AFC Chief: Embrace professionalism

[Dasher39]

AFC Chief: Embrace professionalism (http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_166101281.html)
26 March 2008

KUALA LUMPUR – AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam has asked all member associations to focus their efforts into promoting and advancing professionalism in the Asian game.

In his opening address at the 3rd AFC Executive Committee Meeting, which took place at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Bin Hammam remarked:

“The biggest challenge this year will be preparing for the AFC Professional League in 2009.

“I want to extend my extreme thanks to captain (Saburo) Kawabuchi and his team for their remarkable work putting in place the policies and criteria for professional football and I also appreciate support of the AFC members.”AFC Professional League? WTF is that?! That is an awful name. I seriously hope they don't change the name. AFC Champions League is just gaining some recognition across the continent, it would be stupid to change it 5 years after bringing it in.

[NUFCMVFC]

Hopefully it isn't changed to AFC Professional League, that's just stupid, but it may be part of a way to get away from "Champions League" as a top tier comp featuring the best few clubs from the most professional leagues in Asia isn't technically a league of all champs

Even so, it sounds stupid and should just be kept as the Champs League now. They need continuity, one of the reasons perhaps as to why no one has taken the AFC Champs League or its predecessor seriously is because of the top-bottom fundamental changing that has occured every few years. Tweaking is fine, and changing in line with the times (adopting Premier League and ? League and Champions League) and tweaking the structure is good but if they change it fundamentally to an "all new" comp with no history people are just going to be pissed off

Good in general though that they are trying to promote professionalism in principle, in terms of image and set up etc

Hopefully it was just a "figure of speech" quote or the "Professional League" is supposed to be some kind of operating nickname

[Socceroo_06]

Ironically The AFC Professional league sounds quite amateur.

[NUFCMVFC]

Looks like it is going to be called the "AFC Professional League" going by this article


Pro League incentive for AFC Cup (http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_166101208.html)
KUALA LUMPUR – Participants in this year’s AFC Cup have been given an added incentive after the AFC Executive Committee announced that the two finalists will enter a play-off to qualify for the AFC Professional League, scheduled to be introduced in 2009.

While the winners of the play-off will earn a berth in the highly-anticipated professional league, the losers will gain automatic entry to the 2009 AFC Cup regardless of how they perform in their domestic campaign.

The next round of AFC Cup fixtures is scheduled for April 2, with defending champions Shabab Al Ordun from Jordan travel to Oman to take on Al Nahda.


Principally I like the idea of the AFC Cup winners being given a berth into the "Top League/Champs League", as I do think teams from the less developed shouldn't be locked out and the gaps widened as has happened in Europe. A good incentive

Professional League sounds stupid, Champions League is much better

[Dasher39]

Already a thread with that article NUFCMVFC!

Professional League sounds very corny, and gives the impression that everything else is amateur!

Whilst not every team in the AFC Champions League are "champions", neither is every team in the UEFA Champions League.

Perhaps that is why they put out the survey asking about your thoughts on the name and logo of the AFC Champions League. Hopefully that gives them an indication that it should be kept!