRTH OFA NATION

Afghanistan are oneof the 12 foundingmembers of Asianfootball havingbeen present on thesidelines of the 1954Asian Games inManilla. But with the

AFC celebrating its 60th anniversaryin 2014, football in once war-tornAfghanistan is just a handful of years

into the process of rebuilding afterthree decades of much publicisedTaliban rule had left the country as awhole in ruins.

That process has, though, startedin impressive fashion with Afghanistanwinning the 2013 South Asian FootballFederation (SAFF) title with a 2-0 winover two-time back-to-back winnersIndia in Nepal in September.

Football also returned to the country,with Afghanistan hosting their rstinternational match in 10 years inAugust as the home side beat Pakistan3-0 in Kabul prior to the start of the

second season of the eight-teamAfghan Premier League (APL), whichwas concluded in October.

During the Taliban era everywherewas war, there was no freedom andno human rights. We had footballcompetitions and activities within thecountry but only in the capital city andthat was a bad time for the history offootball in Afghanistan, says SayedAli Reza Aghazada, the 22-year-old

General Secretary of the AfghanistanFootball Federation.

Afghanistan is one of the countrieswhich founded the AFC as we werefounded in 1922. But the three decadesof war stopped Afghanistan in everyarea.

We had nothing; we had to startfrom below zero. We didnt have aeld, we didnt have an ofce andthere were no educated people. It wasvery difcult as some countries havebeen developing for 50 years, but after10 years Afghanistan became SAFFchampions.


19/41

:

Success at the SAFF Championship, whichsaw Afghanistan complete an unbeatencampaign having lost the 2011 nal 4-0 tosix-time champions India, led to wild vibrantcelebrations for two days on the streets acrossthe country scenes which would have beenunimaginable a few years earlier.

The sight of women joining in the festivitiesas the team returned home to a heroeswelcome also underlined the process with the

country.The federation started to change two or

three years ago and these changes helpedus make plans and the rst match wehosted against Pakistan showed the worldwe can host an international match andthat Afghanistan can follow a plan, addsAghazada.

We beat Pakistan 3-0 and this was a bigachievement for Afghan people. Then, whenwe won the SAFF Championship, peoplecame out of their houses and hugged eachother and it didnt matter where they werefrom, this showed the federation has thesupport of the people of Afghanistan.

Nine players in Afghanistans squadplay for teams in the APL, with aroundhalf earning their call-ups followingperformances in the countries domesticleague.

Afghanistan goalkeeper Mansur Faqiryar,though, is one of a growing number ofplayers plying their trade overseas.

Faqiryar was named MVP at the SAFFChampionship having saved two penaltiesin the semi-nal win over hosts Nepal andis the rst-choice goalkeeper for Germanfourth-tier side VFB Oldenburg.

Players from Afghanistan can also be

found in other leagues across Europe aswell as the United States, India and Bahrain,

while with refugees across the globe, theAFF is constantly seeking to identify newtalent.

During three decades of war inAfghanistan we had a lot of refugeesand those refugees are playing footballin Europe and USA, while we also havefootballers in Afghanistan who have a lot of

AboveAghanistancelebrates the SAFFChampionship victory.

Lef & BelowAghanistan beatIndia 2-0 to win theSAFF Championship.

potential, says Aghazada.We are trying to nd a lot of talent as there

are a lot of Afghans in Canada, the US andEurope.

But with FIFA recognising there are justunder 20,000 registered players with overhalf a million in total, focus is also rmly oncontinuing the rapid development of the APL.

The league is made up of eight teamsrepresenting regions across the country,with the 18-match season played at the AFFStadium over three months and broadcastnationally.

De Maiwand Atalan represents the south

1922Afghanistan Football Federation founded

2013

Afghanistan won the SAFF Championship forthe rst time

Teams eventually whittle their squaddown to 18 ahead of the start of the league,with this process also documented onMaidan-e-Sabz.

Players are provided with travel,accommodation and expenses for theduration of the league by the AFF, withmatches broadcast live on TV.

Two teams containing refugees fromPakistan travelled to Afghanistan toparticipate in tournaments, while a numberof players returned from Iran seeking aplace in an AFL side.

