1lK8cjm

QUARTERLY 

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION 

ISSUE 7 

PALESTINE 

AFC Challenge Cup win 

finalises AFC Asian Cup 

Australia 2015 line-up 

ISSUE 

7June 2014 

BRAZIL 

BOUND 

Asia’s four-way 

challenge for the 

FIFA World Cup 

kicks off 

PLUS 

SAUDI ARABIA 

Elections and reforms mean 

a new era is underway for 

one of the continent’s 

powerhouse nations 

HONG MYUNG-BO 

Korea Republic coach 

gears up for the 

challenges facing his 

young team in Brazil 

PUNE FC 

Youth is no obstacle 

as ambitious Indian 

club target domestic 

and continental glory 

ANGE POSTECOGLOU 

Australia coach rings the 

changes as Socceroos prepare 

to usher in new generation at 

FIFA World Cup

CONTENTS 

QUARTERLY 

Issue No. 7 

June-September 2014 

Official quarterly publication of the 

Asian Football Confederation 

Published on behalf of the Asian 

Football Confederation by World 

Sport Group 

Asian Football Confederation 

AFC House, Jalan 1/155B, Bukit Jalil 

5700 Kuala Lumpur 

Malaysia 

Tel: +603 8994 3388 

Fax: + 603 8994 2689 

www.the-afc.com 

18 – FIFA WORLD CUP SPECIAL 

AFC Quarterly shines the spotlight on Asia’s 

teams at the 2014 FIFA World Cup featuring 

exclusive interviews with the coaches of 

Japan, Australia, Korea Republic and Iran. 

46 – RAVSHAN IRMATOV 

Four-time AFC Referee of the Year Ravshan 

Irmatov prepares for his second spell of 

FIFA World Cup duty, as the experienced 

Uzbek official heads to Brazil this summer. 

18 

FIFA WORLD CUP SPECIAL 

50 – IN FOCUS: SAUDI ARABIA 

Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia has 

lain dormant in recent years but 

sweeping changes promise 

a return to their former glory. 

54 – CLUB FOCUS: PUNE FC 

Trailblazing club Pune FC are setting the 

standard for Indian professional football 

on and off the field in a remarkable seven 

years of progress since their formation. 

60 – AFC ASIAN CUP UPDATE: 

PALESTINE’S AFC CHALLENGE CUP TRIUMPH 

Jamal Mahmoud’s men seal historic victory in the Maldives as the 

West Asian side go undefeated in the AFC Challenge Cup to 

claim the final place in AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015. 

President: 

Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa 

Vice Presidents: 

Zhang Jilong 

HRH Prince Abdullah Ibni Sultan 

Ahmad Shah 

Yousuf Yaqoob Yousuf Al Serkal 

Moya Dodd 

Ganesh Thapa 

FIFA Vice President: 

HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein 

FIFA Executive Committee 

Members: 

Dato’ Worawi Makudi 


AFC Executive Committee 

Members: 

Dr Hafez Al Medlej, Richard Lai, Zaw 

Zaw, Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, Praful 

Patel, Kohzo Tashima, Ganbold 

Buyannemekh, Ali Azim, Sayyid 

Khalid Hamed Al Busaidi, Makhdoom 

Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Winston 

Lee, Dr Tran Quoc Tuan, Susan 

Shalabi Molano, Han Un-gyong 

General Secretary: 

Dato’ Alex Soosay 

Managing Editor: 

Michael Church 

Editor: 

Andrew Mullen 

Regular Sections 

14 – In the News 70 – AFC Women’s Asian Cup 

64 – AFC Champions League 72 – AFC Futsal Championship 

66 – AFC Cup 

74 – Inside AFC 

69 – AFC President’s Cup Qualifiers 78 – Great Grounds of Asia 

Deputy Editor: 

Daniel Pordes 

Designer: 

David Chung 

Photos: 

World Sport Group, Agence SHOT, 

Adnan Hajj Ali, Getty Images 

Any views expressed in AFC 

Quarterly do not necessarily 

reflect those of the Asian Football 

Confederation. The reproduction of 

photos and articles – even partially – 

is prohibited unless permission has 

been sought from the editors and a 

reference is made to the source.

AFC PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 


AFC President 

Dear friends, 

Every four years football fans everywhere turn their attention to what is maybe the world’s 

greatest sporting spectacle, the FIFA World Cup. 

All of us in the Asian football family are also fans of the beautiful game and I will be following 

the tournament enthusiastically with a particular interest in Australia, Iran, Japan and Korea 

Republic, who I am confident will represent Asia with pride, passion and in the spirit of fair play. 

With the AFC Asian Cup 2015 on the horizon it will be interesting to see what impact their 

experiences at the World Cup finals might have on their build up to next year’s Asian flagship 

tournament. 

Before we enjoy the fiesta of football that Brazil 2014 promises to be, we will have conducted 

the AFC Extraordinary Congress where we will continue our journey of reform and innovation in 

an atmosphere of unity, mutual respect and constructive dialogue. 

During my time in office I have already seen considerable improvements as we continue to 

work hand-in-hand with our member associations to develop the Asian game. 

I was particularly pleased with the number of our Member Associations that embraced AFC 

Grassroots Day with 29 countries officially declaring their commitment to marking the occasion. 

This is more than double the number who celebrated it in 2013, AFC Grassroots Year, and 

reflects the growing importance our MAs are giving to grassroots football. As always, the AFC 

will continue to support our member associations and provide them with the support and 

resources they need to develop the game in their country. 

Strategic and sustainable development is one of the cornerstones of success and as an 

example of this we need to look no further than Japan, who have recently won the AFC Futsal 

Championship and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. 

Women’s football in Asia is most definitely on the rise and it is one of the many areas that the 

AFC has been, and will continue to be, developing alongside our member associations now 

and in the future. 

Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa   

AFC President 

AFC QUARTERLY 5

AFC General Secretary’s MESSAGE 

Dato’ Alex Soosay 

AFC General Secretary 

Dear friends, 

There is no question that the FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest and most eagerly 

anticipated sporting spectacles – so not surprisingly Brazil 2014 dominates this edition of AFC 

Quarterly. 

Not only are Asia’s four representatives profiled in depth we also have conducted exclusive 

interviews with the four head coaches giving us an interesting insight into the views of 

individuals who are leading sides at the very highest level of world football. 

One nation that has participated regularly at the FIFA World Cup is Saudi Arabia and while they 

failed to make it this time round they remain one of Asia’s most successful nations at club and 

international level. AFC Quarterly shines the spotlight on the three-time AFC Asian Cup winners 

in our regular Member Association feature. 

For our club feature we head to India to profile Pune FC while we also recap what has been an 

action-packed few months of Asian football with the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the AFC Futsal 

Championship and the group stage of the AFC President’s reviewed along with our regular 

updates on the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup. 

We have always been proud of our referees and our top officials stand shoulder-to-shoulder 

with the best in the world. 

An example of this is four-time AFC Referee of the Year Ravshan Irmatov, who can list the 

2011 AFC Asian Cup final and the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa 

amongst his list of accomplishments. For more insights into the career of the popular Uzbek 

referee be sure to read the exclusive interview in this edition of the AFC Quarterly. 

Our quarterly publication represents only a small window of the quality and character prevalent 

in all areas of our football and I would like to thank you all for your continuing support of the 

Asian game. 

Dato’ Alex Soosay  

AFC General Secretary 

AFC QUARTERLY 7

Gallery 

Champion 

Line-Up 

Defending champions 

Guangzhou Evergrande 

qualified for the quarterfinals 

of the AFC 

Champions League, 

which will take place 

in August, alongside 

five former continental 

champions after beating 

Japan’s Cerezo Osaka in 

the Round of 16 in May. 

AFC QUARTERLY 9

Gallery 

Immediate 

Impact 

Despite only being 

appointed in March after 

leading Saudi Arabia to 

the final of the inaugural 

AFC U-22 Championship 

earlier this year, coach 

Khalid Al Koroni helped 

two-time winners Al 

Ittihad qualify for the 

quarter-finals of the AFC 

Champions League for a 

seventh time. 

AFC QUARTERLY 11

Gallery 

Hat-Trick 

For Japan 


Japan edged out 10-time 

winners Iran on penalties 

to win a third AFC Futsal 

Championship title in 

Vietnam at the start 

of May, with the final 

taking place at Phu Tho 

Stadium in Ho Chi Minh 

City. 

AFC QUARTERLY 13

IN THE NEWS 

Challenge Cup Joy 

for Palestine 

PALESTINE COMPLETED THE LINE-UP FOR THE AFC ASIAN CUP AUSTRALIA 2015 

AFTER BEATING THE PHILIPPINES IN THE AFC CHALLENGE CUP FINAL IN MAY 

TO JOIN DEFENDING CHAMPIONS JAPAN, JORDAN AND IRAQ IN GROUP D. 

Guangzhou to face Western 

Sydney In ACL Quarter-Finals 

THE DRAW FOR THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE 2014 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, 

WITH THE TIES SET TO TAKE PLACE IN AUGUST, SEES LIPPI’S HOLDERS 

TAKE ON TOURNAMENT DEBUTANTS WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS 

Ashraf Al Fawaghra scored 

the only goal as Palestine 

recorded a 1-0 win over the 

Philippines in the final of 

the AFC Challenge Cup to 

become the 16th and final 

qualifier for the AFC Asian 

Cup Australia 2015. 

Al Fawaghra crucially netted his fourth 

goal of the campaign a minute before the 

hour mark at the National Stadium in Male as 

Palestine completed an unbeaten campaign in 

the Maldives without conceding a goal. 

And with the winner of the final edition of 

the AFC Challenge Cup also securing the final 

berth at the AFC Asian Cup, Palestine will join 

defending champions Japan, Jordan and Iraq 

in Group D in Australia next year. 

“This was a historic match and a historic 

achievement,” said Palestine coach Jamal 

Mahmoud. 

“We had experience in the last Challenge 

Cup when we made mistakes and we took 

that experience for this championship.” 

And with Al Fawaghra’s final strike lifting 

the striker above Maldives captain Ali Ashfaq 

at the top of the goal scoring charts to claim 

the top scorer accolade, team-mate Murad 

Said ensured a clean sweep of the individual 

awards as the midfielder was named the 

tournament’s MVP. 

Both sides had reached the final with 

unbeaten records after Palestine topped 

Group A ahead of the Maldives, while their 

fellow 2012 semi-finalists the Philippines 

had edged out SAFF champions Afghanistan 

in Group B. 

Al Fawaghra then scored twice as 

Palestine beat Afghanistan 2-0, while Chris 

Greatwich netted the extra-time winner as 

the Philippines edged out the Maldives 3-2 

to eliminate the home side. 

But despite beating Palestine in the third 

place play-off at the 2012 AFC Challenge 

Cup, the Philippines fell short of building on 

back-to-back semi-final appearances at the 

last two editions of the AFF Championship. 

“My task was to win the Challenge 

Cup and I didn’t,” said Philippines coach 

Thomas Dooley, who was only appointed in 

February. 

“But on the other hand, I was trying to 

build something with the team and I think we 

did a pretty good job through to the final, so 

I think this team has a bright future.” 

The Maldives were able to recover from 

their semi-final defeat by the Philippines 

to claim third place after edging out 

Afghanistan 8-7 on penalties following a 1-1 

draw after extra-time. 

Reigning champions 

Guangzhou Evergrande will 

take on Australia’s Western 

Sydney Wanderers in the 

quarter-finals of the 2014 

AFC Champions League as 

Marcello Lippi’s team seek 

to become only the second 

side to successfully retain the title. 

Guangzhou, who became the first Chinese 

club to win the title when they defeated FC 

Seoul in last year’s final, travel to Australia for 

the first leg on August 20 before hosting the 

19/08/14 

Al Hilal (KSA) vs Al Sadd (QAT) 

26/08/14 

Al Sadd (QAT) vs Al Hilal (KSA) 

return fixture week later. 

The winners will face opposition from 

Korea Republic after Pohang Steelers and FC 

Seoul were drawn to face one another, setting 

up the prospect in the semi-finals of a repeat 

of the 2013 final when Guangzhou defeated 

FC Seoul on the away goals rule. 

“Western Sydney are a very competitive 

team and we have lost one game in Australia 

already this year. They’re a good team and, 

even though they’re younger than all the other 

teams, we will still have to prepare well.” said 

Guangzhou captain and reigning AFC Player 

19/08/14 

Al Ain (UAE) vs Al Ittihad (KSA) 

26/08/14 

Al Ittihad (KSA) vs Al Ain (UAE) 

QUARTER-FINALS DRAW 

20/08/14 

Pohang Steelers (KOR) vs FC Seoul (KOR) 

27/08/14 

FC Seoul (KOR) vs Pohang Steelers (KOR) 

of the Year Zheng Zhi. 

In the western half of the draw, Saudi 

Arabia’s Al Ittihad, the only team to win 

back-to-back AFC Champions League titles 

when they did so in 2004 and 2005, meet 

inaugural winners Al Ain of the United Arab 

Emirates in the quarter-finals in a re-run of 

the 2005 final won by Al Ittihad. 

Al Hilal, another former continental 

champion, take on 2012 winners Al Sadd 

from Qatar with the Saudi side hosting 

the first leg at the King Fahd International 

Stadium. 

20/08/14 

Western Sydney Wanderers (AUS) vs 

Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) 

27/08/14 

Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) vs Western 

Sydney Wanderers (AUS) 

AFC QUARTERLY 15

IN THE NEWS 

Tough Draw For 

Defending U-19 Champions 

Defending champions Korea Republic will face 

Japan, China and Vietnam in a strong Group 

C at the AFC U-19 

Championship in 

Myanmar in October. 

Hosts Myanmar 

have been drawn in 

Group A alongside Iran, 

neighbours Thailand and Yemen, with 2012 

semi-finalists Uzbekistan and Australia 

joined in Group B by the United Arab 

Emirates and Indonesia. 

And Group D will comprise of 2012 

runners-up Iraq, DPR Korea, Qatar and 

Oman. 

“It is really surprising that we face Japan and Group A Myanmar • Iran • Thailand • Yemen 

China in the group stages,” said Korea Republic 

Group B Uzbekistan • Australia • UAE • Indonesia 

coach Kim Sang-ho. 

“It’s a tough one to prepare for since all the big Group C Korea Republic • Japan • China • Vietnam 

East Asian sides are in Group C so there is no Group D Iraq • DPR Korea • Qatar • Oman 

other way than to prepare yourselves right for the 

tournament. 

“The three teams in the group will be analysed thoroughly in 

advance and our focus will be on improving on any weakness in 

training. 

“At this level there are no favourites and all the participating sides 

are difficult opposition so the only way to 

come out on top is by preparing well and 

working on details,” he added. 

“It’s more pressure as we are the 

defending champions but the aim this 

time around is also clear: win it another 

time. 

“Qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World 

Cup is important but our first aim is to be 

champions again.” 

The 16-nation competition will be 

staged at Yangon’s Youth Training 

Centre Stadium and Nay Pyi Taw’s 

Zeyar Thiri Stadium, with the top four finishers 

qualifying for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in 

New Zealand. 

“First and foremost, everything is possible in 

football so the draw for us is not so cruel,” said 

Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise. “Our first target 

is to see off the group stage and we have realistic chances of doing 

this with huge home support for our side. At home, we can stun the 

big boys.” 

Jayapura Test For Kuwait SC 

Defending AFC Cup champions Kuwait SC will 

take on Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura in the 

quarter-finals of the 2014 tournament following 

May’s draw in Kuala Lumpur as the Gulf side 

chases a record fourth title. 

Kuwait SC have claimed the crown on three 

occasions in the last five seasons, first winning 

the title in 2009 before claiming back-to-back 

successes in 2012 and 2013. 

Standing in their way of 

advancing to the semi-finals once 

again will be the Indonesian Super 

League champions, who reached 

the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup in 

2011. 

“It’s a good draw for us, we’re 

happy with it. Kuwait SC have 

more experience than us but we 

will do our best,” said Jayapura 

representative Rocky Bebena. 

“We have experience of playing 

in the Middle East from 2009 when 

we went to Arbil and we only lost 1-0 

there. So we’re not concerned about 

the travel. 

19/08/14 

Hanoi T&T (VIE) vs Arbil (IRQ) 

26/08/14 

Arbil (IRQ) vs Hanoi T&T (VIE) 

19/08/14 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh (VIE) vs Kitchee (HKG) 

26/08/14 

Kitchee (HKG) vs XM Vissai Ninh Binh (VIE) 

QUARTER-FINALS DRAW 

“Our target this year was to win the Indonesia Super League 

and to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, and if we do that we 

will be the first Indonesian team to go that far. We’re confident we 

can do well, even though it will be tough.” 

