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View Full Version : Offical Announcement: A-League clubs get ACL nod

Seb
July 17th, 2006, 02:11 PM
Two A-League clubs will compete in the Asian Champions League as from next season, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced.

Thailand and Vietnam will only field one team each in the tournament from 2007, down from two each, to make way for the Australian club sides, the AFC Executive Committee have decided.

The AFC says the decision was 'based on the technical performance and match results of the Thai and Vietnamese clubs in recent seasons of the AFC Champions League.'

The tournament format will stay the same, with 28 teams divided into seven groups of four teams each. The winners of each group will join the defending champion in the quarter-final stage.

The AFC says that 'further information regarding the participation of the Australian clubs shall be published over the next few weeks, following discussions between the AFC Administration and Football Federation Australia.'

The 2006 tournament is currently at the knockout stages, with the quarter-finals to be played on September 13 and 20.

http://theworldgame.com.au/home/index.php?pid=st&cid=73427
Alistair
July 17th, 2006, 02:12 PM
That's GREAT news!

Now we just have to qualify! :D
El Zilcho
July 17th, 2006, 02:17 PM
Good to have some official confirmation.

Da Nang (the vietnamese champions) were belted around by everyone in the group stage, they lost all six of their matches, scored 1 goal and conceded 27. I would have thought there would be stronger teams in Malaysia and Indonesia, not sure how they decide how many places are given to each country.
acmilan_victory
July 17th, 2006, 02:24 PM
In all seriousness, i think our Australian clubs have the potential to cause some real damage in this competiton.
El Zilcho
July 17th, 2006, 02:27 PM
Ah just found their method (sort of, sounds kind of vague to me!):



The 14 countries providing teams for the competition are those designated ‘mature’ by the AFC’s Vision Asia blueprint for the development of Asian football. (The AFC’s Vision Asia ranking takes a number of factors into consideration and, unlike the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings, is not purely based on performance at national team level.)

Those countries are: China, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.



Added to this, it would seem that currently the groups are divided by reigon. ASEAN (the one we are in) and East Asian clubs are put in 3 groups of 4. So that means we will be facing clubs from China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam in the group stage.

The clubs from Thailand and Indonesia were either booted out or withdrew from the group stage this year though, leaving 2 of the groups with only 2 teams!
Bacardi 8
July 17th, 2006, 05:09 PM
Yea heard that on SEN today, good news for the A-League and Australian football :cool:
acmilan_victory
July 17th, 2006, 05:22 PM
Excellent news but......

http://www.melbournevictory.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15303
Jewboy
July 17th, 2006, 05:34 PM
Excellent news but......

http://www.melbournevictory.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15303

You just linked this thread.
acmilan_victory
July 17th, 2006, 05:54 PM
it was merged with the thread i originally posted that link into
Rob
July 18th, 2006, 12:39 PM
Thats shit.

We should have had at least 3.
TP
July 18th, 2006, 12:44 PM
the only thing that will stop australian teams winning 8 of every 10 ACL's is big money loan moves by the richer arabic sides. a kallon-job strike force is formidable in this standard of competition. i believe asia really cracked down on foreigners on loan last season so it bodes well for the australian teams.
El Zilcho
July 18th, 2006, 03:04 PM
the only thing that will stop australian teams winning 8 of every 10 ACL's is big money loan moves by the richer arabic sides.

I think you are very much underestimating the Saudi, Japanese and Korean teams, many of them have local players who have vast international experience including world cups, as well as some good foreigners.
TP
July 18th, 2006, 03:53 PM
technically superior, tactically inferior....by a long way. and that technical gap is only going to close given the dramatic improvements in football infrastructure in Australia during the 90's.

asian teams are creatively inept too, thus the reliance on brazilian imports. yes i realise that is ironic in the case of MVFC but as if Sarkies isn't more creative than every japanese midfielder other than the now retired Nakata.
dechamp
July 18th, 2006, 04:16 PM
Hopefully MVFC will be playing in it next year.
Allsopp's ALLgood
July 18th, 2006, 04:20 PM
Al Sadd of Qatar are an excellent team and are not to be taken lightly.
El Zilcho
July 18th, 2006, 05:47 PM
technically superior, tactically inferior....by a long way. and that technical gap is only going to close given the dramatic improvements in football infrastructure in Australia during the 90's.

asian teams are creatively inept too, thus the reliance on brazilian imports. yes i realise that is ironic in the case of MVFC but as if Sarkies isn't more creative than every japanese midfielder other than the now retired Nakata.

Again, i think you underestimate them. Many of the clubs, especially those in the ACL, have excellent european coaches working them. The asian national sides we saw at the WC may have been tactically inferior to our boys, but i think its a different kettle of fish club wise.

And Nakata isnt retired, just from international fooball. Sarkies is hardly the most effective of midfielders at the moment, i know id rather have Shinji Ono of Urawa Reds in my team.
Simon
July 18th, 2006, 07:33 PM
Thats shit.

We should have had at least 3.
No wai!

Places would've been de-valued.

Give us three spots when the league expands to twelve...
Rob
July 19th, 2006, 11:18 AM
No wai!

Places would've been de-valued.

Give us three spots when the league expands to twelve...

Bollocks devalue the spot. It'd Grow Australian football, no end.

CCM vs Tokyo FC on a Wednesday night int he middle of the season in Gosford is going to be a hell of alot better for the sport than nothing.
TP
July 19th, 2006, 12:05 PM
heres an interesting quesiton....how many ACL participants are clubs with ethnic ties, to a nation other than the country the club is based in?

my early guess....0
El Zilcho
July 19th, 2006, 05:09 PM
heres an interesting quesiton....how many ACL participants are clubs with ethnic ties, to a nation other than the country the club is based in?

my early guess....0

in what way is that interesting, or even relevant?

And although they are not in the ACL, there is one team in the S-League that is made up entirely of Africans, and another of Japanese.
Simon
July 19th, 2006, 08:26 PM
Bollocks devalue the spot. It'd Grow Australian football, no end.

CCM vs Tokyo FC on a Wednesday night int he middle of the season in Gosford is going to be a hell of alot better for the sport than nothing.
I just think a Champions League spot should be an experience that not half the league should have.

It would be like Blackburn and Bolton playing in the European CL.
Popos
July 19th, 2006, 08:32 PM
It would be like Blackburn and Bolton playing in the European CL.
Or Thun.

Oh wait...