We hope that the AFL will continue to

of the country that includes the regions ofKandahar and Helmand which often attractnews headlines for other reasons.

The 26 players initially selected for each teamare selected from eight regional tournaments

with the trials for the 2013 season documentedand broadcast as part of a reality TV seriesMaidan-e-Sabz which translates as GreenField.

develop young players tcountry in international cAPL Commissioner Sha

Through football, thepromote peaceful coexisa bright future for Afgha

Toofan Harirod, who rthe West of the country,title in 2012 with a 2-1 wregions representative S

Simorgh Alborz again2013, but lost 3-1 after ebased Shaheen Asmaye5,000 crowd at AFF Stad

3-0

Afghanistan beat Pakistan in their rst homeinternational in 10 years

BelowAghanistan beat Pakistan3-0 in their first home internationalin 10 years in August.

LefShaheAsmayee wo2013 AghanLeague.


20/41

IN FOCUS: AFGHANISTAN

With both international and domesticsponsors and a slick appearance after twosuccessful seasons, hopes are that the leaguewill expand to include up to 16 teams by 2020after nancial responsibility of the current clubsis transferred to the private sector.

Plans are also in place to introduce a moretraditional home-and-away format within veyears.

In addition to the regional events whichselected the players for the APL teams, 18clinics for over 2,000 boys and girls werestaged alongside the main tournament.

We had Grassroots festivals, even inKandahar and Helmand, for both boys andgirls during 2013, says Aghazada, who wasappointed General Secretary aged just 20.

We are also focusing on the womensgame. We sent them to Qatar for a friendly andwon 2-0 and we reached the semi-nals of theSAFF Championship against India.

We also have a lot of festivals for womenin the capital and we have league for womenwhich is supported by the federation.

We have also sent the U-16 and U-19teams to India. We want to have one of thebest womens national teams in South andCentral Asia by 2018, but the problem inAfghanistan is the culture that when a ladyis married she cannot continue with football.But we are trying to nd some refugees in theUSA.

2015 World Cup, while Rohullah Nikpaihas won back-to-back medals at the 2008and 2012 Olympic Games in Taekwondo.

We have been able to bring a smileback to the people of Afghanistan, addsAghazada. They now have a hope.

Afghanistan have yet to threatenqualication for the FIFA World Cup havingonly entered the qualiers in 2006 for thetournament in Germany.

On that occasion Afghanistan lost13-0 on aggregate over two legs toTurkmenistan in the rst round.

However, four years later Afghanistanshowed a marked improvement with a 5-1defeat by Syria at the same stage.

And ahead of the 2014 tournament in

Brazil, Afghanistan recovered from losingthe rst leg of their rst round tie 2-0 toPalestine by recording a 1-1 draw in thereturn xture.

The 2022 World Cup is very importantfor us. We have a lot of talent andpotential, we have shown that in the SAFFChampionship and AFC Challenge Cupqualiers, so we hope that we can qualifyfor the 2022 World Cup, said Aghazada.

We are working closely with otherArabic countries in the region as well asJapan.

FIFA are also supporting us and wefeel we can achieve this goal.

The AFF have applied for their club teams tojoin the AFC Presidents Cup, while next up forthe national team is the 2014 AFC ChallengeCup which offers the winner automaticqualication for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

The Philippines, Maldives, Myanmar,Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Laoshave also qualied for the nals, which will takeplace in May.

And with 2012 winners DPR Korea havingalready secured entry for the nals in Australiaand 2011 AFC Asian Cup participants India

having failed to qualify, Afghanistan arepositioned just ahead of the Philippines in termsof FIFA ranking as they eye a rst-ever AFCAsian Cup appearance in 2015.

We have a good plan for the AFC ChallengeCup and we have a couple of friendly matchesand we will have a training camp inside andoutside of the country, says Aghazada.

All of the other nations in the AFC ChallengeCup know that Afghanistan are now one of thestronger teams in the tournament and we havea good chance to qualify for the AFC Asian Cupin Australia.

Sport within the county, as a whole, is thrivingwith the cricket team having qualied for the

4,500

The average crowd for the 2013 Afghan PremierLeague

What has been the biggessince beginning to rebuilAfghanistan?