Should Kuwait SC advance, they could potentially face 

fellow Kuwaiti side Qadsia SC in the semi-finals in a re-match 

of the 2013 final after last year’s runner-up were drawn to face 

Bahrain’s Al Hidd in August’s quarter-finals. 

Arbil, who lost to Kuwait SC in the 2012 final, will take on 

Vietnam’s Hanoi T&T with 

either Hong Kong’s Kitchee or 

Vietnam’s XM Vissai Ninh Binh 

awaiting in the semi-finals. 

The first leg of the quarterfinals 

will be played on August 

19, with the return fixtures taking 

place a week later. 

The semi-finals will be played 

on a home-and-away basis on 

September 16 and 30, with the 

final to be played as a one-off 

game on October 18, to be 

hosted by the side that emerges 

from the quartet of Hanoi, Arbil, 

Ninh Binh and Kitchee. 

19/08/14 

Qadsia SC (KUW) vs Al Hidd (BHR) 

26/08/14 

Al Hidd (BHR) vs Qadsia SC (KUW) 

19/08/14 

Kuwait SC (KUW) vs Persipura Jayapura (IDN) 

26/08/14 

Persipura Jayapura (IDN) vs Kuwait SC (KUW) 

Japan Lift Maiden AFC 

Women’s Asian Cup Title 

AZUSA IWASHIMIZU SCORED THE ONLY GOAL IN THE FINAL AS WORLD 

CHAMPIONS JAPAN CLAIMED A FIRST-EVER AFC WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP CROWN 

AT THE END OF MAY AFTER EDGING OUT DEFENDING CHAMPIONS AUSTRALIA. 

World champions 

Japan won the 

AFC Women’s 

Asian Cup title for 

the first time in 

May after edging 

out defending 

champions 

Australia 1-0 in the final in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Having fallen short at the semi-final stage 

in both 2008 and 2010, Azusa Iwashimizu’s 

first half header ended Japan’s wait for their 

maiden continental title having made their first 

appearance at the tournament in 1977. 

Japan finished the tournament with an 

unbeaten record after topping a group that 

included Australia, debutants Jordan and 

hosts Vietnam before eliminating China with a 

dramatic extra-time winner in their semi-final. 

“As a team we really wanted to win this 

title,” said captain and midfield playmaker 

Aya Miyama. 

“This is the best feeling I have now, after 

all the effort we have done in this campaign.” 

Despite their final defeat, Australia had 

already secured their qualification for the 

2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside 

Japan, China, Korea Republic and Thailand. 

“With the way we performed today and 

in the competition as a whole it makes me 

extremely proud of the team,” said Australia 

coach Alen Stajcic following the final defeat 

at Thong Nhat Stadium. 

“We fought to the death, never gave 

up and the effort from our players was 

fantastic.” 

Eight-time champions China had suffered 

an agonising 2-1 loss to Japan in in the 

semi-finals after conceding in the last 

seconds of extra-time through Iwashimizu, 

but the Steel Roses recovered to claim third 

place after recording a 2-1 win over Korea. 

“Winning the game and coming third does 

of course bring more promotion to women’s 

football in China, but we have a longer term 

goal than just qualifying for the World Cup,” 

said China coach Hao Wei. 

“With better results in the future we can 

aim to win games even in the final of the 

World Cup.” 

Thailand claimed a first-ever place at the 

Women’s World Cup after their 2-1 victory 

over Vietnam in the fifth place play-off 

secured qualification for next year’s event in 

Canada. 

Two-time AFC Women’s Player of the Year 

Miyama, meanwhile, was named MVP of the 

tournament while Korea striker Park Eun-sun 

claimed the top scorer honour after netting 

six goals. 

AFC QUARTERLY 17

PREVIEW: FIFA WORLD CUP 

PRIDE 

OF ASIA 

JAPAN, IRAN, AUSTRALIA 

AND KOREA REPUBLIC 

TRAVEL TO BRAZIL TO 

REPRESENT ASIA AT THE 

FIFA WORLD CUP, AIMING 

TO BREAK NEW GROUND 

FOR THE CONTINENT. 

By: Michael Church Photos: World Sport Group/Getty Images 

From the tropical north, 

into the Amazonian basin 

and down to the country’s 

temperate southern coast, 

Brazil – the home of the 

five-time world champions 

and of ‘joga bonito’ – 

holds the destiny of Asia’s 

quadrennial challenge for glory at the 

FIFA World Cup. 

Once again, four nations – Japan, Iran, 

Australia and Korea Republic – will carry 

the hopes of the entire continent into the 

cauldron of competition, aiming to show 

to the world that Asia’s game continues to 

move forward at pace. 

The quartet have all been on the 

biggest stage before, at one time or 

another, and Brazil 2014 will see them 

attempt to build on their performances in 

the past as they aim to make their mark at 

the greatest show of them all. 

The memories of South Africa 2010 

remain freshest, but Asia’s performances 

at the FIFA World Cup have seen a steady 

trajectory upwards in the years since the 

continent was first represented at the 

global championship. 

Back in 1938 –16 years before 

the founding of the Asian Football 

Confederation – Asia was represented at 

the World Cup for the first time, the Dutch 

East Indies, the precursor to modern-day 

Indonesia, taking part in France, only to 

lose their solitary game, against Hungary. 

It was a modest beginning for Asian 

football, and it set an initial precedent as 

it highlighted the gap that existed in those 

early years between the continent and the 

pinnacle of world football. 

Korea Republic, too, returned home in 

a chastened mood when they appeared at 

their first FIFA World Cup in Switzerland 

in 1954, but it was their northern 

counterparts DPR Korea who 12 years 

later first proved footballers from the 

continent could hold their own against the 

elite. 

The now famous tale of Pak Do-ik and 

his team-mates handing Italy a 1-0 defeat 

AFC QUARTERLY 19

PREVIEW: FIFA WORLD CUP 

ASIA AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP 

Year Hosts Representatives Round Results 

Year Hosts Representatives Round Results 

1938 France Dutch East Indies First Hungary 6 Dutch East Indies 0 

1954 Switzerland Korea Republic Group Hungary 9 Korea Republic 0 

Turkey 7 Korea Republic 0 

Korea Republic Group Korea Republic 2 Poland 0 

Korea Republic 1 United 

States 1 

Portugal 0 Korea Republic 1 

1966 England DPR Korea Group Soviet Union 3 DPR Korea 0 

Chile 1 DPR Korea 1 

DPR Korea 1 Italy 0 

Quarter-Final 

Portugal 5 DPR Korea 3 

1978 Argentina Iran Group Netherlands 3 Iran 0 

Scotlan d 1 Iran 1 

Peru 4 Iran 1 

Round of 16 

Korea Republic 2 Italy 1(aet) 

Quarter-Final 

Spain 0 Korea Republic 0 

(3-5 pens) 

Semi-Final 

Germany 1 Korea Republic 0 

Third Place 

Korea Republic 2 Turkey 3 

1982 Spain Kuwait Group Czechoslovakia 1 Kuwait 1 

France 4 Kuwait 1 

England 1 Kuwait 0 

Saudi Arabia Group Germany 8 Saudi Arabia 0 

Cameroon 1 Saudi Arabia 0 

Saudi Arabia 0 Ireland 3 

1986 Mexico Korea Republic Group Argentina 3 Korea Republic 1 

Korea Republic 1 Bulgaria 1 

Italy 3 Korea Republic 2 

Japan Group Japan 2 Belgium 2 

Japan 1 Russia 0 

Tunisia 0 Japan 2 

at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough is one of 

the legends of the FIFA World Cup, as is the 

story of Eusebio’s hat-trick in the resultant 

quarter-final against DPR Korea that saw 

Portugal end Asian hopes and break Korean 

hearts with a spectacular come-from-behind 

5-3 win. 

And it would not be until 1994 in 

the United States that another Asian 

side would progress to the knockout 

rounds of the FIFA World Cup. 

Iran, Kuwait, Korea Republic, 

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates 

all appeared at the finals from 

1978 through to 1990, exiting the 

competition at the end of the group 

stages. 

Saudi Arabia, however, finally 

bucked that trend and ushered in a 

new era. 

Saaed Owairan became part 

of FIFA World Cup lore after he 

slalomed his way through the Belgium 

defence on the way to scoring the goal that 

secured the Gulf nation a place in the last 16 

having earlier defeated Morocco. 

A 3-1 defeat at the hands of a Sweden 

side that would go on to finish third overall 

brought their run to an end, but it was a 

precursor of things to come. 

By 2002, Asian football was firmly 

establishing itself on the global stage, not 

only on the field of play but in terms of holding 

key events as Korea Republic and Japan 

co-hosted the FIFA World Cup, the continent’s 

first. 

The pair’s performances on home soil 

matched the auspicious occasion as Japan 

advanced to the Round of 16 in only their 

second ever appearance at the FIFA World 

Cup, while the Koreans surpassed all 

expectations, falling in the semi-finals to 

Germany. 

The same two nations would impress again 

in South Africa in 2010, with both reaching 

the Round of 16 before the Japanese lost to 

Paraguay in a penalty shootout while Uruguay 

edged the Koreans by virtue of two goals from 

Luis Suarez. 

The results made history once more, 

marking the first time either nation had 

reached the knockout phase on 

foreign soil and the first time two Asian 

countries had advanced to the Round 

of 16 outside the continent. 

Now, as the FIFA World Cup 

prepares to kick-off in Brazil, another 

chapter in Asia’s World Cup history is 

ready to be written. 

Iran will be aiming to progress to 

the knockout phase for the first time 

in what will be their fourth FIFA World 

Cup, while Japan and Korea Republic 

will strive to build on their successes in 

South Africa. 

Australia, with a young squad and 

drawn in the toughest of groups, will be 

looking as much to the future and the nation’s 

hosting of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 in 

January next year. 

All four carry the hopes and expectations of 

the Asian game on their shoulders, and each 

one of the quartet will no doubt strive to do 

Asia proud. 

Iraq Group Paraguay 1 Iraq 0 

Iraq 1 Belgium 2 

Iraq 0 Mexico 1 

1990 Italy United Arab Emirates Group UAE 0 Colombia 2 

West Germany 5 UAE 1 

Yugoslavia 4 UAE 1 

Korea Republic Group Belgium 2 Korea Republic 0 

Korea Republic 1 Spain 3 

Korea Republic 0 Uruguay 1 

1994 United States Korea Republic Group Spain 2 Korea Republic 2 

Korea 0 Bolivia 0 

Germany 3 Korea Republic 2 

Saudi Arabia Group Netherlands 2 Saudi Arabia 1 

Saudi Arabia 2 Morocco 1 

Saudi Arabia 1 Belgium 0 

Round of 16 

Sweden 3 Saudi Arabia 1 

1998 France Saudi Arabia Group Denmark 1 Saudi Arabia 0 

France 4 Saudi Arabia 0 

Saudi Arabia 2 South Africa 2 

Korea Republic Group Korea Republic 1 Mexico 3 

Netherlands 5 Korea 

Republic 0 

Belgium 1 Korea Republic 1 

Iran Group Yugoslavia 1 Iran 0 

United States 1 Iran 2 

Germany 2 Iran 0 

Japan Group Argentina 1 Japan 0 

Japan 0 Croatia 1 

Japan 1 Jamaica 2 

2002 Korea/Japan China Group China 0 Costa Rica 2 

Brazil 4 China 0 

Turkey 3 China 0 

Round of 16 

Japan 0 Turkey 1 

2006 Germany Iran Group Mexico 3 Iran 1 

Portugal 2 Iran 0 

Iran 1 Angola 1 

Japan Group Australia 3 Japan 1 

Japan 0 Croatia 0 

Japan 1 Brazil 4 

Korea Republic Group Korea Republic 2 Togo 1 

France 1 Korea Republic 1 

Switzerland 2 Korea 

Republic 0 

Saudi Arabia Group Tunisia 2 Saudi Arabia 2 

Saudi Arabia 0 Ukraine 4 

Saudi Arabia 0 Spain 1 

2010 South Africa Korea Republic Group Korea Republic 2 Greece 0 

Argentina 4 Korea 

Republic 1 

Nigeria 2 Korea Republic 2 

Round of 16 

Uruguay 2 Korea Republic 0 

Australia Group Germany 4 Australia 0 

Ghana 1 Australia 1 

Australia 2 Serbia 1 

Japan Group Japan 1 Denmark 0 

Netherlands 1 Japan 0 

Japan 3 Denmark 1 

Round of 16 

Japan 0 Paraguay 0 

(3-5 on pens) 

DPR Korea Group Brazil 2 Korea DPR 1 

Portugal 7 Korea DPR 0 

DPR Korea 0 Cote D’Ivoire 3 

AFC QUARTERLY 21

INTERVIEW: ALBERTO ZACCHERONI 

SAMURAI 

SERENITY 

JAPAN GO TO BRAZIL AS 

AFC ASIAN CUP HOLDERS 

AND HOPING TO BUILD 

ON THEIR RUN TO THE 

ROUND OF 16 IN SOUTH 

AFRICA IN 2010. ALBERTO 

ZACCHERONI SHARES 

HIS THOUGHTS ON THE 

TOURNAMENT WITH AFC 

QUARTERLY AND JAPAN’S 

AIM TO GO FURTHER 

THAN EVER BEFORE. 

By: Michael Church Photos: Agence SHOT 

Alberto Zaccheroni could 

not have hoped to 

make a greater impact 

in his first six months 

as Japan coach: as 

honeymoon periods go, 

the blissful afterglow 

that succeeded his 

appointment extended through a firstever 

win over Argentina followed by the 

reclaiming of the AFC Asian Cup title. 

Indeed, over the close to four years 

since the former AC Milan and Juventus 

coach took the reins, there have been 

relatively few bumps along the way. Late 

jitters delayed rather than derailed the 

quest for a fifth straight FIFA World Cup 

appearance while perhaps the only dip 

was the failure to pick up a point at the 

FIFA Confederations Cup. 

Qualification for Brazil 2014 was 

achieved with a degree of comfort 

and now, amid such relative serenity, 

Zaccheroni and the Samurai Blue are 

setting their sights on taking on – and 

beating – the world’s elite. 

“The goal is to reach the tournament 

in the best possible condition, both 

physically and mentally,” says Zaccheroni 

of the task ahead. 

“As a coach, I think that demonstrating 

we are a good team that plays attractive 

AFC QUARTERLY 23

INTERVIEW: ALBERTO ZACCHERONI 

football is our goal. 

“But the bottom line is that the results will 

determine the outcome of our performance 

at the World Cup, so surpassing the 

achievements reached in previous editions of 

the tournament is what we will aim at.” 

With Japan having previously reached the 

Round of 16 on two occasions – in 2002 on 

home soil and in South Africa four years ago 

– that means at least reaching the quarterfinals, 

a feat only previously achieved twice 

by Asian nations: DPR Korea in 1966 and 

Korea Republic, who reached the semi-finals 

when they co-hosted the tournament with the 

Japanese in 2002. 

Having been drawn in a group that 

features Cote D’Ivoire, Greece and Colombia, 

advancing to the knockout rounds will be no 

easy task for the Japanese, but Zaccheroni 

and his team are relishing the kick off when it 

comes. 

“The World Cup is a moment that the team 

and I have been waiting for, and we go to 

Brazil with great will and determination to do 

well,” says the Italian. 

“In my line of work, the possibility of 

working with the team daily for a relatively 

long period of time is extremely significant 

and crucial to the development of the team, 

so I will look to consolidate the groundwork 

that we have done to have a good run at the 

tournament. 

“I believe that the work that we have put 

into preparing for the competition has been 

very positive, and the whole staff is gearing up 

to give his best in all respective roles.” 

Stability has been a key component since 

the start of the Zaccheroni era and the Italian 

has steadily and consistently moved the team 

towards their goal in Brazil, starting with that 

win over the Argentinians and victory against 

Australia in the final of the AFC Asian Cup in 

Doha in January 2011. 

“Thinking back to the Asian Cup in Qatar, 

the first official competition after a few months 

in charge, it will remain a milestone of this 

experience,” says Zaccheroni of Japan’s 

record-breaking fourth continental title win. 

“Since the first day at training camp I felt 

how tight the team is, always finding the right 

balance from within. We didn’t have easy 

games – apart from a comfortable win against 

Saudi Arabia – due to cards and going behind 

early in the games, often finding it hard to get 

the result. 

“But the response I received from the 

players was extraordinary, both from the 

starting members and those who joined 

from the bench. The victory in the final, with 

a spectacular goal in extra time against 

Australia, confirmed all of this and gave 

us great confidence in going forward and 

qualifying for the World Cup.” 