After several decades of civcountry, football in Afghaniswas a founding member of is one of the oldest footballthe world, was completely dshattered. However, after tthe Taliban regime, footbaland started to take a fresh no infrastructure, professiopassion and no governmencaused problems and almofootball in the war-torn coun

Have you been surprisedover the last 10 years?The recent achievements mAfghanistans football havemade accidentally or unintethrough FIFAs long-term pAfghanistan, as well as folloutstanding support. This hgave a new look to the couarena. The abilities of the Aand the dedication of the Aalso contributed to the rece

What are your hopes for tfollowing the recent succ

The AFF has long-term placompete with the big footbathe world. Winning the SAFand the successful start to tbeen the revenue generatoprogress of football in Afghour main objective is to quaFIFA World Cup in Qatar anplans set for to achieve this

Afghanistan Federat ion PrKeramuddin

LefAFFStadium in KabulAboveAghanistans womens nationalteam played Annex, a clubrom the Kabul region, on themorning o the 2013 AghanPremier League final.

BelowShaheen Asmayee won the 2013Aghan Premier League


21/41

SHINJI ONO HAS SEEN AND

DONE IT ALL: AN AFC ASIANCUP AND AFC CHAMPIONS

LEAGUE WINNER AS WELL

AS THE PROUD OWNEROF A UEFA CUP WINNERS

MEDAL AND A THREE-TIME

FIFA WORLD CUP VETERAN,THE JAPANESE MIDFIELDER

WILL LEAD WESTERN SYDNEY

WANDERERS INTO THE AFCCHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOR

THE FIRST TIME HOPINGFOR ANOTHER STAB AT

CONTINENTAL GLORY.

THE HAPPY

WANDERER

By: Scott McIntyre

Photos:World Sport Group/George Suresh/Western Sydney Wanderers/Getty Images/Agence Shot

INTERVIEW: Shinji Ono


22/41

Sydney is a city renowned forits beauty; surrounded bybeaches on one side andbushland on another.

Usually when localstalk about being rescued itmeans from either of theseareas from hazardous surf

or the bushres that are very much part ofthe Australian summer and certainly not fromfootball.

But thats the expression that Japanesesuperstar Shinji Ono uses to describe hiscareer-changing move to join Tony PopovicsWestern Sydney Wanderers in 2012.

His nal season with J.League side Shimizu

S-Pulse was plagued by injuries, and aresultant loss of condence and form, to suchan extent that Ono admits he contemplatedretirement.

I had an injury during pre-season withShimizu and had to get surgery and when Icame back it just wasnt right, says Ono. Mycondition wasnt good and I was slower; itstrue that I thought a little bit about retiring.

Then, when I had all these feelings,suddenly Mr. Popovic called me and as soonas I heard his plans for the club it was like Iwas re-born, really it was like he rescued me.

The Wanderers though were not just anyold club; indeed at that stage they were barely

team and training, but he said he wanted tobe the champion in the rst year and then Ithought I wanted to join this team and give allmy energy and show what I can do.

That from a player with, seemingly, little leftto prove.

By any measure, Ono is Asian footballingroyalty: the youngest player to appear for theJapanese national team; one of a select fewto have appeared at three FIFA World Cups;a UEFA Cup winner with Feyenoord, an AFCChampions League winner with Urawa Reds;J.League champion, AFC Asian Cup winner,A-League Premier and AFC Footballer of theYear the list goes on and on.

Onos talent was rst spotted as a student

at Shimizu Commercial High School and herepresented the national team at all age levels,but when his rst major break arrived, it tooknot only the then 18 year-old by surprise butindeed the whole of Japan.

Kazuyoshi Miura, still playing at the age of46, is widely known throughout Asia as theKing and in 1998 was perhaps not quite atthe peak of his powers but there was, in thepublics eyes, little doubt he would head toFrance for Japans maiden FIFA World Cupappearance.

Instead, on the eve of the tournament, hewas spectacularly axed and his spot taken bya youthful Ono.

a club at all.With domestic football in Australia suffering

from falling crowds and waning interest andwith a club based in the northern state ofQueensland, Gold Coast United, having theirlicence revoked, the A-League was at a tippingpoint.