Building on their regional success, now, is 

the target and friendly matches in November 

against the Netherlands and Belgium – 

which ended in a 2-2 draw and a 3-2 win 

respectively – have given Zaccheroni the 

belief his team is well equipped to handle the 

challenges that lie ahead. 

“The recent friendly games played in 

Europe against the Netherlands and Belgium 

have been very important and beneficial,” he 

says. 

“One of my biggest personal regrets is not 

to have been able to participate in the Copa 

America, however, the great competitions 

we experienced have helped us gain and 

develop information at a technical and 

strategic level that will be fundamental for the 

upcoming World Cup. 

“As a manager, the aim is to play the way 

we always do entertaining the crowds, having 

good conditions both physically and mentally 

to do so. Results wise we simply aim to reach 

higher than we did in previous editions of the 

tournament. 

“During the World Cup we will experience 

the highest levels of performance in 

international football, and we will look at our 

opponents with great respect but without fear. 

If our opponents are better than us, it will be a 

pleasure to shake their hands.” 

Zaccheroni’s contract with the Japan 

Football Association is due to expire at the 

end of the FIFA World Cup and, with the 

Italian fully focused on the task at hand 

in Brazil, he refuses to look beyond the 

tournament in South America. 

But since agreeing to take on the role at the 

end of August 2010, he has been impressed 

with the work ethic and technical ability of 

the Japanese, although his tenure has not 

been without its issues with key players such 

as Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa have 

spent significant time on the bench since 

joining AC Milan and Manchester United 

respectively. 

“It is important to recognise the small but 

existing lack of experience compared to one 

of the foreign world-class teams, an issue that 

has to be of fundamental consideration for the 

future,” says Zaccheroni of the few difficulties 

he has encountered. 

“When I first came to Japan, I was 

surprised by the quality of football in this 

country. Characteristics such as the desire 

to learn, a great attitude towards hard work, 

as well as the appreciation of roles and 

responsibilities typical of this country, and the 

great approach to teamwork, helped me live 

this extraordinary experience. 

“Thanks to the great efforts of the staff, 

and except a few recurring worries linked to 

transfers and the issue of distance, we were 

able to steadily follow and work with players 

playing overseas, primarily in the European 

leagues.” 

Japan kick off their World Cup campaign 

against Cote D’Ivoire in Recife on June 14 

before travelling to Natal to meet Greece on 

June 19 and then concluding their matches 

in Group C against Colombia in Cuiaba on 

June 24. 

Should they progress to the next phase, 

Zaccheroni and his team will face off against 

either the winners or runners-up from Group 

D in Recife or Rio de Janeiro. 

But the 61-year-old coach is not thinking 

any further ahead than the group stages for 

now. 

“We expect to challenge Cote D’Ivoire 

and Greece, two extremely entertaining 

teams,” says Zaccheroni. 

“They are two very different teams: the 

first with great athletic strength, and a very 

powerful offence, having world class players 

such as Didier Drogba, Gervinho and Yaya 

Toure, who all play in Europe at the highest 

levels. 

“Greece have a great structure and are 

well organised, their brand of football may 

be less spectacular, but it will be another 

difficult match. 

“As I have said before, I think Colombia 

has an edge, due to the quality of their 

players, including the bench. 

“Our strength is going to be in playing 

our own brand of football, taking the game 

to the opponent, taking advantage of our 

qualities without having to adjust to the 

other team.” 

AFC QUARTERLY 25

TEAM PROFILE: JAPAN 

FIFA World Cup Record 

Qualified: 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 

Best Performance: Round of 16 - 2002 & 2010 

Best Result: 2010 - 3-1 v Denmark 

Wins: 4 Draws: 3 Losses: 7 

Formation 4-2-3-1 

FW Yoshito Okubo 

Alberto Zaccheroni takes the 

Asian champions to their 

fifth straight FIFA World Cup 

with the AFC Asian Cup 

holders targeting a place 

in the latter stages of the 

tournament after reaching 

the Round of 16 in South 

Africa four years ago. 

Japan’s performance in 2010 – they were 

knocked out on penalties by Paraguay – came 

despite a negative build-up to the tournament 

under Takeshi Okada and matters could not 

be more different ahead of their trip to Brazil. 

Zaccheroni’s team impressed at the FIFA 

Confederations Cup last year even if they 

failed to progress beyond the group stage, 

and expectations are high that the four-time 

continental champions will make their mark 

in a group featuring Cote D’Ivoire, Greece 

and Colombia. 

Their Italian coach has sprung few 

surprises in his selection, with only Yoshito 

Okubo’s inclusion – having not been picked 

by Zaccheroni for over two years - raising any 

questions, with the former Real Mallorca and 

Vfl Wolfsburg man having impressed over 

the last 18 months since joining Kawasaki 

Frontale. 

Having reached the knockout rounds twice 

– Japan were also eliminated in the Round 

of 16 on home soil by Turkey in 2002 – the 

goal will be a spot in the quarter-finals and the 

Samurai Blue will have great confidence in a 

squad that boasts a good balance of youth 

and experience. 

LMF Shinji Kagawa CMF Keisuke Honda RMF Shinji Okazaki 

CM Yasuhito Endo CM Makoto Hasebe 

LB Yuto Nagatomo 

CB Yasuyuki Konno 

CB Maya Yoshida 

RB Atsuto Uchida 

Makoto 

Hasebe 

Shinji 

Kagawa 

J 

apan captain Makoto 

Hasebe led the 

Samurai Blue to the 

AFC Asian Cup title in 

Qatar in 2011 and remains 

central to everything 

at the heart of Alberto 

Zaccheroni’s team. An 

astute passer whose play 

dictates the tempo of the 

team, Hasebe missed 

the latter stage of the 

Bundesliga season due to 

injury, but should be ready 

for action by the time the 

FIFA World Cup kicks off. 

M 

anchester United 

midfielder Shinji 

Kagawa will 

travel to Brazil seeking 

redemption after a 

disappointing season that 

has seen him slip down 

the pecking order at Old 

Trafford. Kagawa missed 

out on a place in the Japan 

squad for South Africa, 

but will be keen to not only 

make up for that missed 

opportunity but to underline 

his genuine class after a 

difficult two seasons since 

leaving Borussia Dortmund. 

GK Eiji Kawashima 

Keisuke 

Honda 

eisuke Honda 

emerged as 

KJapan’s talisman 

at the 2010 FIFA World 

Cup finals in South 

Africa, scoring in the 

wins over Cameroon and Denmark that saw the nation 

progress to the knockout phase of the tournament for 

the first time on foreign soil. A gifted presence in attack, 

Honda’s goals were key to Japan qualifying for Brazil 

2014. 

World Cup Schedule in Group C 

June 14 Japan v Cote D’Ivoire Recife 

June 19 Japan v Greece Natal 

June 24 Japan v Colombia Cuiaba 

Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege, Belgium) 

Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds) 

Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo) 

Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan, Italy)  

Maya Yoshida (Southampton, England)  

Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka)  

Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata)  

Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo)  

Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04, Germany)  

Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96, Germany)  

Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart, Germany) 

Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany)  

Squad 

Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka)  

Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka)  

Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)  

Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremberg, Germany)  

Keisuke Honda (AC Milan, Italy)  

Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United, England)  

Shinji Okazaki (Mainz 05, Germany)  

Yuya Osako (1860 Munich, Germany)  

Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka)  

Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale)  

Manabu Saito (Yokohama F. Marinos) 

AFC QUARTERLY 27

INTERVIEW: Ange Postecoglou 

GENERATION 

NEXT 

AUSTRALIA TRAVEL TO 

BRAZIL WITH A YOUNG 

SQUAD AND WITH AT LEAST 

ONE EYE ON THE FUTURE AS 

THE COUNTRY PREPARES TO 

HOST THE AFC ASIAN CUP 

EARLY NEXT YEAR. COACH 

ANGE POSTECOGLOU 

SHARES HIS THOUGHTS 

WITH AFC QUARTERLY 

BEFORE MEETING SPAIN, 

THE NETHERLANDS AND 

CHILE IN GROUP B. 

By: Simon Hill Photos: World Sport Group/Getty Images 

Time has all but run out 

on Australia’s ‘Golden 

Generation’, the band 

of gifted players whose 

talents were honed 

overseas and who hit the 

heights of the Round of 16 

at the FIFA World Cup in 

Germany in 2006. 

The international careers of Mark Viduka 

and Harry Kewell ended several years 

ago, while the conclusion came more 

recently for the likes of Mark Schwarzer 

and Lucas Neill. 

Only Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano 

of that fabled group of players remain 

as new coach Ange Postecoglou builds 

for the future, naming a squad for Brazil 

that leans as heavily on the domestic 

A-League as it does on the foreign clubs 

Australian players have traditionally made 

their home. 

After years of wondering when the 

regeneration of the Socceroos would 

begin, Australia’s national team is set to 

begin its rebirth in Cuiaba on June 13 as 

Postecoglou’s team kick off their FIFA 

World Cup 2014 campaign. 

Q: How difficult was the process 

of whittling down your squad for the 

World Cup 

AFC QUARTERLY 29

INTERVIEW: Ange Postecoglou 

A: I don’t know if it was difficult - once I had 

made my mind up on the direction I wanted to 

take, that made it clear. I had clear criteria - so 

the rest of it took care of itself. 

Q: Some of those who haven’t made it 

have been rather vocal in their criticism of 

you - does that disappoint you 

A: Not really - I guess there’s an 

understanding that I have made decisions that 

have affected people on a personal basis. I’ve 

been coaching long enough to know it is part 

of the job, and it’s my responsibility to make 

those decisions. Some take it well, others 

don’t. 

Q: Was the omission of Lucas Neill the 

hardest selection to make 

A: Most definitely. He has had a very 

distinguished career, and he believed he 

still had something to offer. I wanted to 

communicate my decision on a personal basis 

rather than publicly - I did that, so at least he 

had that understanding as to why. 

Q: The World Cup is very close now 

- is your feeling one of excitement, or 

apprehension 

A: Excitement definitely - we can’t lose 

sight of the fact that it’s going to be a fantastic 

experience for everyone involved. It’s a great 

tournament for our nation - and we’re not at 

the stage of our development where we can 

take World Cup’s for granted. From a personal 

perspective, although I’ve been busy in the 

last six months, it’s not been in a true football 

sense - I’m really looking forward to getting out 

on the training paddock and preparing. 

Q: Four years ago, Australia lost their 

opening World Cup game 4-0 to Germany, 

and were hammered in the media - how 

anxious are you to avoid that scenario 

against Chile 

A: That’s a fair call. Regardless of your 

expectations, that first game is always the 

important one - a good display and result 

eases the pressure. It can work to our 

advantage though - Chile are in the same 

boat, and they are expected to beat us. The 

pressure will be on all the teams. 

Q: Is it your intention to attack 

A: Definitely. I believe in that style of 

football - my intention is to be successful, 

and I think that’s the way to do it. You have to 

respect the opposition of course, but I want 

us to be a team that is proactive. 

Q: Injuries have really impacted upon 

the squad - Mile Jedinak the latest under 

a bit of a cloud - are you tempted to 

wrap him in cotton wool ahead of the 

tournament 

A: I don’t think you can do that - Mile had 

a setback, but I think we’d have given him a 

break anyway. I don’t think it will disrupt his 

preparation too much. He’s had an enormous 

English Premier League season, so he 

probably needs a break. The rest though, 

are all in decent condition to work pretty hard 

over the next period. With such a young 

group, I think that serves two purposes - to 

make training competitive, but also to ensure 

we do not miss anyone along the way. I have 

an idea of the core of the team - but there will 

still be some competition for places. 

Q: When you look at the players who 

haven’t made the squads of the likes of 

Brazil - Ronaldinho, Kaka, Lucas - does that 

give a fair reflection of what Australia is up 

against 

A: I am under no illusions as to what we’ll 

face - and this is where the excitement comes 

from. We’ll be testing ourselves against the 

very best - and we’re right amongst it. That’s 

what we love about this game. 

Q: Your former international team-mate, 

Paul Wade, said publicly that Australia are 

going to “get smashed” in Brazil - does that 

sort of defeatist talk annoy you 

A: I know Wadey pretty well - I played with 

him, and he’ll be cheering us on come Brazil, 

don’t worry about that. But we understand 

that expectations are low...and I hope that’s 

true of the opposition too. If people want to 

underestimate us, that’s fine. 

Q: Of the other Asian nations, who is 

best placed to make an impact 

A: I think it’s interesting that the Asian 

nations are going through a similar 

regeneration phase to us - the Koreans are 

taking only one player over the age of 30. So 

probably for this World Cup it’s the Japanese. 

I still believe we’re not far off having an 

Asian team make a massive impact on the 

World Cup - hopefully over the next couple of 

tournaments. 

Q: Moving onto the Asian Cup draw, 

which handed you another tough group - 

were Korea Republic the team you didn’t 

want 

A: It’s tough, but we want to do well - and 

being at home, that means trying to win it. To 

win trophies, you have to face the best. If we 

can get through the group strongly, it will mean 

we’ve played very well, and that could set us 

up really well for the knockout phase. 

Q: Do the performances of the A-League 

clubs in the AFC Champions League show 

that club football in Australia is improving 

A: No doubt. You’ve seen the progress of 

our clubs this year - and especially when you 

balance them against the conditions we face, 

the salary cap, having finals matches at the 

same time. More and more we are embracing 

the AFC Champions League as an important 

competition. If we see the same improvement 

next year, then we have the potential to 

become the best in our region. 

Q: In a nutshell, what is success for 

Australia over the next nine months 

A: The immediate one is the World Cup - 

an opportunity for us to get people excited 

about the direction we are heading in with 

great performances. If we do that, we can go 

into the Asian Cup to try and win the trophy. 

AFC QUARTERLY 31

TEAM PROFILE: Australia 

Australia are making their 

third straight appearance at 

the FIFA World Cup finals, 

with the Socceroos securing 

their place in Brazil with 

victory over Iraq in Sydney 

in their final qualifying match 

last June. 

Ange Postecoglou was named head coach 

in October last year following the removal 

of Holger Osieck, who was sacked following 

back-to-back 6-0 losses against Brazil and 


Qualified: 1974, 2006, 2010 

Best Performance: Round of 16 - 2006 

Best Result: 2006 - 3-1 v Japan 


France in friendly fixtures last year, and 

the former Brisbane Roar coach has made 

sweeping changes. 

Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, 

Australia’s most capped player, announced 

his retirement within hours of Postecoglou’s 

appointment while former AFC Player of 

the Year Sasa Ognenovski and ex-captain 

Lucas Neill were squeezed out of the 

squad. 

In their place has come a new generation 

of players towards whom the Australians 

will look for the future, with the FIFA World 

Cup the first step along a road that leads 

through the finals of the AFC Asian Cup, 

which Australia will host in January next year. 

Having being drawn in a difficult group 

alongside holders Spain, 2010 finalists 

the Netherlands and South American 

powerhouses Chile, the Socceroos will hope 

the experience of Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano 

and Mile Jedinak coupled with the youthful 

promise of Tommy Oar and Mat Ryan can 

ensure a positive outcome in Brazil. 

Formation 4-3-3 

FW Matthew Leckie 

FW Tim Cahill 

FW Tommy Oar 

CMF Mile Jedinak 

CMF Mark Milligan CMF Mark Bresciano 

LB Jason Davidson CB Ryan McGowan CB Matthew Spiranovic RB Ivan Franjic 

Mile 

Jedinak 

Mat 

Ryan 

entral midfielder 

Mile Jedinak goes 

Cinto the FIFA World 

Cup finals off the back of 

an impressive season in 

the English Premier League 

with Crystal Palace, where 

his form was one of the 

key reasons the London 

club avoided relegation. 

Hard working and a tough 

tackler, Jedinak came to 

prominence during the AFC 

Asian Cup in 2011 and 

has been a fixture for the 

Socceroos since. 

G 

oalkeeper Mat Ryan 

has grown in stature 

sine leaving Central 

Coast Mariners in early 

2013 to join Club Brugge in 

Belgium, with his assured 

performances between 

the posts earning him 

the Belgium Pro League 

Goalkeeper of the Year 

award in his first full season 

and a starting berth under 

Ange Postecoglou following 

the retirement of Mark 

Schwarzer. 

GK Mat Ryan 

Tim 

Cahill 

eteran striker 

Tim Cahill will be 

Vappearing at his 

third straight FIFA World 

Cup and he remains 

one of the team’s most 

potent threats in attack, with his impressive aerial 

ability and talents on the ground. Cahill claimed 

Australia’s goal scoring record earlier in the year and 

the New York Red Bulls star will be keen to add to his 

tally in Brazil. 

World Cup Schedule in Group B 

June 13 Australia v Chile Cuiaba 

June 18 Australia v Netherlands Porto Alegre 

June 23 Australia v Spain Curitiba 

Squad 

Mathew Ryan (Club Bruges, Belgium) 

Mitchell Langerak (Borussia Dortmund, Germany) 

Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United) 

Jason Davidson (Heracles Almelo, Netherlands) 

Matthew Spiranovic (Western Sydney Wanderers) 

Ivan Franjic (Brisbane Roar) 

Bailey Wright (Preston North End, England) 

Ryan McGowan (Shandong Luneng, China) 

Alex Wilkinson (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Korea 

Republic) 

Oliver Bozanic (Luzern, Switzerland) 

Mark Bresciano (Al Gharafa, Qatar) 

James Holland (Austria Vienna, Austria) 

Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace, England) 

Mark Milligan (Melbourne Victory) 

Dario Vidosic (Sion, Switzerland) 

Matt McKay (Brisbane Roar) 

James Troisi (Atalanta, Italy) 

Massimo Luongo (Swindon, England) 

Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls, United States) 

Matthew Leckie (FSV Frankfurt 1899, Germany) 

Tommy Oar (Utrecht, Netherlands) 

Ben Halloran (Fortuna Duesseldorf, Germany) 

Adam Taggart (Newcastle Jets) 

AFC QUARTERLY 33

INTERVIEW: HONG MYUNG-BO 

NO FEAR 

NO REGRET 

LONG REGARDED AS 

ONE OF ASIA’S GREATEST 

PLAYERS, WHEN HONG 

MYUNG-BO WAS NAMED 

AS HEAD COACH OF THE 

KOREA REPUBLIC NATIONAL 

TEAM HE WAS SEEN AS 

FULFILLING HIS DESTINY. 

BUT, WITH JUST 12 MONTHS 

TO BUILD A TEAM FOR 

BRAZIL, HONG TELLS OF HIS 

HOPES FOR THIS SUMMER’S 

TOURNAMENT AND BEYOND. 

By: Michael Church Photos: World Sport Group 

The image is one of the 

most iconic in Asian 

football: Hong Myungbo 

wheeling away, arms 

stretched out, a look of 

sheer delight on his face 

as he celebrates netting 

the penalty that took Korea 

Republic into the semi-finals of the 2002 

FIFA World Cup. 

For millions of fans in Korea, and 

throughout Asia, it was an historic 

moment.The shootout win over Spain the 

first time an Asian team had progressed to 

the last four of the game’s greatest event, 

and the man pulling the trigger on that 

decisive penalty was, fittingly, one of the 

continent’s finest ever players. 

Twelve years on from captaining Guus 

Hiddink’s side to a remarkable fourth place, 

Hong is back in the unremitting glare of the 

FIFA World Cup spotlight; but where once 

he was calling the shots on the field, the 

45-year-old now has an altogether more 

challenging task at hand. 

Less than a year ago, Hong was handed 

the reins of the Korea Republic national 

team – a position many felt his destiny – 

after Choi Kang-hee stepped down having 

secured qualification for an Asian record 

eighth straight FIFA World Cup. 

Hong had been the overwhelming 

AFC QUARTERLY 35

INTERVIEW: HONG MYUNG-BO 

favourite to take over, not just for sentimental 

reasons but because he had steered the 

country to the bronze medal at the Olympic 

Games in London a year before. 

That success was the latest step in a 

steady, upward trajectory both for Hong as a 

coach and the impressive young generation 

of players he has led since serving as head 

coach of the country’s U-20 team; the same 

group of players he believes is bound for a 

bright future. 

“Based on my experience, I think this is a 

golden generation,” says Hong of the squad he 

will take to Brazil, where the Koreans will meet 

Russia, Algeria and Belgium in Group H. 

“After the 2012 Olympics, they developed 

a lot and it’s going to be the same in Brazil 

because, if they do their best at the World 

Cup, they will improve a lot. I strongly believe 

they are a golden generation who will go on to 

represent Korea for the next five, six or seven 

years.” 

Brazil 2014, Hong believes, is the next 

step towards creating a dynasty. The aim: to 

fashion a team that can make a mark both 

regionally and globally, much as Hong did 

himself during an enviable playing career. 

His status as an icon of the game continues 

to loom large over Korean football. As 

someone who represented his nation 136 

times, including at four FIFA World Cup Finals 

and as captain in 2002, it is little surprise. 

But it is as a coach with a burgeoning 

reputation that Hong promises to make an 

even greater impact as he continues his 

upward trajectory on the sidelines after a 

patient and studious apprenticeship. 

Having retired from playing in 2004, he 

worked as an assistant to Dick Advocaat at 

the 2006 finals in Germany, before serving 

alongside Pim Verbeek at the AFC Asian Cup 

a year later. 

Hong then took Korea’s team to the FIFA 

U-20 World Cup in 2009 and led the nation 

to the bronze medal at the Asian Games in 

Guangzhou in 2010. 

Success in London followed two years later, 

and then came the call to take on the biggest 

job of all. Few were shocked, except Hong 

himself. 

“The first time I heard the news I was 

surprised and at the time I was thinking that, 

regardless of who it is, a good coach has to be 

appointed to be coach of the Korean national 

team,” he says. 

“When I received the offer, I was assistant 

coach to Guus Hiddink in Anzhi Makhachkala 

so, on one side I was surprised, but on the 

other hand I was happy. 

“That was the third offer I had had from 

the Korea Football Association to be national 

team coach. I thought one day I have to take 

the challenge and maybe there would not be 

another time to be national team coach. It’s a 

job everyone wants and I thought it was the 

time to take it. 

“But I don’t think there’s any relationship 

between the Olympic team and the national 

team. After having the success with the 

Olympic team, I didn’t think the national team 

was the next step. I didn’t think there was a 

relationship. 

“The most important thing for the national 

team head coach is ability and experience, 

and performance as well. A lot of people were 

thinking that I would be given the national 

team job because the bronze medal at the 

Olympics was the best result in the history of 

Korean football, and it’s true that there is a lot 

of expectation that I could perform better after 

the bronze medal. But the most important 

thing is to do my best from the beginning, 

from the first step.” 

The Olympics continue to be the backdrop 

against which coach Hong goes into the FIFA 

World Cup finals. He has named 12 of the 

18 players he took to London in his 23-man 

squad for Brazil with only five players – 

goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryung, Ki Sung-yeung, 

Park Chu-yong, Lee Chung-yong and Kim 

Bo-kyung – surviving from Huh Jung-moo’s 

squad that reached the Round of 16 in South 

Africa in 2010. 

“When I was appointed head coach, I only 

had one year until the World Cup and, from 

the day I was appointed, I started to compare 

all of the players,” he says. 

“But I found that the players who played in 

the Olympics had improved their ability a lot. 

So, generally, I thought the Olympic players 

were better and that’s why I picked them.” 

Perhaps its not surprising that Hong chose 

to select players he knows and trusts; not 

only did a dozen play under him two years 

ago, but several – including Koo Ja-cheol and 

Yun Suk-yong – were part of the team Hong 

took to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, 

where the Koreans reached the quarter-finals. 

After the struggle to qualify under Choi 

with a squad featuring many of Korea’s old 

guard, the time had come to begin building 

an entirely new team with a philosophy that 

sees Hong borrow from the huge number of 

influences he has absorbed during his career. 

“We have very strong opponents so I 

think in order to compete at the World Cup 

having a lot of pace in the team is important, 

especially in terms of transition,” he says. “It 

is very important. I think the players in the 

squad have got excellent talent, so based on 

those facts, that’s why I picked them. 

“My strategy is based on the players. I 

know we have to analyse what the players 

can do best in each situation. Over the last 

two competitions – the under 20 World Cup 

and the Olympics – I experienced how to 

compete against other teams and coaches at 

world level and, based on that experience, my 

tactics are to make the team very compact 

and we will put our opponents under a lot of 

pressure.” 

Hong and his team will be under pressure 

of a different kind at home, with the Korean 

public expecting a lengthy run at the finals 

off the back of reaching the Round of 16 in 

South Africa – where they were eliminated 

by Uruguay – and the performance at the 

Olympics. But the head coach just hopes his 

players can go to the World Cup and perform 

free of fear. 

“At the moment in Korea, the fans here are 

saying I’ll be happy reaching the quarterfinals, 

but that’s their perspective,” says 

Hong. 

“Of course, the best thing would be to fulfill 

their expectations, however I think the most 

important thing is that we do our best. I want 

the team to do their best and have no regrets 

after the World Cup. Our team could qualify 

for the knockout stages, or not, but the most 

important thing is to play without regret. 

“When I was a player, the World Cup 

started with fear and it ended with regret. 

But if I look back at my experience, there’s 

no need to fear the World Cup. It’s directly 

related to confidence. 

“At the same time, from a tactical and 

psychological perspective the players have 

to be prepared. No one knows how far we 

can go, but me and my team want to do our 

best at the World Cup and finish the World 

Cup without regret.” 

AFC QUARTERLY 37

TEAM PROFILE: Korea Republic 


Qualified: 1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 

Best Performance: Fourth place -2002 

Best Result: 2002 - 0-0 (won 5-3 on penalties) v Spain 



FW Park Chu-young 

Hong Myung-bo will take a 

youthful squad to the finals 

of the FIFA World Cup as 

he seeks to build on Korea 

Republic’s success at the 

Olympic Games in London 

two years ago. 

Then, Hong steered the 

country’s U-23 team to their first-ever medal 

in the men’s competition, defeating Japan in 

the third place play-off match to record Asia’s 

best performance at the Olympics since the 

Japanese finished third in Mexico City in 

1968. 

Hong was appointed head coach of 

the full national side last year, replacing 

Choi Kang-hee, who had secured Korea’s 

place in the finals for an eighth straight 

tournament, and he has sought to increase 

the pace and energy of the team. 

Only five players remain from the squad 

that reached the Round of 16 in South 

Africa four years ago, with striker Park Chuyong 

gaining selection despite struggling in 

recent months with injury. 

Ki Sung-yueng sits at the heart of the 

midfield, controlling the team’s tempo, while 

Son Heung-min has become a fixture in 

the side under Hong after two impressive 

seasons in Germany. 

In a group featuring Russia, Belgium 

and Algeria, the Koreans will be hoping to 

advance to the knockout phase for a second 

World Cup in a row and, from there, build on 

their showing in 2010. 

LMF Son Heung-min CMF Koo Ja-cheol RMF Lee Chung-yong 

CM Ki Sung-yueng CM Han Kook-yong 

LB Yun Suk-young 

CB Kim Young-gwon 

CB Hong Jeong-ho 

RB Lee Yong 

Kim 

Young-gwon 

Ki 

Sung-yueng 

C 

entral 

defender 

Kim 

Young-gwon has 

been a key part 

of the Guangzhou 

Evergrande side 

that has dominated 

club football in the 

continent over the 

last two seasons. 

Club coach 

Marcello Lippi 

has hailed Kim as 

one of the finest 

defenders in Asia. 

O 

ne of only 

five players 

to survive 

from the squad that 

represented Korea 

Republic in South 

Africa four years 

ago, Ki Seung-yueng 

remains the fulcrum 

around which the 

rest of the team 

pivots. An elegant 

presence in the 

centre of midfield, 

he also presents 

a threat from set 

pieces. 

GK Jung Sung-ryeong 

Park 

Chu-young 

I 

njury 

and a 

lack 

of form 

looked set 

to deny 

Park Chu-young the opportunity to appear 

at a second straight FIFA World Cup, but the 

former Monaco forward was selected by Hong 

Myung-bo, as he was as an overage player for 

the Olympic Games in 2012. 

World Cup Schedule in Group H 

June 17 Korea Republic v Russia Cuiaba 

June 22 Korea Republic v Algeria Porto Alegre 

June 26 Korea Republic v Belgium Sao Paulo 

Squad 

Jung Sung-ryeong (Suwon Bluewings) 

Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan Hyundai) 

Lee Bum-young (Busan I’Park) 

Park Joo-ho (Mainz, Germany) 

Yun Suk-young (QPR, England) 

Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande, China) 

Hwang Seok-ho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Japan) 

Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg, Germany) 

Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia) 

Lee Yong (Ulsan Hyundai) 

Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan) 

Ki Sung-yueng (Sunderland, England) 

Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan, China) 

Han Kook-young (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan) 

Park Jung-woo (Guangzhou R&F, China) 

Son Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany) 

Kim Bo-kyung (Cardiff City, Wales) 

Lee Chung-yong (Bolton Wanderers, England) 

Ji Dong-won (Augsburg, Germany) 

Koo Ja-cheol (Mainz, Germany) 

Lee Keun-ho (Sangju Sangmu) 

Park Chu-young (Arsenal, England) 

Kim Shin-wook (Ulsan Hyundai) 

AFC QUARTERLY 39

INTERVIEW: CARLOS QUEIROZ 

AGAINST 

ALL ODDS 

FORMER REAL MADRID 

COACH CARLOS 

QUEIROZ HEADS TO HIS 

THIRD FIFA WORLD CUP 

HOPING TO OVERCOME 

THE ODDS AND TAKE 

IRAN TO THE SECOND 

ROUND FOR THE 

FIRST TIME IN THEIR 

HISTORY, DESPITE THE 

OBSTACLES IN 

THEIR PATH. 

By: Michael Church Photos: World Sport Group 

For every team travelling 

to Brazil, preparation is 

key. For the major nations, 

those who have most, 

if not all, of their squad 

featuring in the game’s 

leading leagues, rest 

and recuperation after a 

grueling season are as important as the 

tactical and technical work done in the 

build-up to the finals. 

Carlos Queiroz, however, has a 

different problem; the Portuguese coach 

goes to Brazil wishing he could spend 

more time with his players in an effort to 

achieve the best result possible at Iran’s 

fourth FIFA World Cup appearance. 

“The difference with coaching in Iran, 

or in Asia, is that we need more time to 

prepare to have the opportunity to do well 

at the World Cup,” says the man who 

took South Africa to the 2002 finals before 

leading his native Portugal to the second 

round - where they lost to eventual 

champions Spain - four years ago. “The 

more opportunities we have to work with 

the players the better because it allows us 

to prepare for international games. 

“When everyone is working under the 

FIFA rules, it is difficult, but at the end 

AFC QUARTERLY 41

INTERVIEW: CARLOS QUEIROZ 

of the day this is the reality. The FIFA rules 

don’t help the developing nations to compete 

against the best teams in the world. It’s not 

enough for us to prepare in the same way or 

over the same time period that the Germans 

or the Spanish team do. 

“It’s very clear to me that we have two 

types of countries in world football: there 

are those who have players playing with the 

top clubs and who don’t need so much time 

together and there are those who should 

spend more time together as a national team. 

“When you have the same FIFA rules for 

everybody there is an imbalance between 

these two groups and then the gap between 

the top nations and everyone else grows 

bigger and bigger.” 

Queiroz knows the odds are stacked 

against his team in Brazil, where Team Melli 

will face the daunting task of taking on Lionel 

Messi’s Argentina as well as Nigeria and 

Bosnia-Herzegovina as they seek a first-ever 

appearance in the knockout phase of the 

World Cup. 

But their status as underdogs will not 

diminish their desire to make an impact at the 

finals. 

“We had to try to put a preparation 

programme together to allow us to compete 

against other national teams,” says Queiroz, 

whose team finalised their build-up to Brazil 

2014 with a 10-day camp in Austria before 

leaving for Sao Paulo. 

“We are going to go to Brazil to try to 

accomplish the goals we have in our mind. 

“We are going to be going there to do our 

best, to compete with honour and with dignity 

and to make the Iranian fans proud of our 

team. That’s the most important thing. When 

you play against some of the best teams in 

the world, this is what you have to do. 

“Argentina are one of the best teams in 

the world, Nigeria have many players playing 

in big clubs in Europe and Bosnia are a 

good side too, so we need to go there and 

compete with pride. 

“I think there is a clear situation that 

Argentina is clearly the favourite in the group, 

then you have two candidates for second 

position with Nigeria and Bosnia, and then 

you have us as outsiders. 

“As outsiders, we are going to play a 

cat and mouse game and wait for our 

opportunities, and when those opportunities 

come we have to take them.” 

To achieve success in the long run, 

Queiroz believes federations need to take 

a view to preparing for major tournaments 

that goes much further than the basic 

regulations that are in place. 