Football Federation Australia decided toroll the dice and fund a club from the westernreaches of Sydney a vast area home to morethan two million people.

A brand new club, cobbled together in barelysix months, and based in a region regardedas Australias footballing heartland, a placewhich has produced and nurtured some of thecountrys most famous players names such

as Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton and Tim Cahill.Its also home to a melting pot of

nationalities and cultures, a perfectcrystallisation of multi-cultural Australia, andwhen the club went looking for a headlinesigning Ono t the bill perfectly.

The problem was often in trying to convinceplayers to join a club that was formed barelyhalf a year before they played their rstA-League match, not that it took much to swaythe Japanese star.

I knew it was a case of not having much tolose but listening to Poppa I was amazed byhis vision and passion, he says.

He clearly explained the structure of the


Feyenoord, he says. Thats never beena problem for me, even as a schoolboy Ibelieved in my talent, but the rst few games Istarted on the bench and watched and learnedabout football in the Netherlands and how wewanted to play at Feyenoord.

At that time there were many good playersand I learned a lot there. After four or vegames I made the starting 11 and every gameI had a big motivation to show my quality.

It improved me immensely playing againsthigh level players and training too; beforewhen I was in Japan I was scared to playoutside because everyone is big and like aghter.

Now its different because many youngplayers play in Europe and know how to playagainst them, but at that time it was still a bigdeal for Japanese players.

It was during this stint that Wesley Sneijderapparently said of Ono; hes the toughestopponent Ive ever played - and the feelingwas a mutual one.

I read in the newspaper that Sneijder hadsaid these things, says Ono. I dont know ifits true or not, but Im really happy if he saidsomething like that because I also respected

At that moment becoming the youngestplayer for Japan didnt mean anythingspecial because I was just so surprised to beselected in the squad. Also, King Kazu wasout and I was in, can you imagine this? Thewhole country was talking, says Ono.

Not just that, but I also got his number, Itook his number, I took the Number 11 of KingKazu!

I didnt want that kind of pressure onmyself so I was thinking: Why did they giveme that pressure? It was a big momentfor Japan with everybody watching on TV,because it was the rst time for us and lots ofsupporters came to France.

Even though he only played 11 minutes

in the tournament, it was an event that Onoclaims changed his life.

It did, totally, he adds. When I walked onthe street before nobody recognised me, butafter that most people knew who I was, whenI was at a restaurant or at a park. So thingswere different from that point onwards.

A year later, and there was anothermilestone with Ono an integral part of theJapanese side which reached the semi-nalsof the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria and, ashis star continued to rise, he earned a moveto Feyenoord in the Dutch top ight in 2001.

It was the rst time I played professionallyabroad but I had the condence to play with

all the Ajax and PSV (Einbecause every game we was really tough and theplayers.

The Netherlands, to thfailed to qualify for the 20Cup, but Ono was selecttournament and this timebit-part player as Ono staJapan reached the Rountime.

It was a big advantaghome, but we also had aveterans, younger playerguys, he says.

Our coach, Philippe T

with many of us in the yowas a really good guy ansmart.

When Trousssier becthings also changed a lotof professionalism and b3-5-2 system; at that timesystem but he had the comany J.League clubs aftstyle.

Playing in front of ouramazing and of course wit was the rst time we paIt wasnt enough but the

Good memories are ce

Lef & AboveOno signed or WesternSydney Wanderers in 2012.


23/41

Bottom Lef2007AFC ChampionsLeague


Nationality:

Japan

DOB:

27/09/1979

Position:

Midelder

Current clubWestern Syd(Australia)

Previous clu

Urawa Red D

(Japan)

Feyenoord (N

VFL Bochum

Shimizu S-P

Shinj

Ono has when looking back at his third and,in all likelihood, nal FIFA World Cup tilt inGermany.

In another twist linking his future countrywith his homeland, Japan were drawn to playAustralia in the opening Group F match inKaiserslautern.

After Shunsuke Nakamura scored a oatedopener for Japan on 26 minutes, Zicos sidewere looking good as the clock wound down;Ono was thrown into action with 11 minutesremaining.

Those 11 minutes saw Australia,remarkably, score three goals to win thematch and help the Socceroos progress to theRound of 16 at Japans expense.