He is an advocate, too, for Asian 

nations finding ways to develop the game 

in their own way, rather than borrowing 

methods from other nations and other 

confederations. 

“The difference in the level between 

Europe, Africa and Asia is very high,” he 

says. 

“We need to think about the development 

of football in each country and we can’t 

stand behind FIFA rules when it comes to 

players’ availability. We can’t fall into that 

trap. It’s the responsibility of each federation 

to put in place the best preparation for the 

team and they must try to do the best for 

their national team. 

“If you stand behind the FIFA rules, 

you won’t go anywhere. You have to put 

together a long-term development plan and, 

secondly, you can’t just copy Europe in 

coach development, youth development and 

the systems you put in place. The systems 

and the methods you put in place and the 

organisation you use must be something 

that works for Asian players. If you copy, you 

won’t go anywhere. It needs to be done using 

innovative methods. 

“For the clubs, the AFC Champions League 

was more important and the Asian Football 

Confederation scheduled the competition to 

run until May, so because of the schedule 

it was difficult to do the preparation that 

we needed. But at the end of the day, it’s 

a problem for all of us. The preparation 

programme is the same for us, and for 

Germany and for Spain. The difference 

is, they have many years of work in place 

building up to this and we don’t. 

“But we have a strong belief and we will try 

to do the best that we can and compete with 

pride and honour, now is not the time to talk 

about coach education or development. You 

don’t do that so close to the World Cup. “ 

Since taking over as head coach, Queiroz 

has sought to add strength and depth to 

his squad by integrating players either born 

or raised outside Iran to a squad made up 

predominantly of locally based players. 

Fulham wide man Ashkan Dejagah has 

made a major impact since making his debut 

for Iran in February 2012 against Qatar while 

Daniel Davari has become the first choice 

goalkeeper and Reza Ghoochenejad the 

team’s most potent striker. 

The coach, though, believes finding the 

right blend is more important than packing 

the side with overseas-based players. 

“There’s no doubt the players playing 

international football, and playing in 

European football, they bring important 

talents to the team; they have more 

international experience, they have better 

preparation and have better fitness compared 

to the locally based players,” he says. 

“But my only criteria for the selection 

of players are quality and experience. I 

want players who can bring good technical 

qualities to the team. 

“We want to create the best environment 

and the best squad we can, and it doesn’t 

matter if they are local players or from 

abroad. The four or five players we have 

who are based in Europe, they are better 

prepared from a physical and mental point of 

view and they have great qualities.” 

Despite Queiroz’s concerns, the 

61-year-old is setting his sights on 

making the dreams of Iran’s fans come 

true. The country’s record at the Word 

Cup is disappointing: in thee previous 

appearances, Iran have won one match – 

against the United States in 1998 – drawn 

twice and lost their remaining six fixtures. 

And yet fans in the football crazy nation 

crave not only another win, but a place in 

the knockout stages of the tournament. 

“There are a lot of people who feel that 

it is realistic that Iran can go to the second 

round,” he says. 

“That is being said all over the place 

and I don’t see anything wrong in having a 

dream and we will work hard in every game 

and in every minute to try to make that 

dream a reality. 

“We must play with one thing in mind, to 

try to do that and I see nothing wrong with 

that. 

“We are going to play against three of the 

best teams in the world and we qualified 

with the expectation that we would play 

against opponents who would be amongst 

the best in the world.” 

AFC QUARTERLY 43

TEAM PROFILE: IRAN 


Qualified: 1978, 1998, 2006 

Best Performance: Group Stages - 1978, 1998 & 2006) 

Best Result: 1998 - 2-1 v United States 



FW Reza Ghoochannejhad 

Iran go to their fourth FIFA World Cup finals 

still looking for what has so far been an 

elusive place in the knockout stages of the 

game’s greatest event. 

With just one win in their previous three 

appearances – an historic victory over the 

United States in Lyon during France 1998 

– Carlos Queiroz’s side will be aiming to 

turn promise into results in a group featuring 

Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

With Lionel Messi’s Argentina the 

favourites to win the group, the battle will be 

on for second place with all three sides 

evenly matched on paper going into the 

tournament. 

Queiroz has worked hard enhancing his 

squad since taking over following the AFC 

Asian Cup finals in Qatar in 2011, when the 

Iranians once again exited the competition 

at the quarter-final stage at the hands of 

Korea Republic. 

Overseas-born or raised players such 

as goalkeeper Daniel Davari, midfielder 

Ashkan Dejagah and forward Reza 

Ghoochenijhad have become vital to the 

team and, allied to home-grown stars 

such as Javad Nekounam and Andranik 

Teymourian, the Iranians have the talent to 

make an impact in Brazil. 

Ghoochenijhad, in particular, has delivered 

a much-needed cutting edge to the team 

that had previously struggled in front of goal, 

which relied too often on being bailed out 

by Nekounam with his customary all-action 

displays. 

LMF Masoud Shojaei CMF Ghasem Hadadifar RMF Ashkan Dejagah 

CM Javad Nekounam CM Andranik Teymourian 

LB Hashem Beikzadeh 

CB Amir Hossein Sadeghi 

CB Jalal Hosseini 

RB Pejman Montazeri 

Andranik 

Teymourian 

Javad 

Nekounam 

A 

ndranik Teymourian’s 

partnership in the 

centre of midfield 

with Javad Nekounam was 

the key ingredient in Iran’s 

qualification for the FIFA 

World Cup finals, and it 

remains vital to their hopes 

of success in Brazil. The 

former Bolton Wanderers 

midfielder brings industry 

and craft to the heart of 

the Iran midfield and can 

contribute the occasional 

spectacular strike from long 

range. 

V 

eteran midfielder 

and Team Melli 

captain Javad 

Nekounam remains 

the fulcrum of the side, 

controlling everything from 

the centre of the pitch and 

chipping in regularly with 

vital goals. Nekounam’s 

experience of playing in 

Europe, having spent 

several seasons in La 

Liga with Osasuna, will be 

key as Iran aim for a place 

in the knockout rounds 

for the first time in their 

history. 

GK Rahman Ahmadi 

Reza 

Ghoochannejhad 

Netherlandsraised 

striker Reza 

Ghoochannejhad 

burst 

on to the scene 

with Iran during qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals, 

scoring three times as Team Melli booked their place in 

Brazil. Quick and skillful, the Charlton Athletic forward will 

use his pace to unsettle opposition defences. Known as 

‘Gucci’, he represented the Netherlands at youth level. 

World Cup Schedule in Group F 

June 16 Iran v Nigeria Curitiba 

June 21 Iran v Argentina Belo Horizonte 

June 25 Iran v Bosnia-Herzegovina Salvador 

Squad 

Daniel Davari (Grasshopper Club Zurich, Switzerland) 

Alireza Haghighi (Rubin Kazan, Russia) 

Rahman Ahmadi (Sepahan) 

Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal) 

Hossein Mahini (Persepolis) 

Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada) 

Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal, Qatar) 

Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis) 

Amir Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal) 

Ahmad Alenemeh (Naft) 

Hashem Beikzadeh (Esteghlal) 

Ehsan Haji Safi (Sepahan) 

Mehrdad Pouladi (Persepolis) 

Javad Nekounam (Kuwait SC, Kuwait) 

Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal) 

Reza Haghighi (Persepolis) 

Ghasem Hadadifar (Zob Ahan) 

Bakhtiyar Rahmani (Foolad) 

Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands) 

Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham, England) 

Masoud Shojaei (Las Palmas, Spain) 

Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton, England) 

Karim Ansarifard (Tractorsazi Tabriz) 

AFC QUARTERLY 45

FEATURE: RAVSHAN IRMATOV 

THE MAN IN 

THE MIDDLE 

RAVSHAN IRMATOV 

WILL MAKE HIS SECOND 

FIFA WORLD CUP 

APPEARANCE THIS 

SUMMER IN BRAZIL AFTER 

THE FOUR-TIME AFC 

REFEREE OF THE YEAR 

OFFICIATED THE OPENING 

GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 

FOUR YEARS EARLIER. 

Interview: Behzod Nazarov • Photo: World Sport Group 

Uzbekistan’s 

heartbreaking play-off 

defeat by Jordan last 

year denied the Central 

Asian nation the chance 

to continue their bid for 

maiden appearance at 

the FIFA World Cup. 

But this summer in Brazil, Uzbekistan 

will be represented by four-time AFC 

Referee of the Year Ravshan Irmatov. 

The 36-year-old will be joined in Brazil 

by compatriot Abdukhamidullo Rasulov 

as well as Bakhadyr Kochkarov from 

Kyrgyzstan, who are both part of his 

regular team of officials. 

Kochkarov joined Irmatov at the 2010 

FIFA World Cup as the team took charge 

of the opening game between hosts South 

Africa and Mexico. 

“To be at the World Cup is like a 

trophy for each referee. Teams play for 

participation in the final stage over the 

years and during qualifying tournaments. 

Referees also have the same process,” 

says Irmatov. 

AFC QUARTERLY 47

FEATURE: RAVSHAN IRMATOV 

Ravshan Irmatov 

Nationality: 

Uzbekistan 

DOB: 

09/08/1977 

Position: 

Referee 

Honours: 

AFC Referee of the Year – 

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 

FIFA Club World Cup Final 

Referee – 2008, 2011 

FIFA World Cup Referee - 2010 

AFC Asian Cup Final Referee 

– 2011 

AFF Suzuki Cup Final 

Referee - 2012 

AFC Champions League 

Final Referee - 2013 

“There are a lot of high level referees all 

over the world. It is not easy to reach it. I 

cried from happiness when I knew about my 

participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

This is also what happened for 2014.” 

The honour of taking charge of the opening 

game of a FIFA World Cup completed 

Irmatov’s rise through the ranks having been 

added to the list of FIFA referees just seven 

years earlier. 

“I played football from my childhood. I 

began to play for Gazalkent club, but I injured 

my ankle and that finished my playing career. 

My father was a coach of the youth players 

and I helped him at that time during training. 

Once, my father offered me a chance to 

referee a match between some of the youth 

teams, and I did it,” says Irmatov. 

“After the game he told me to become 

a referee. He said I had a good chance to 

become a referee. He had spoken about 

it a lot of times before also, so I began my 

refereeing career after that day.” 

Irmatov soon progressed through the 

ranks and took charge of his first domestic 

game in Uzbekistan in 2001, with continental 

recognition following in the shape of the 

matches in the group stage of the 2002/03 

AFC Champions League. 

“I refereed some youth team matches 

and then I wrote an official letter to become 

a referee. I began to work in Uzbekistan 

championship matches,” he says. “At 

international level I went to Dalian in China 

for my first game as the home team played 

in the AFC Champions League.” 

At the end of 2002 Irmatov was 

recommended to join the list of FIFA 

referees for the following year having 

impressed during an Uzbekistan league 

game between Pakhtakor and Sogdiana in 

Tashkent. 

“It is a very proud thing for every referee,” 

says Irmatov of being added to the FIFA 

list. “You serve in these games in the name 

of your country or your continent so you 

should be ready for all situations during 

these games.” 

Appearances at the 2004 AFC Asian 

Cup, as well as FIFA U-17 and U-20 World 

Cups in 2007 followed before Irmatov took 

charge of the final between Manchester 

United and Liga Deportiva Universitaria de 

Quito at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. 

His achievements saw Irmatov named 

AFC Referee of the Year for the first time in 

2008, with subsequent recognition following 

in 2009, 2010 and 2011. 

“I can say honestly I had no any idea 

about becoming the best referee. I just 

wanted to show good refereeing and 

perform well. That has been my main target 

from the beginning of my career,” says 

Irmatov. 

“When the AFC announced my name 

I had so many emotions. I had the same 

emotion when I received it for the second, 

third and fourth time, just like it was the 

first time.” 

The award at the end of 2010 followed 

Irmatov becoming the first referee from 

Uzbekistan to officiate at the FIFA World 

Cup, a moment which was made even 

more special as he led out the two teams 

for the opening game at Johannesburg’s 

Soccer City. 

“It was unexpected for me as I was the 

youngest amongst all the referees. When 

I knew about it, I was surprised. To work 

at the FIFA World Cup is the dream for 

every referee. I had the opening match of 

the World Cup,” says Irmatov. 

“I think it shows the trust in Asian 

referees that I had this opportunity. If 

you work hard, you have a chance to 

become the best. We showed Asian 

referees could work well in important 

games. There is no border where are you 

from – Asia, Africa or Oceania. I felt great 

happiness on that day.” 

Irmatov and his team also took charge 

of the group stage games between 

England and Algeria as well as Greece 

and Argentina. 

The team were also appointed for 

the quarter-final between Argentina 

and Germany and the semi-final involving 

Uruguay and the Netherlands, but the trio 

missed out on the final. 

“If I was disappointed by missing out on the 

final it wouldn’t be good because I refereed 

five matches in the World Cup. I served in the 

quarter and semi-finals,” he says. 

“When I was at a FIFA seminar in Zurich in 

2007 for the first time, some referees told me 

I had no chance of going to the FIFA World 

Cup. I continued to work every day with my 

training process. 

“Going to the World Cup and refereeing 

five matches were the fruits of our hard work.” 

Irmatov, though, did not have to wait long 

to take charge of a major final as he was 

appointed for the last game of the 2011 AFC 

Asian Cup between Japan and Australia 

in Doha, although that had only be made 

possible following Uzbekistan’s elimination in 

the semi-finals. 

“I remember Uzbekistan’s match in 

the semi-final. I asked our instructor if I 

could go to the stadium to see the game. 

Unfortunately, Uzbekistan lost. If the national 

team had won that game it would have been 

a happy day for fans in Uzbekistan. Many 

people like football in my country,” he says. 

“When I was told I would serve in the final, 

I was happy and felt a great honour. The final 

of the Asian Cup is the dream of any referee 

from Asia.” 

The finals of the 2011 FIFA Club World 

Cup between Barcelona and Santos, the 

bronze medal play-off between Japan and 

Korea Republic at the 2012 Olympic Games 

and the second leg of the 2012 AFF Suzuki 

Cup final between Thailand and Singapore 

soon followed as Irmatov’s impressive 

resume grew stronger still. 

Irmatov, though, has not had it all his 

own way throughout his career following 

his much-publicised error in the match 

between Brazil and Italy at the 2013 FIFA 

Confederations Cup as he awarded Giorgio 

Chiellini’s goal despite having a split second 

earlier appeared to award Italy a penalty. 

“The referee’s role in football is very 

important. Sometimes fans or the media 

forget about the human factor. Referees 

make mistakes sometimes. You can’t do any 

work without mistakes,” he says. 

“Even the best players in the world make 

mistakes. Fans should understand that. I 

think referees should not pay attention to 

what fans say after mistakes. He has to 

forget his mistakes, but to analyse it and to 

prepare for the next match. 

“Referees have a difficult job. You have to 

decide right after one or two seconds of each 

situation. Football is very quick now as the 

ball goes from one end to the other in four or 

five seconds.” 

That ended the tournament for Irmatov and 

his team, but after they took charge of 

the first leg of the 2013 AFC Champions 

League final between FC Seoul and 

Guangzhou Evergrande, the Uzbek trio 

will be back in Brazil this summer with the 

AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia also just 

around the corner. 

“The proudest achievement of my 

career is the opening match of the 2010 

FIFA World Cup. It is the dream for each 

referee,” says Irmatov. “My hopes are to 

show a good performance at the 2014 

FIFA World Cup in Brazil and then go to 

AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia.” 

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil 

Referees – Asian Zone 

REFEREES 

Nams 

Ravshan Irmatov 

Alireza Faghani 

Yuichi Nishimura 

Nawaf Shukralla 

Benjamin Williams 

Country 

International 

Since 

2003 

2008 

2004 

2007 

2005 

AFC QUARTERLY 49

IN FOCUS: SAUDI ARABIA 

MOVING 

FORWARD 

SAUDI ARABIA ARE ONE 

OF ASIA’S MOST 

SUCCESSFUL NATIONS 

AND, WITH A NEW 

PRESIDENT AT THE HELM 

OF THE FEDERATION, THE 

GREEN FALCONS ARE SET 

TO SOAR EVEN HIGHER. 

By: Michael Church Photos: World Sport Group/Courtesy of Saudi Arabian Football Federation 

Saeed Owairan’s 

mesmerizing run through 

the heart of the Belgian 

team will always remain 

a touch-stone moment 

for Saudi Arabian 

football; the day the 

team from the Middle 

East announced their arrival on the biggest 

stage of all, delivered with one of the 

game’s greatest ever goals. 

Twenty years ago this summer, Saudi 

Arabia became the first Asian nation to 

reach the knockout phase of the FIFA 

World Cup since DPR Korea advanced to 

the quarter-finals in England in 1966. With 

a team packed with young, exciting talent, 

the future belonged to the Green Falcons. 