That was a very bad moment, I reallydont want to remember Germany at all,he says. Before I came on we were 1-0 upagainst Australia and after I came on we gaveup three goals and lost. That moment I lostcondence, I lost everything, motivation anddesire.

I didnt play again at that World Cupbecause I felt a heavy responsibility for uslosing that game it was a really low point.

From the lowest of lows to the highest ofhighs Onos return to the J.League after theFIFA World Cup was one of the most trophy-

laden periods of his career.In less than two years the midelder led

the Urawa to triumphs in the Japanese SuperCup, the J.League, the Emperors Cup andthe 2007 AFC Champions League.

For a club regarded as one of Asianfootballs standard-bearers this was theircrowning glory even if it came amidst abackdrop of acrimony between coach HolgerOsieck and many of the playing staff.

That year, with us having won the domesticchampionship the year before we had a lotof condence to play in the AFC ChampionsLeague and when we won it was a very bigexperience and exciting, says Ono.

When we played away games far fromJapan our supporters followed us everywhereand they were a big factor but we also hada really, really good team; a good balanceof Japanese players with some very goodforeigners Robson Ponte, Washington andalso (Marcus) Tulio (Tanaka) and Alex Santos.We had condence in every game.

Now, seven years on, Ono is looking forone more tilt at AFC Champions League gloryin the most unlikely of settings; at a brand-newclub in the working class suburbs of Australiaslargest city.

But its those blue-collar values that he feels

against a backdrop of amazing support fromthe Red and Black Bloc; a collection of vocalsupporters the likes of which had not beenseen in the history of the league, so strongthat in the current A-League season the clubhas completely sold out of season ticketmemberships.

All of which has some supporters dreamingof continuing this most unlikely of successstories and maybe even winning the AFCChampions League at their rst attempt.

The A-League Premiers will begin theirmaiden continental campaign at home to2012 champions Ulsan Hyundai from KoreaRepublic, while the Wanderers will also faceChinese FA Cup winners Guizho Renhe andKawasaki Frontale from Japan.

Its a big difference, the AFC ChampionsLeague, he says.

Everyone is excited to be in these games,we dont need pressure on ourselves but justto play and enjoy and play the same way wedo in Australia.

Naturally, Im looking forward to playingagainst the J.League opponents because

I still have many friends playing there,but itll be tough against teams fromKorea and China too because theres alot of quick ball movement and qualityand technique but if we put in hard workthe same as now I believe we can alsoachieve big things.

At the age of 34 it is a mark of theman that Ono still has a burning desire tocompete and to become a better player.

Watching him on the training groundand at matches the thing that stands outis his enthusiasm. He still maintains thatsheer love of the game that rst came tohim as a child.

I love this game, I cant even think ofnishing and to be honest I always thinkof King Kazu, says Ono.

Hes still playing and scoring at 46and Im always thinking: Can I do thesame until that age? If my body holds upI surely will.

Maybe then I can meet Kazu and handback that number 11 shirt I took all thoseyears ago!

will help propel the Wanderers when they startthe competition in late February.

I still clearly remember the rst day I arrivedat the club, he says. It was the rst time Idseen all the players give 100% during training.Before some people were lazy or cheating,even in Japan, but when I came here from therst day I was really surprised.

It meant that I was one of the oldest playerson the eld and that if I cheated or was lazythen maybe the other players would recognisethis and try the same. But if I pushed myselfand did hard work then others would also haveto do more. Everyday I pushed myself to domore and it was good for me and good for theclub because I didnt want to lose a game.

Not only were the Wanderers a brand newclub who completed the footballing equivalentof a fairytale by winning the league in theirmaiden season they also did it under a coachin his rst senior job.

Popovic, then a defender at the tail end ofhis career in Hiroshima, played against Ono inhis early days with Urawa.

There was a big defender in Hiroshima andthat was him, says Ono. But, as I said, he issuch a great man and great coach I have tothank him a lot.

The success of last season came also

op LefPlayingagainst Jamaica at the1998 FIFA World Cup.

AbovePlaying againstunisia at the 2002 FIFAWorld Cup.

LefOno joinedFeyenoord in 2001.

RightOno joinedShimizu S-Pulse in 2010.