The run to the second round in the 

United States – where they lost 3-1 to 

Sweden after emerging from a group 

featuring Belgium, the Netherlands and 

Morocco – was the high point of a golden 

era for Saudi football. 

After back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles 

in 1984 and 1988 and a runners-up finish in 

1992, Saudi Arabia made an instant impact 

at their first-ever appearance at the World 

Cup. A third AFC Asian Cup title in 1996 

was followed by appearances at the 1998 

and 2002 World Cups, a run to the final of 

the 2000 Asian Cup and again in 2007. 

Three Gulf Cup titles from 1994 to 2003 

underlined their regional dominance, while 

the country’s clubs would be amongst 

the confederation’s finest, with Al Ittihad 

twice winning the AFC Champions League 

and Al Hilal claiming the old Asian Club 

Championship crown. 

But despite all the silverware, that day at 

RFK Stadium in Washington remains the 

high water mark; it is the standard by which 

AFC QUARTERLY 51

IN FOCUS: SAUDI ARABIA 

Below Saudi Arabian Football 

Federation President Ahmed Eid 

Al Harbi 

Left 

2011 Asian Cup 

all successive Saudi teams and performances 

have been judged. 

As a result, exiting the AFC Asian Cup at 

the group stages in 2011 and missing out on 

a second successive FIFA World Cup – this 

time not even progressing to the final phase of 

qualifying – has rung the changes. 

Prince Sultan bin Fahd stood down from his 

position as president of the federation after 

the exit from the Qatar Asian Cup while his 

successor, his nephew Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, 

stepped aside following the national team’s 

failure to advance to the final round of qualifying 

for Brazil 2014. 

Change was about to come to Saudi Arabia; 

not just the football fraternity, but society itself. 

In a country that has been ruled as an absolute 

monarchy since its creation in 1932, the Saudi 

Arabia Football Federation was to become 

the first official body in the country’s history to 

institute an election for the position of president. 

Ahmed Eid Al Harbi was instrumental in 

what would turn out to be an historic move. 

A former goalkeeper with both Al Ahli and the 

national team, Eid had long been one of the 

most progressive voices within Saudi football. 

Following Prince Nawaf’s resignation, he – 

along with Dr Salah bin Nasser and Dr Majed 

Garoub – stepped in to run the federation 

and set about ringing the changes that would, 

eventually, lead to a first-ever election. 

In the months after Prince Nawaf’s departure, 

the federation’s general assembly was 

enhanced, relationships between the clubs, 

the league and governing body improved and 

statutes were put in place. By the end of 

2011, the restructuring of the governance of 

Saudi football had begun. 

“We started to get help from the clubs, 

the players, referees, trainers, everyone,” 

says Eid. “I was very close to the Olympic 

committee, too. They have three members, 

and Prince Nawaf was heading up the 

committee, and so we reached the final 

stages. It was approved in order to do the 

general assembly. 

“The first general assembly was at the 

end of 2011, so we made an election for the 

general assembly. Due to the regulations, we 

had to have appointed 63 members, so we 

did that according to the statutes.” 

With the first step complete, the election of 

the new president was the next phase, with 

the understanding that Eid – in recognition 

of his work and dedication in rebuilding the 

federation – would stand unopposed. That 

was until a challenger emerged. 

“Khaled Al Muammar came in as the 

second candidate,” says Eid. “I was a little bit 

concerned about how things went because 

we had decided that the first election would 

be me and then after we would have any 

other candidate. 

“It wasn’t the news I wanted to hear at that 

moment, but I accepted it and went back to 

Saudi to focus on my plan.” 

Election fever gripped Saudi Arabia. Both 

candidates canvassed for votes, attempting 

to swing public opinion in their favour via the 

media while, two days ahead of the vote, a 

televised debate was held and broadcast across 

the nation. Despite only the 62 members of the 

General Assembly being eligible to vote, the 

entire country was engaged in the debate. 

“When we were face-to-face, I went back to 

my old ways from when I was a goalkeeper and 

I was facing an opponent,” says Eid. “I started 

to look at his eyes, to see him in a different way 

and I think I made him nervous. 

“In my playing days, I knew that me and my 

colleagues on the team were there for each 

other and I knew the opponents very well and 

that there is someone there to help me. 

“But face-to-face there is nothing to help 

you, except for your ability. During the debate 

I could feel how important this was, and I was 

speaking to the people and trying to give them 

the encouragement that I was supporting them. 

And I was paying back to the people in Saudi 

Arabian football what they had given me since I 

was a boy, playing in the street in bare feet and 

now I’m here.” 

Two days after the debate, Eid would 

eventually win the vote, emerging victorious 

from a nerve-racking count by just two votes, 32 

to 30. He embraced his opponent and waved to 

the crowd, maintaining a dignified, calm exterior. 

Inside, though, it was a different matter. 

“The pressure of my blood went to my head, 

and it was like Sami Al Jaber scoring for the 

national team! I’ve never been so happy in my 

life, except when we win the championship with 

the national team,” he says. 

After the euphoria subsided, the real work 

started: how to return Saudi Arabia to the 

summit of Asian football. 

“Before the federation was run through the 

welfare agency of the government, but now we 

need to think like we are in the private sector, 

thinking like a profitable company and when 

you talk about that then you have to change the 

whole structure of the federation with the help 

of FIFA and hiring the right people in the right 

places,” says Eid. 

“Before we set up all the three elements 

that need to done in the right way – the 

administrative, organization, finance – we 

have to have our budget due to what we need 

and build a full technical department to set up 

everything for the federation and for the clubs. 

“I have two examples I always try to follow: 

the German federation and the Japanese. 

I can do much better by following those 

federations, but customised for our own 

culture. Also, when you look at Saudi Arabia, it 

is similar to Australia. We have a similar sized 

population and also the structure is similar to 

Australia and I have had several meetings 

with the federation and we have extended our 

relationship and the Asian Cup in 2015 will give 

us a chance to adapt to working with Australia. 

“I think if we finish our plan in line with what 

we have now, Saudi Arabia will be back at 

the 2018 and 2022 World Cups with a strong 

national team. It might happen before because 

we have a very strong environment and we 

have very good young players and very good 

grassroots development.” 

But just as important as the on-field 

Above 

Saud Kariri 

improvements, Eid hopes the election can have 

a major impact on Saudi society at large. 

“I believe this election should be studied in 

terms of culture, in terms of freedom, to be free 

to go to the box and put the name that you want 

and with no one pushing you,” he says. “I want 

this election to be brought out to the clubs and 

most of the society, especially the young. 

“I want the young people in Saudi Arabia 

to learn about this election in schools, in 

universities and in communities. Leadership 

is not easy to find, you have to work for it and 

we have to study and teach our children what 

the vote means. You don’t give your vote to the 

friend you know, but to someone who will do 

something for the society, whether that’s the 

football society or in the world.” 

AFC QUARTERLY 53

CLUB PROFILE: PUNE FC 

THE 

PUNE WAY 

PUNE FC WERE ONLY 

FOUNDED IN 2007, 

BUT HAVE QUICKLY 

ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES 

AS A SHINING LIGHT IN 

INDIA BOTH ON AND OFF 

THE FIELD. 

By: Amoy Ghoshal Photos: World Sport Group/Courtesy of Pune FC 

Becoming professional 

remains one of the biggest 

challenges for Indian 

football clubs, but one 

club that is making huge 

progress on that front is 

Pune FC. 

A proof of their good 

work is the fact that they were the only Indian 

club to be granted the national club license 

last year after fulfilling the AFC criteria. 

That eventually earned them a place in the 

2014 AFC Champions League play-offs, and 

although Pune lost to Vietnam’s Hanoi T&T in 

the first round, they did make their debut in the 

AFC Cup to cap a remarkable rise having only 

been formed in 2007. 

Based in the city of Pune, which is located 

in the state of Maharashtra in Western India, 

the club was formed by the Mumbai-based 

Ashok Piramal Group. 

And the club has since gone on to become 

a benchmark for other clubs in India’s 

domestic league, the I-League, by setting high 

standards in youth development and creating 

a professional environment for players to 

flourish. 

They are one of the few clubs to have 

specialists in every department including video 

analysis and scouting, while Pune have also 

achieved many other firsts as they received 

the first-ever transfer fee in Indian football, 

were the first to organise annual club awards 

and the first to have their own online channel. 

The club’s youth policy, though, is 

their standout quality and it is even more 

AFC QUARTERLY 55

CLUB PROFILE: PUNE FC 

commendable because more established Indian 

clubs do not have their own academies. 

Pune started their own residential academy 

in 2011 for the U-17s and U-19s, while there are 

plans to introduce U-15s to the same structure. 

Twice-weekly soccer schools also take place all 

year round for U-13 and U-10 teams. 

Following its inception in 2007, the club 

competed in Indian football’s second tier in 

2008, but narrowly missed out on promotion to 

the I-League. 

But they secured a place in the 2009-10 

I-League a year later with key contributions from 

current India international Jeje Lalpekhlua, who 

was actually the club’s first-ever signing. 

Jeje, who is now with Kolkata’s Mohun 

Bagan, was only 16 when he signed for Pune 

after being spotted during an India youth camp 

and spent five seasons at the club. 

“My time at Pune FC was very special as they 

gave me the platform to perform,” said Jeje, 

who arrived as a teenager but had established 

himself as one of the country’s best strikers by 

the time he left the club. 

“I have had some great highs with the club , 

but the I-League promotion was the highlight. I 

still remember we needed a win in the last game 

against Sesa Football Academy to qualify for 

the I-League. 

“We managed to do that and I also got on the 

scoresheet.” 

Besides launching the careers of many 

Indian footballers in the last seven years, the 

club has also been one of the most consistent 

teams in the I-League as they have finished in 

the top five in four of their five seasons. 

Pune are yet to win any major trophy, but 

have implemented a self-sustainable business 

model meaning they do not spend their entire 

budget on players and instead have looked to 

run the club professionally. 

They have attracted a number of co-sponsors 

and partners, ensured the best possible facilities 

for the players and coaching staff, while Pune 

have also built a reputation for promoting youth 

through their own academy as well as selecting 

promising players from around the country. 

“We want to try and make Pune FC a selfsustaining 

business,” said chairman Nandan 

Piramal. “Every organisation that is being built 

will have the goal of being self-sustaining and 

not dependent on any one person putting 

money in. That way, the institution lasts long. 

That is our aim - to build an institution.” 

Pune eventually finished third in their debut 

I-League campaign before claiming the runnersup 

spot in the 2012-13 season. 

Indian Derrick Pereira has been the coach 

in the first four I-League seasons, although 

he left in 2013 and was replaced by Dutch 

coach Mike Snoei. Under Snoei, Pune finished 

seventh in the 2013-14 I-League although during 

that campaign they did make their maiden 

appearance in the AFC Cup. 

Pune were eliminated in the group stage, but 

were unbeaten against the top two sides in their 

group and recorded their first-ever continental 

win, against Kitchee. 

“We have been fairly consistent with four 

consecutive top-five finishes since we got 

promoted to the I-League in 2009,” said Pune’s 

head of operations Chirag Tanna. 

“This season we have finished seventh, 

that’s been our lowest ranking since 2009 

and everyone at the club is very motivated 

to improve our performance for the 2014-15 

season. That being said, we have a very young 

squad and this season a lot of the players 

experienced AFC Cup fixtures for the first time. I 

am sure the experience gained this season will 

hold us in good stead going forward.” 

One of the features of Pune this season has 

been the presence of several academy products 

in their first-team squad, with the club benefitting 

from their long-term vision of producing their own 

players. 

They won the youth I-League in 2012 and 

2013 and many members from those two teams 

are now pursuing their careers either at Pune or 

elsewhere in the I-League. 

“I think that our youth coaches have done an 

outstanding job over the past three to four years 

to develop the best young talent in the country,” 

said Tanna. 

“Currently, eight players from our squad of 30 

have come through our youth set-up. However, 

we cannot rest on our laurels and need to 

ensure that going forward more players come 

through our academy set-up and play the Pune 

FC way.” 

Pune, though, have a long way to go in terms 

of results, while they have further ambitions off 

the field, including building their own stadium to 

reflect a growing fan base. 

But their progress thus far has been 

staggering. Many established clubs in India 

are being forced to play catch-up with the 

professional environment within the club that 

Top Coach Mike Snoei 

Top Left Last home game 

of the 2013/14 I-League 

season. 

Bottom Left 

First I-League game 

against East Bengal. 

Above Youth I-League 

Champions 2013. 

Right Arata Izumi 

(right) playing against 

Hong Kong’s Kitchee in the 

AFC Cup this season. 

helps bring out the best from players, with 

Japanese-born Arata Izumi a shining example 

of what can be achieved. 

Midfielder Arata, who was born to an Indian 

father and Japanese mother, joined Pune in 

2009 and after becoming an Indian citizen in 

2012, made his international debut a year later. 

“I came to India in 2006, but it was only after 

joining Pune FC that I got closer to the country 

and took the decision of becoming an Indian 

citizen,” said current Pune midfielder Arata. 

“Pune are a highly professional club and that 

is very comforting for the players. 

“It was the club’s dream to play in the AFC 

Cup and I am glad that I could help them 

realise it.” 

Success on the field has brought with it a 

continued growth of Pune’s fan base, with 

the club only one of four I-League teams to 

have reached 100,000 likes on their official 

Facebook page. 

Their online channel ‘PFC TV’ which offers 

live streaming of domestic matches, as well 

as highlights, interviews and news is being 

pioneered in India by Pune, with many other 

clubs now turning to similar initiatives. 

Pune also engages in various community 

development activities including school contact 

programmes, regular coaching clinics and 

inter-corporate and inter-school tournaments. 

They work with various non-governmental 

organisations and have formed partnerships 

to promote the sport largely among school 

children from low income communities. 

The club also makes arrangements for 

children from various local schools and nongovernmental 

organisations to attend their 

home games at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports 

Complex in Pune. 

So with Pune making all the right moves on 

and off the field, the next logical step is a first 

piece of silverware; a reward for a remarkable 

seven years of progress. 

“We have come close on a couple 

occasions, but we really need to overcome the 

final hurdle and win something next season,” 

added Tanna. 

AFC QUARTERLY 57

AFC Asian Cup UPDATE 

Palestine Complete 

Asian Cup Line-Up 

A GOAL FROM ASHRAF AL FAWAGHRA GAVE PALESTINE A LANDMARK 

VICTORY AT THE AFC CHALLENGE CUP IN THE MALDIVES, AS THE WEST ASIANS 

CLAIMED THE FINAL PLACE AT THE AFC ASIAN CUP AUSTRALIA 2015 

Palestine will be the only 

debutants appearing at the 

AFC Asian Cup Australia 

2015 following their victory 

over the Philippines in the 

final of the AFC Challenge 

Cup at the end of May. 

A second half free-kick 

from tournament leading scorer Ashraf Al 

Fawaghra proved the difference in the final at 

the National Stadium in Male as Palestine’s 

1-0 win completed an unbeaten campaign 

without conceding a goal. 

And with the fifth and final edition of the 

AFC Challenge Cup also offering the winner 

the 16th and final berth at the AFC Asian 

Cup, Palestine will join defending champions 

Japan, two-time quarter-finalists Jordan and 

2007 winners Iraq in Group D in Australia 

next year. 

“We had many players who could not 

come with us this time due to problems, but 

we hope they can come with us to Australia,” 

said Palestine coach Jamal Mahmoud, a 

former Jordan international with Palestinian 

heritage who guided Palestine to the semifinals 

of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2012 

having been appointed a year earlier. 

“And we need to make more training 

camps and more tough friendly matches 

before the Asian Cup.” 

Palestine, though, face the daunting 

prospect of opening their maiden AFC 

Asian Cup campign against four-time 

champions Japan on January 12 at 

Newcastle Stadium before facing Jordan 

at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium four 

days later. 

And with Group D paired with Group 

C that includes Iran, the United Arab 

Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain in terms of 

quarter-final opponents, Palestine will 

round off their group stage campaign 

against 2007 champions Iraq on January 

20 at Canberra Stadium. 

“I think all of the people in Jordan are 

happy for me,” said Mahmoud, who made 25 

appearances for Jordan. 

“They have always supported me. I think 

this is very good for Jordan to have a coach 

from Jordan achieving this success.” 

As for the AFC Asian Cup opener against 

Japan, a smiling Mahmoud said: “We 

will see what we can do.” 