24/41

ACL BATTLE

LINES DRAWNTHE DRAW FOR THE GROUP STAGE OF

THE REVAMPED AND EXPANDED 2014

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOOK PLACE IN

DECEMBER TO SET THE STAGE FOR THE

LATEST EDITION OF ASIAS PREMIER CLUB

COMPETITION. AFC QUARTERLY LOOKS

AT THE TEAMS WHICH HAVE ALREADY

QUALIFIED, WHILE ALSO PREVIEWING

THE PLAY-OFFS.

WhileGuangzhouEvergrandeshistoric AFCChampionsLeaguevictory at theend of last

year still remains fresh in the memory,attention has swiftly turned to the 2014tournament following Decembersgroup stage draw in Kuala Lumpur.

Prior to the draw a number ofchanges to the tournament wereconrmed, notably the decision to playthe competition on a zonal basis untilafter the semi-nals for the next threeyears.

Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong,India, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq andKuwait were also rewarded with berthsin the play-offs, which will take place inFebruary with six places in the groupstage to be claimed.

Japan, Korea Republic, Iran and SaudiArabia were all awarded four direct slotsinto the group stage, while a home-and-away nal of the AFC ChampionsLeague for the next three years wasalso approved by the AFC ExecutiveCommittee at the end of November.

The group stage of the 2014 AFCChampions League will begin at the endof February and culminate at the end ofApril ahead of a home-and-away Roundof 16 in May.

The quarter-nals will be played atthe end of September and beginning ofOctober, with the semi-nals taking placelater that month.

And the latest winner of the AFCChampions League will be crownedin November, with the new formatguaranteeing representation from eachside of the continent.

But before then, a total of 46 teamshave a chance stake their claims tobecome the next champions of Asia.

PREVIEW: AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE


25/41

SH

L

GROU

Chi

A

GROU

UnitedEmir

Al Rayyan ensured a sixthappearance in the group stage ofthe AFC Champions League afterlanding a sixth Emirs Cup crownin 2013 after beating Al Sadd 2-1in the nal.

Al Rayyan have won the Qatartitle seven times although their lastsuccess was in 1995. Al Rayyanhave yet to progress from thegroup stage of the AFC ChampionsLeague.

Al Rayyan reached the last 16of the AFC Cupin 2010 only tolose on penaltiesto ThailandsMuangthongUnited.

Back for a sixth consecutive AFCChampions League appearance,Al Jazira avoided the qualifyingplay-offs by just six goals, beatingBaniyas Sports Club to third place

on goal difference.

Although formed in 1974, the bulkof Al Jaziras silverware has arrivedin the last decade having won theUAE League Cup in 2010 and theirmaiden domestic league title in

2011.

- Al Jazira were established aftera merger between two local Abu

Dhabi teams,Al KhalidiyahClub and Al

Bateen Club.

Al Shabab nished third in thedefence of their Saudi League title.

Al Shabab have been one of SaudiArabias top clubs in recent yearswith three league championshipsand two Kings Cup titles over thelast nine seasons.

Two of Saudi Arabias mostrenowned FIFA World Cupicons, Saeed Al Owairan andFuad Amin, spent the bulkof their playing careers at AlShabab.

Al Fateh will make their debutin the AFC Champions Leagueafter winning their rst-ever SaudiLeague title in the 2012/13 seasonfollowing a 17-match unbeatenstreak.

A multi-sports club based in AlHasa, Al Fateh were formed in1958 but they only won promotionto the Saudi League in 2009.

Before their maiden title in 2013,Al Fateh had only played threeseasons in in the top ight andnever placed higher than sixth.

Foolad will make their secondappearance at the continentalcompetition after nishing fourthin the IranPro League.

Since the Iran Pro League era,Foolad fans have experienced arollercoaster ride having won thetitle for the rst time in 2005 beforebeing relegated just two seasonslater.

Foolad contributed the highestnumber of players to thenational team during the AFCAsian Cup 2004, where Irannished third.

Two-time semi-nalists Bunyodkor

qualied for a seventh consecutiveAFC Champions Leagueappearance after winning theleague and cup double.

Bunyodkor have enjoyed a

meteoric rise in their short historyhaving moved up from the regionalleagues to the top ight in just twoyears, winning the Uzbek Leaguetitle ve times since 2008.

Bunyodkor were initially named

Kuruvchi when the club wasformed in 2005.

Al Ain conrmed both theirdominance of Emirates footballand ninth AFC ChampionsLeague campaign with a secondconsecutive UAE Pro-League title.

Al Ain won the inaugural AFCChampions League title in 2003.

Al Ains Ghanaian strikerAsamoah Gyan was the UAEPro-Leagues top scorer in the2012/13 season with 30 goals.

AL AIN

GROUP C

United ArabEmirates

AL FATEH

GROUP B

Saudi Arabia

A

GROU

Saudi A

BUNYODKOR

GROUP B

Uzbekistan

AL RAYYAN

GROUPA

Qatar

A

GROU

Qat

FOOLAD

KHUZESTAN

GROUP B

Iran

S

GROU

Ira

HOW THEY QUALIFIED HISTORY DID YOU KNOW?

AL SHABAB

GROUPA

Saudi Arabia

AL

GROU

Saudi A

ESTEGHLAL

GROUPA

Iran

AL JAZIRA

GROUPA

United ArabEmirates

Esteghlal secured their eighthappearance in the AFC ChampionsLeague after winning the2012/2013 Iran Pro League title.

Semi-nalists in the 2013 AFCChampionsLeague,Esteghlal wonthe Asian ClubChampionship in1970 and 1991.

Esteghlal were founded inthe mid-1940s by a group ofcyclists from the army and areone of Irans oldest clubs.

Tractorsazi ensured back-to-back AFC Champions Leagueappearances with a secondconsecutive runners-up spot in the2012/13 Iran Pro League season.

Formed in 1970, Tractorsazi haveonly been back in the top divisionsince 2009 but have alreadychalked up two runners-up nishes.

The club was establishedin 1970 by the Iran TractorManufacturing Company inTabriz, hence their name andtractor on the club badge.

Former champions Al Saddensured a return to the competitionafter winning the 2012/2013 QatarStars League title by ve pointsfrom Lekhwiya.

Prior to edging out JeonbukHyundai Motors to win the 2011competition, Al Sadd beat Iraqs AlRasheed in the nal of the 1989Asian Club Championship.

Al Sadd were the rst team to winthe AFC Champions League titleafter beginning in the play-offs.

UAE Pro-League runners-upAl Ahli are back in the AFCChampions League for the rsttime since 2009.

The team was born following amerger in 1974, when Al Wehdah,Al Shabab and Al Najah combined.Three top ight championshipssoon followed to which they addedleague titles in 2006 and 2009.

In 2013, Al Ahli won the UAEPresidents Cup for the eighthtime, equaling the nationalrecord.

Al Hilal nished runners-up in theSaudi League, six points behind AlFateh and only ahead of Al Shababon goal difference.

One of Asias most successful clubsides, Al Hilal won the Asian ClubChampionship in 1991 and 2000as well as the Asian Cup WinnersCup and Asian Super Cup.

Al Hilal has won 54 ofcialchampionships since beingfounded in 1957.

Sepahan beat arch-rivalsPersepolis on penalties to win theirfourth Haz Cup and also qualifyfor a 10th AFC Champions Leagueappearance.

Sepahan were the rst nonTehran-based team to win theIran Pro League, topping thetable in the 2002/03 seasonunder manager Farhad Kazemi.

Pohang will appear in the AFC

Champions League for a fthtime in six years after winningthe K-League Classic title witha dramatic 1-0 win over UlsanHyundai on the nal day of theseason.

Pohang claimed back-to-back

Asian Club Championship titlesin 1997 and 1998 before beatingSaudi Arabias Al Ittihad to winthe 2009 AFC Champions Leaguecrown.

Pohang Steelers are the

only side tohave beencrowned Asianchampions onthree occasions.

HOW THEY QUALIFIEDHISTORYDID YOU KNOW?

Two-time champions Al Ittihad beatAl Shabab in the nal of the KingsCup.

One of the oldest clubs in SaudiArabia, Al Ittihad won consecutiveAFC Champions League titles in2004 and 2005.

Brazilian World Cup winnerBebeto played for Al Ittihad from2001 to 2002.