With two-time AFC Challenge Cup 

winners DPR Korea having already 

secured their qualification for Australia 

following their win over Turkmenistan in 

the 2012 final, the Central Asians were 

the most experienced of the eight sides 

in the Maldives. 

And Turkmenistan made the ideal 

start to their campaign in Group B with 

a 5-1 win over debutants Laos thanks 

to two goals from Didar Durdiyev, while 

the highly-anticipated meeting between 

the Philippines and SAFF champions 

Afghanistan ended goalless. 

But Turkmenistan’s hopes of progress 

suffered a blow two days later as 

Afghanistan made a belated start to their 

campaign by posting a 3-1 win. 

The Philippines also registered their first 

win as Simone Rota and Patrick Reichelt 

scored in each half at the Azkals beat Laos. 

And Philippines and Afghanistan sealed 

their qualification at the expense of 

Turkmenistan as Reichelt was again 

on target with 17 minutes remaining 

against the Central Asians after 2012 

AFC Challenge Cup top scorer Phil 

Younghusband had opened the scoring just 

after half-time. 

Afghanistan also completed their group 

stage campaign with an unbeaten record, 

although the SAFF champions were forced 

to settle for second place following a 

goalless draw with Laos. 

The draw handed Laos their first point at 

a continental competition after Khampheng 

Sayavutthi had earlier netted his side’s first 

AFC Challenge Cup goal in spectacular 

fashion in their tournament opener against 

Turkmenistan. 

In Group B, the Maldives endured a 

disappointing opening to their campaign 

as Myanmar claimed a thrilling 3-2 win 

thanks to two goals from Kyaw Ko Ko, 

while Abdulhamid Abuhabib scored 

in the sixth minute of stoppage time 

as Palestine dramatically edged out 

Kyrgyzstan. 

But the Maldives delighted the 

home fans as captain Ali Ashfaq 

scored twice in the second half to 

secure a 2-0 win over Kyrgyzstan two 

days later. 

Palestine, meanwhile, maintained 

their 100% record as Abuhabib and 

Al Fawaghra scored either side of 

half-time to secure a 2-0 win over 

Myanmar, who were the only side in 

the Maldives with previous AFC Asian 

Cup experience having finished as 

runners-up at the 1968 edition. 

And with the table-toppers Palestine and 

the Maldives sharing a goalless draw on 

the final Matchday to secure qualification 

from Group B after all four sides headed 

into the final round of fixtures still in 

contention for a place in the semi-finals, 

both Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar saw their 

Group A 

P W D L GF GA GD Pts 

Palestine 3 2 1 0 3 0 3 7 

Maldives 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 4 

Kyrgyzstan 3 1 0 2 1 3 -2 3 

Myanmar 3 1 0 2 3 5 -2 3 

19/05/14 

Palestine 1 (Abdulhamid Abuhabib 90+6) Kyrgyzstan 0 

Maldives 2 (Mohamed Umair 55, Ali Ashfaq 90+6) 

Myanmar 3 (Kyaw Ko Ko 39, 90+5, Nyein Chan Aung 

45+1) 

21/05/14 

Myanmar 0 Palestine 2 (Abdulhamid Abuhabib 45+4, 

Ashraf Al Fawaghra 50) 

Kyrgyzstan 0 Maldives 2 (Ali Ashfaq 61, 71) 

23/05/14 

Maldives 0 Palestine 0 

Kyrgyzstan 1 (Vladimir Verevkin 18) Myanmar 0 

Group B 

P W D L GF GA GD Pts 

Philippines 3 2 1 0 4 0 4 7 

Afghanistan 3 1 2 0 3 1 2 5 

Turkmenistan 3 1 0 2 6 6 0 3 

Laos 3 0 1 2 1 7 -6 1 

20/05/14 

Turkmenistan 5 (Dovlet Bayramov 42, Didar Durdiyev 50, 

85, Vathana Keodouangdeth 55 OG, Bahtiyar Hojaahmedov 

87) Laos 1 (Khampheng Sayavutthi 34) 

Philippines 0 Afghanistan 0 

22/05/14 

Laos 0 Philippines 2 (Simone Rota 41, Patrick Reichelt 63) 

Afghanistan 3 (Haroon Fakhrudin 45+1, Ahmad Hatifi 

61, Faisal Sakhizada 86) Turkmenistan 1 (Suleyman 

Muhadov 64) 

24/05/14 

Turkmenistan 0 Philippines 2 (Phil Younghusband 49, 

Patrick Reichelt 73) 

Afghanistan 0 Laos 0 

Semi-Finals 

Third Place Play-Off 

Final 

27/05/14 

Palestine 2 (Ashraf Al Fawaghra 43, 47) Afghanistan 0 

Philippines 3 (Phil Younghusband 19, Jerry Lucena 38, Chris 

Greatwich 104) Maldives 2 (Mohamed Umair 36, Asadhulla 

Abdulla 66) AET 

29/05/14 

Afghanistan 1 (Hamid Karimi 114) Maldives 1 (Ali Fasir 

118) AET 

Maldives win 8-7 penalties 

30/05/14 

Palestine 1 (Ashraf Al Fawaghra 59) Philippines 0 

AFC QUARTERLY 61

AFC Asian Cup UPDATE 

campaigns end in the group stage despite 

Vladimir Verevkin’s 18th minute strike 

securing a 1-0 win over the Central Asians. 

And Group B winners Palestine built 

on their run to the semi-finals in 2012 as 

Al Fawaghra scored twice to edge out an 

injury-depleted Afghanistan side 2-0 in their 

semi-final. 

The Maldives, though, failed to make full 

use of home advantage having won the 2008 

SAFF Championship on home soil as 

Chris Greatwich’s 104th minute winner 

secured the Philippines a place in the 

final following a thrilling 3-2 win after 

extra-time. 

But despite missing out on a place in 

the final, the Maldives were able to end 

their campaign on a high as Ibrahim 

Fazeel scored the winning penalty as 

the tournament hosts claimed third 

place after edging out Afghanistan 8-7 

on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 

extra-time. 

SAFF champions Afghanistan had 

dominated a goalless 90 minutes 

and finally opened the scoring in the 

113rd minute through Hamid Karimi only for 

substitute Ali Fasir to dramatically equalise for 

the Maldives with two minutes remaining. 

And after Maldives goalkeeper Mohamed 

Imran saved from Faisal Shayesteh having 

earlier also denied Mustafa Hadid in a tense 

shootout, Fazeel held his nerve to claim 

victory for the home side. 

“We must be satisfied with the bronze 

medal. Turkmenistan are two-time runners-up 

and they could not go past the group stage. 

All the teams are strong and that’s why the 

level is higher than the SAFF Championship,” 

said Maldives coach Drago Mamic. 

“We had home advantage, but without 

extraordinary quality within the team we 

could not achieve this. This game was the 

same as the final for me. I would have been 

disappointed if we did not finish third, but 

fourth would also have been good. 

“This is a good platform for the future. 

With additional work in the clubs we can 

achieve better results in the next year or two. 

This bronze medal means something for the 

future.” 

But it was Palestine who were left 

celebrating after 12 days in the Maldives as 

Al Fawaghra’s 59th minute free-kick denied 

the Philippines as Mahmoud’s side gained 

revenge for losing to the Azkals in the third 

place play-off two years earlier in Nepal. 

Al Fawaghra’s goal secured victory 

for Palestine in the last edition of the 

tournament with the AFC revealing plans to 

revamp the qualification process for both the 

AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup. 

Under the new format, the AFC Asian Cup 

will be expanded to 24 teams, with the next 

edition set to take place in 2019. 

The proposals will also see the preliminary 

round of qualifiers for both the AFC Asian 

Cup and FIFA World Cup merged. 

And the eight group winners and 

four best second teams will then 

remain in contention to qualify for 

both tournaments through separate 

qualifiers. 

The next best 24 teams from the 

preliminary round will then compete for 

the remaining place at the AFC Asian 

Cup. 

Palestine’s victory also came just 

days before individual match tickets 

for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup went on 

sale to the general public after sales of 

venue packs for the games in Sydney, 

Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and 

Newcastle had started in mid-May. 

“I can assure everyone a warm Aussie 

welcome awaits them,” said AFC Asian Cup 

Local Organising Committee CEO Michael 

Brown. 

“We want fans to come to Australia from 

all around Asia, and the rest of the world, to 

experience a true festival of football and take 

home memories that will last a lifetime. 

“Fans coming to Australia will see the best 

Asia has to offer, and they will see it at prices 

that are very affordable and family-friendly.” 

AFC QUARTERLY 63

REVIEW: AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 


Guangzhou Evergrande 

as well as former Asian 

champions Pohang 

Steelers, Al Ain, Al Ittihad, 

Al Sadd and Al Hilal 

secured qualification for the 

quarter-finals of the AFC 

Champions League in May. 

China’s Guangzhou recorded a 5-2 

aggregate victory over Japan’s Cerezo Osaka 

despite losing the return fixture 1-0 at home; 

while Pohang, Al Ain, Al Ittihad, Al Sadd and 

Al Hilal all recorded second leg wins to claim 

victory in their respective ties. 

Former finalists FC Seoul and Australian 

newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers 

completed the quarter-final line-up. 

“We didn’t do well. Our goalkeeper, 

defenders and midfielders made lots of 

mistakes which led to a sense of insecurity 

for the entire team,” said Guangzhou coach 

Marcello Lippi. 

“Our opponents didn’t send their best 

team, so mentally our team was too relaxed. 

This game will be worth reviewing, and it also 

proved that Guangzhou Evergrande is not a 

great team because a great team wouldn’t 

show such a loose attitude in an important 

match like this.” 

An own goal from Liao Lisheng in the 

49th minute secured the win for Cerezo, but 

Guangzhou had already done the damage 

a week earlier after two goals each from 

Brazilian duo Elkeson and Muriqui secured a 

5-1 win at Nagai Stadium. 

“Sometimes our players seem lost, even 

though we are at the top in the domestic 

league and have also qualified in the AFC 

Champions League. But we need more and to 

improve continuously, and that is how we can 

become a great team,” added Lippi. 

“However, the 

most important 

thing is that we 

qualified. Not all 

the Chinese teams 

were able to reach 

the last eight of the 

AFC Champions 

League. We have 

three games to 

play before the 

next round, and in 

the second half of 

the year we have 

to sprint in every 

competition.” 

Three-time Asian champions Pohang, 

meanwhile, secured a return to the quarterfinals 

for the first time in three years as their 

1-0 second leg victory over fellow K-League 

Champion Line-Up 

For Quarter-Finals 

Classic side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors sealed a 

3-1 win on aggregate. 

Kim Seung-dae’s sixth minute strike at 

The Steelyard extended Pohang’s advantage 

having won the previous week’s first leg 2-1 at 

Jeonju World Cup Stadium. 

In the West, Asamoah Gyan scored twice 

as inaugural AFC Champions League winners 

Al Ain came from a goal down to beat United 

Arab Emirates league rivals Al Jazira 2-1 in 

their second leg to advance to the quarterfinals 

for the first time since 2006 after 

completing a 4-2 aggregate win. 

“We had a great game against Al Jazira and 

we deserved to win 

and celebrate at home 

with our fans,” said 

Al Ain coach Zlatko 

Dalic. 

“The players 

worked very hard 

in the previous 

period and I want to 

thank them for the 

comeback victory. 

“We didn’t have 

a good start to 

the match and we 

conceded a goal 

which affected us. However, there was good 

determination from the players to make a good 

comeback and we eventually scored two goals 

to win the match.” 

Elsewhere, teenager Fahad Al Muwallad 

scored twice as two-time winners Al Ittihad 

stunned Saudi rivals Al Shabab 3-1 in their 

second leg to secure a place in the quarterfinals 

for the seventh time after securing a 

4-1 aggregate victory. 

And Al Sadd advanced to the last eight 

for the first time since winning the AFC 

Champions League in 2011 after a thrilling 

2-2 draw with Foolad Khouzestan in Iran 

saw the Qatari side advance on away goals. 

Goals from Nadir Belhadj and Khalfan 

Ibrahim put the Qatari side in charge, 

but they endured a nervous finish after 

Abdelkarim Hassan was sent-off and 

Brazilian striker Chimba scored twice to 

level the score for Khouzestan, who exited 

the tournament despite not losing a game. 

Two-time Asian Club Championship 

winners Al Hilal, meawhile, romped to a 3-0 

win over Uzbekistan champions Bunyodkor 

in Riyadh with goals from captain Yasser Al 

Qahtani, Nassir Al Shamrani and Salem Al 

Dawsari completing a 4-0 aggregate victory. 

In the East, Brendon Santalab struck with 

five minutes remaining as AFC Champions 

League debutants Western Sydney qualified 

for the quarter-finals on away goals after 

recording a crucial 2-0 win over J. League 

champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima. 

And finally, at Seoul World Cup Stadium, 

2013 finalists FC Seoul advanced to the 

quarter-finals for a fourth time in six years 

on away goals despite suffering a 2-1 defeat 

by Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale. 

Group A 

P W D L F A +/- Pts 

Al Shabab (KSA) 6 5 0 1 12 8 4 15 

Al Jazira (UAE) 6 3 1 1 12 10 2 10 

Esteghlal (IRN) 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7 

Al Rayyan (QAT) 6 1 0 5 9 15 -6 3 

25/02/14 

Al Jazira 3 (Felipe Caicedo 3, Abdelaziz Barrada 9, Ahmed 

Gheilani 73) Al Rayyan 2 (Lucho Gonzalez 59, Kalu 

Uche 90+2) 

Esteghlal 0 Al Shabab 1 (Imad Khalili 58) 

11/03/14 

Al Rayyan 1 (Kalu Uche 14) Esteghlal 0 

Al Shabab 1 (Ahmed Otayf 53) Al Jazira 3 (Ali Mabkhout 

7, Abdulla Qasem 12, Jucelei 56) 

18/03/14 

Esteghlal 2 (Mohammad Ghazi 17, Hanif Omranzadeh 

65) Al Jazira 2 (Abdelaziz Barrada 6, 56) 

Al Shabab 4 (Majed Al Marshadi 3, Ahmed Otayf 22, 

Rafinha 48, 56) Al Rayyan 3 (Kalu Uche 9, 41; Sayaf 

Mohsin 18) 

02/04/14 

Al Jazira 0 Esteghlal 1 (Mohammad Gazi 69) 

Al Rayyan 0 Al Shabab (Essa Al Mahyani 7, Hassan 

Fallatah 90+2) 

16/04/15 

Al Rayyan 2 (Yakubu 48, Musa Haroon 53) Al Jazira 3 

(Abdelaziz Barrada 45, Ali Mabkhout 60, Cho Yong-hyung 

90OG) 

Al Shabab 2 (Fernando Menegazzo 82, Saeed Al Dosari 

90+5) Esteghlal 1 (Arash Bohrani 47) 

23/04/15 

Al Jazira 1 (Salim Ali 58) Al Shabab 2 (Abdulmajeed 

Al Ruwaili 35, 89) 

Esteghlal 3 (Boubacar Kebe 54, 73, Mohammad Ghazi 60) 

Al Rayyan 1 (Fahad Khalfan 81) 

Group E 


Pohang (KOR) 6 3 3 0 11 6 5 12 

Cerezo (JPN) 6 2 2 2 10 9 1 8 

Buriram (THA) 6 1 3 2 5 9 -4 6 

Shandong (CHN) 6 1 2 3 9 11 -2 5 

25/02/14 

Shandong 1 (Liu Bin Bin 83) Buriram 1 (Adisak 

Kraisorn 90+2) 

Pohang Steelers 1 (Bae Chun-suk 61) Cerezo 1 

(Yoichiro Kakitani 11) 

11/03/14 

Buriram 1 (Adisak Kraisorn 69) Pohang 2 (Kim Tae-soo 

19, Kim Seung-dae 24) 

Cerezo 1 (Yoichiro Kakitani 84) Shandong 3 (Aloisio 5, 

Vagner Love 26, 56) 

18/03/14 

Pohang 2 (Kim Tae-soo 32, Kim Seung-dae 78) 

Shandong 2 (Vagner Love 13, 23) 

Cerezo 4 (Yoichiro Kakitani 4, Takumi Minamino 34, 82, 

Diego Forlan 90+3) Buriram 0 

02/04/14 

Shandong 2 (Du Wei 85, Hang Peng 90+3) Pohang 

4 (Go Moo-yul 35, Kim Tae-su 65, Kim Seung-dae 71, Liu 

Bin Bin 83 OG) 

Buriram 2 (Theerathon Bunamathan 10, Suchao Nutnum 

41) Cerezo 2 (Tatsuya Yamashita 65, 88) 