TRA

GROU

Ira

P

S

GROU

KorRepu

Sepahan are Irans most successfulclub since domestic football wasprofessionalised in 2001, with aleague-leading fourIran Pro Leaguetitles.

Shandong Lunengs 12th placenish in 2012 meant a failureto qualify for last years AFCChampions League, but theyreturn for a sixth appearance in thecompetition after nishing secondin the Chinese Super League.

In 1999, Shandong made historyby becoming the rst Chinese clubteam to win the league and FA cupdouble.

Shandong are one of the onlysides to have never beenrelegated to the second divisionsince the start of professionalleague football in China in 1994.

PREVIEW: AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE


26/41

Buriram qualied for their third AFCChampions Leaguetournament bywinning the domestictreble in a repeat oftheir 2011 exploits.

Formerly known as ProvincialElectricity Authority, Buriram areone of the most successful Thaiteams in recent history havingaveraged two trophies every yearsince 2008.

Buriram went unbeatenthroughout the 2012-13domestic season, winning 35games and drawing nine in allcompetitions.

BURIRAM

UNITED

GROUP E

Thailand

WEST

W

GROU

Aust

G

GROU

Chi

Guizhou proved that last yearssurprise debut in the AFCChampions League was nouke with a second consecutivequalication courtesy of theirhistoric FA Cup nal victory overGuangzhou Evergrande.

Guiyang-based Guizhous FA Cupvictory over Guangzhou was theirrst taste of top ight silverware,after losing to the same opponentsin the nal of the 2012 tournament.

Guizhou havechanged theirname 11 timessince theirfounding in1995.

YOKOHAMA

F.MARINOS

GROUP G

Japan

K

F

GROU

Jap

GROUP E

Japan

CEREZO

OSAKA

JEONBUK

HYUNDAI MOTORS

GROUP G

KoreaRepublic

H

GROU

KorRepu

The word Cerezo is Spanish forCherry Tree, the ower of Osakacity. The teams basic kit coloris pink, like the cherry blossomowers the name is based on.

Sanfrecce secured a third AFCChampions League appearanceafter retainingtheir J.Leaguetitle.

Sanfrecce translates as threearrows which refers to a locallegend relating to strengththrough unity.

Central Coastnished second inthe 2012/13 regularseason beforebeating WesternSydney Wanderersin the Grand Final.

Central Coast Mariners becameonly the third A-League side toreach the knockout stage of theAFC Champions League lastseason.

FC Seoul nished fourth in theK-League Classic last season,but ensured a return to the AFCChampions League as runners-upPohang Steelers won the FA Cup.

FC Seoul reached the AFCChampions League nal last yearonly to lose on away goals toChinas Guangzhou Evergrandefollowing a 3-3 draw on aggregatefollowing quarter-nal appearancesin 2009 and 2011.

FC Seoulrelocated toSeoul World CupStadium in 2004from the satellitecity of Anyang.

Defending champions Guangzhoureturn to the competition afterwinning the Chinese Super Leaguefor a third consecutive season.

Guangzhou boss Marcello Lippiis the rst coach to win both theAFC Champions League andUEFA Champions League titles.

Jeonbuk ensured a return to the

AFC Champions League for thefth consecutive season afternishing third in the K-LeagueClassic.

Jeonbuk became the rst East

Asian side to win the revampedAFC Champions League in 2006after beating Syrias Al Karamah3-2 on aggregate before losing the2011 nal on penalties to QatarsAl Sadd.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

reached the nal of the AsianCup Winners Cup in 2002.

Yokohama ensured a return to theAFC Champions League for therst time since 2005 having beenforced to settle for a runner-upnish in the J.League.

Two-time Asian Cup Winners Cupchampions Yokohama appearedin the group stage of the 1996Asian Club Championship beforereturning to the AFC ChampionsLeague in 2004 and 2005.

Yokohama nished second in theirgroup during both the 2004 and2005 AFC Champions Leaguebut only one side advanced to theknockout stage.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED HISTORY DID YOU KNOW?

Ulsan Hyundai were forced tosettle for a second place nish inthe K-League Classic last seasonafter conceding in stoppage timeagainst Pohang Steelers on the

nal da

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