16/04/15 

Buriram 1 (Kai Hirano 35) Shandong 0 

Cerezo 0 Pohang 2 (Lee Myung-joo 23, Kim Seung-dae 

65) 

23/04/14 

Shandong 1 (Vagner Love 19) Cerezo 2 (Yoichiro 

Kakitani 46, Diego Forlan 48) 

Pohang 0 Buriram 0 

Guangzhou Evergrande v Cerezo Osaka 

06/05/14 

Cerezo 1 (Ariajasuru Hasegawa 30) Guangzhou 5 

(Muriqui 22, 84, Elkeson 34, 37, Gao Lin 78) 

13/05/14 

Guangzhou 0 Cerezo 1 (Liao Lisheng 49 OG) 

Guangzhou Evergrande win 5-2 on aggregate 

Pohang Steelers v Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 

06/05/14 

Jeonbuk 1 (Lee Jae-sung 54) Pohang 2 (Son Jun-ho 58, 

Go Moo-yul 74) 

13/05/14 

Pohang 1 (Kim Seung-dae 6) Jeonbuk 0 

Pohang Steelers win 3-1 on aggregate 

Group B 


Foolad (IRN) 6 4 2 0 11 3 8 14 

Bunyodkor (UZB) 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 

El Jaish (QAT) 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8 

Al Fateh (KSA) 6 0 2 4 3 11 -8 2 

25/02/14 

Al Fateh 0 Bunyodkor 0 

El Jaish Foolad Khouzestan 0 

11/03/14 

Foolad Khouzestan 1 (Bakhtiar Rahmani 68) Al 

Fateh 0 

Bunyodkor 1 (Bakhodir Pardaev 90+3) El Jaish 2 

(Nilmar 34, 69) 

19/03/14 

Bunyodkor 1 (Vokhid Shodiev 90+2) Foolad Khouzestan 

1 (Abdollah Karami 74) 

Al Fateh 0 El Jaish 0 

01/04/14 

Foolad Khouzestan 1 (Ayoub Vali 77) Bunyodkor 0 

El Jaish 2 (Nilmar 58, Rami Fayez 89) Al Fateh 0 

16/04/15 

Foolad Khouzestan 3 (Rahmani Bakhtiar 21, Gholam 

Reza Rezaei 45, Luciano Pereira 90+3) El Jaish 1 (Nilmar 

10) 

Bunyodkor 3 (Oleg Zoteev 43, Vokhid Shodiev 83, Alibobo 

Rakhmatullaev 85) Al Fateh 2 (Doris Salomo 68, Hamdan 

Al Hamdan 79) 

23/04/14 

Al Fateh 1 (Badr Al Nakly 62) Foolad Khouzestan 5 

(Luciano Pereira10, 36, 44, Gholam Reza Resaei 78, 90+4) 

El Jaish 1 (Mohammed Muntari 52) Bunyodkor 2 

(Sergii Symonenko 13, Sardor Rashidov 90+4) 

Group F 


FC Seoul (KOR) 6 3 2 1 9 6 3 11 

Sanfrecce (JPN) 6 2 3 1 9 8 1 9 

Beijing (CHN) 6 2 0 4 4 7 -3 6 

Central Coast (AUS) 6 2 0 4 4 7 -3 6 

25/02/14 

Sanfrecce 1 (Kazuhiko Chiba 77) Beijing 1 (Ha 

Dae-sung 62) 

FC Seoul 2 (Osmar Barba 32, Yun Il-lok 56) Central 

Coast 0 

11/03/14 

Beijing 1 (Peter Utaka 20) FC Seoul 1 (Go Yo-han 71) 

Central Coast 2 (Mile Sterjovski 23, 32) Sanfrecce 

1 (Tsukasa Shiotani 21) 

19/03/14 

Sanfrecce 2 (Yojiro Takahagi 53, Tsukasa Shiotani 79) 

FC Seoul 1 (Rafael Costa 60) 

Beijing 2 (Shao Jiayi 45, Peter Utaka 63) Central 

Coast 1 (Nick Fitzgerald 86) 

01/04/14 

FC Seoul 2 (Yun Il-lok 53, Rafael Costa 90+4) 

Sanfrecce 2 (Gakuto Notsuda 20, Hwang Seok-ho 70) 

Central Coast 1 (Marcel Seip 73) Beijing 0 

16/04/15 

Beijing 2 (Shao Jiayi 55, Joffre Guerron 60) Sanfrecce 2 

(Naoki Ishihara 66, Zhao Hejing 70 OG) 

Central Coast 0 FC Seoul 1 (John Hutchinson 

90+2OG) 

23/04/14 

Sanfrecce 1 (Satoru Yamagishi 72) Central Coast 0 

FC Seoul 2 (Kang Seung-jo 43, Yun Ju-tae 57) Beijing 

1 (Yu Yang 88) 

Group Stage 

Group C 

Round of 16 

Western Sydney Wanderers v Sanfrecce Hiroshima 

07/05/14 

Sanfrecce 3 (Naoki Ishihara 51, 65; Kosei Shibasaki 90+1) 

Western Sydney 1 (Tomas Juric 78) 

14/05/14 

Western Sydney 2 (Shannon Cole 55, Brendon Santalab 

85) Sanfrecce 0 

Western Sydney Wanderers win on away 

goals following 3-3 draw on aggregate 

FC Seoul v Kawasaki Frontale 

07/05/14 

Kawasaki 2 (Yu Kobayashi 49, Renato 61) FC Seoul 3 

(Sergio Escudero 51, Kim Chi-woo 83, Yun Il-lok 90+3) 

14/05/14 

FC Seoul 1 (Sergio Escudero 9) Kawasaki 2 (Yu 

Kobayashi 29, Yasuhito Morishima 90+2) 

FC Seoul win on away goals following a 4-4 

draw on aggregate 


Al Ain (UAE) 6 3 2 1 14 7 7 11 

Al Ittihad (KSA) 6 3 1 2 8 6 2 10 

Lekhwiya (QAT) 6 2 1 3 5 10 -5 7 

Tractorsazi (IRN) 6 1 2 3 4 8 -4 5 

26/02/14 

Tractorsazi Tabriz 1 (Karim Ansarifard 82) Al Ittihad 0 

Al Ain 2 (Ibrahim Diaky 13, Asamoah Gyan 65) 

Lekhwiya 1 (Vladimir Weiss 40) 

12/03/14 

Lekhwiya 0 Tractorsazi Tabriz 0 

Al Ittihad 2 (Mukhtar Fallatah 68, 75) Al Ain 1 (Asamoah 

Gyan 38) 

18/03/14 

Lekhwiya 2 (Sebastian Soria 22, Nam Tae-hee 79) 

Al Ittihad 0 

Al Ain 3 (Asamoah Gyan 16, 73, Mohamed Abdulrahman 

37) Tractorsazi Tabriz 1 (Milad Fakhroddini 42) 

01/04/14 

Al Ittihad 3 (Mukhtar Fallatah 16, Abdulfattah Asiri 26, 79) 

Lekhwiya 1 (Adel Lamy 21) 

Tractorsazi Tabriz 2 (Saeed Daghighi 20, Farshad 

Ahmadzadeh 61) Al Ain 2 (Asamoah Gyan 54, Mohamed 

Abdulrahman 59) 

15/04/15 

Lekhwiya 0 Al Ain 5 (Ibrahim Diaky 26, Alex Brosque 43, 

Mohamed Abdulrahman 57,Asamoah Gyan 70, 90+2) 

Al Ittihad 2 (Abdulfattah Asiri 18, Mukhtar Fallatah 60) 

Tractorsazi Tabriz 0 

22/04/14 

Al Ain 1 (Mansour Sharahili 22 OG) Al Ittihad 1 (Abdulrahman 

Al Ghamdi 36) 

Tractorsazi Tabriz 0 Lekhwiya 1 (Madjid Bougherra 73) 

Group G 


Guangzhou (CHN) 6 3 1 2 10 8 2 10 

Jeonbuk (KOR) 6 2 2 2 8 7 1 8 

Melbourne (AUS) 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8 

Yokohama (JPN) 6 2 1 3 7 10 -3 7 

26/02/14 

Jeonbuk 3 (Lee Seung-gi 61, 69, 

Leonardo 72) Yokohama 0 

Guangzhou 4 (Huang Bowen 59, Alessandro Diamanti 

65, 85 Elkeson 71) Melbourne 2 (Pablo Contreras 37, 

Leigh Broxham 41) 

12/03/14 

Melbourne 2 (Nicholas Ansell 31, Kosta 

Barbarouses 80) Jeonbuk 2 (Lee Dong-gook 76, 79) 

Yokohama 1 (Jin Hanato 21) Guangzhou 1 

(Alessandro Diamanti 38) 

18/03/14 

Guangzhou 3 (Gao Lin 17, 21, Liao Lisheng 61) 

Jeonbuk 1 (Lee Dong-gook 39) 

Melbourne 1 (Kosta Barbarouses 18) Yokohama 0 

02/04/14 

Jeonbuk 1 (Leonardo 76) Guangzhou 0 

Yokohama 3 (Sho Ito 21, Kosuke Nakamachi 27, Shingo 

Hyodo 89) Melbourne 2 (James Troisi 7, James Jeggo 90) 

15/04/15 

Melbourne Victory 2 (Mark Milligan 2, James Troisi 

90+1) Guangzhou 0 

Yokohama 2 (Manabu Saito 64, 65) Jeonbuk 1 (Han 

Kyo-won 7) 

22/04/15 

Guangzhou 2 (Elkeson 11, 38) Yokohama 1 (Manabu 

Saito 85) 

Jeonbuk 0 Melbourne 0 

Al Ain v Al Jazira 

06/05/14 

Al Jazira 1 (Musallem Fayez 58) Al Ain 2 (Asamoah 

Gyan 11, Omar Abdulrahman 15) 

13/05/14 

Al Ain 2 (Asamoah Gyan 61, 81) Al Jazira 1 (Ali 

Mabkhout 17) 

Al Ain win 4-2 on aggregate 

Al Hilal v Bunyodkor 

07/05/14 

Bunyodkor 0 Al Hilal 1 (Salem Al Dawsari 38) 

14/05/14 

Al Hilal 3 (Yasser Al Qahtani 20, Nassir Al Shamrani 47, 

Salem Al Dawsari 58) Bunyodkor 0 

Al Hilal win 4-0 on aggregate 

Group D 


Al Hilal (KSA) 6 2 3 1 12 7 5 9 

Al Sadd (QAT) 6 2 2 2 8 14 -6 8 

Al Ahli (UAE) 6 1 4 1 6 6 0 7 

Sepahan (IRN) 6 2 1 3 9 8 1 7 

26/02/14 

Al Sadd 3 (Khalfan Ibrahim 18, Nadir Belhadj 87, Rodrigo 

Tabata 90+2) Sepahan 1 (Mehdi Sharifi 78) 

Al Hilal 2 (Nassir Al Shamrani 60, 74) Al Ahli 2 (Luis 

Jimenez 53, Grafite 58) 

12/03/14 

Sepahan 3 (Ervin Bulku 18, Mehdi Sharifi 72, Xhevahir 

Sukaj 90+1) Al Hilal 2 (Segundo Castillo 28, Thiago Neves 33) 

Al Ahli 1 (Grafite 68) Al Sadd 1 (Nadir Belhadj 24) 

19/03/14 

Sepahan 1 (Sergio Van Dijk 74) Al Ahli 2 (Ahmed Khalil 

39, Ismail Al Hammadi 90+5) 

Al Sadd 2 (Talal Al Bloushi 26, Nadir Belhadj 66) Al Hilal 

2 (Thiago Neves 45+1, 56) 

01/04/14 

Al Ahli 0 Sepahan 0 

Al Hilal 5 (Yasser Al Qahtani 3, Sultan Al Duayyi 28, Nassir 

Al Shamrani 34, 58, 62) Al Sadd 0 

15/04/15 

Sepahan 4 (Mehdi Sharifi 48, 56, Xhevahir Sukaj 63, 

Ibrahim Majed 90+3 OG) Al Sadd 0 

Al Ahli 0 Al Hilal 0 

22/04/14 

Al Sadd 2 (Khalfan Ibrahim 34, Rodrigo Tabata 79) Al Ahli 

1 (Grafite 15) 

Al Hilal 1 (Nassir Al Shamrani 45+2) Sepahan 0 

Group H 


Western Sydney (AUS) 6 4 0 2 11 5 6 12 

Kawasaki (JPN) 6 4 0 2 7 5 2 12 

Ulsan (KOR) 6 2 1 3 8 10 -2 7 

Guizhou (CHN) 6 1 1 4 4 10 -6 4 

26/02/14 

Kawasaki 1 (Renato 31) Guizhou Renhe 0 

Western Sydney 1 (Brendon Santalab 1) Ulsan 3 (Kim 

Shin-wook 35, Ko Chang-hyun 43, Kang Min-soo 66) 

12/03/14 

Ulsan 2 (Yoo Jun-soo 84, Kim Shin-wook 90+3) 

Kawasaki 0 

Guizhou 0 Western Sydney 1 (Mark Bridge 10) 

19/03/14 

Ulsan 1 (Rafinha 58) Guizhou 1 (Yang Hao 87) 

Western Sydney 1 (Labinot Haliti 3) Kawasaki 0 

01/04/14 

Guizhou 3 (Chen Zijie 39, 89, Qu Bo 52) Ulsan 1 (Yoo 

Jun-soo 34) 

Kawasaki 2 (Kengo Nakamura 74, Ryota Oshima 88) 

Western Sydney 1 (Labinot Haliti 24) 

15/04/15 

Ulsan 0 Western Sydney 2 (Mark Bridge 60, 

Brendon Santalab 80) 

Guizhou 0 Kawasaki 1 (Kengo Nakamura 38) 

22/04/14 

Kawasaki 3 (Yu Kobayashi 32, Yoshito Okubo 34, Jeci 77) 

Ulsan H1 (Rafinha 35) 

Western Sydney 5 (Shannon Cole 7, Labinot Haliti 75, 

Aaron Mooy 81, Shinji Ono 85, Nokolai Topor-Stanley 88) 

Guizhou 0 

Al Shabab v Al Ittihad 

06/05/14 

Al Ittihad 1 (Mukhtar Fallatah 77) Al Shabab 0 

13/05/14 

Al Shabab 1 (Abdulmajeed Al Ruwaili 80) Al Ittihad 3 

(Mukhtar Fallatah 8, Fhad Al Muwallad 72, 90+1) 

Al Ittihad win 4-1 on aggregate 

Foolad Khouzestan v Al Sadd 

07/05/14 

Al Sadd 0 Foolad 0 

14/05/14 

Foolad 2 (Luciano Pereira 77, 87) Al Sadd 2 (Nadir 

Belhadj 16, Khalfan Ibrahim 29) 

Al Sadd win on away goals following a 2-2 

draw on aggregate 

AFC QUARTERLY 65

REVIEW: AFC CUP 


Kuwait SC as well as 

former finalists Qadsia SC 

and Arbil joined Al Hidd, 

Persipura Jayapura, Hong 

Kong champions Kitchee 

and Vietnamese pair XM 

Vissai Ninh Binh and 

Hanoi T&T in securing qualification for the 

quarter-finals of the AFC Cup in May. 

In the Round of 16, all but one of the 

group stage winners drawn at home in the 

one-legged knockout stage progressed to 

the last eight. 

Tournament debutants and Group C 

runners-up Al Hidd of Bahrain pulled off 

the lone upset to defeat the previously 

undefeated Lebanese double-champions 

Safa at Beirut’s Sports City Stadium. 

Three-time winners and Group B toppers 

Kuwait SC crushed Al Hidd’s compatriots 

Riffa 3-0 at home, while Qadsia SC, 

Jayapura, Kitchee, Ninh Binh and Hanoi all 

recorded comfortable home wins. 

“The match was not easy as Riffa are a 

good side and they have good players who 

work well as a team,” said newly appointed 

Kuwait SC coach Abdulaziz Hamada. 

“We tried our best to use good attacks in 

the second period in order to keep Riffa at 

bay and we managed to do so. 

“We hope that we can continue with the 

same performances in the next matches and 

we have a lot of work to do in order to retain 

our title.” 

Issam Jemaa opened the scoring for 

Kuwait SC just before half-time against the 

2010 semi-finalists and Husain Hakim and 

Jarah Al Ateeqi converted late free-kicks 

for the home side as they advanced to the 

quarter-finals for the fifth time in six seasons. 

Two-time runners-up Qadsia SC, 

meanwhile, made 

a clear statement 

of intentions as the 

Group C winners 

raced into a 3-0 

lead by half-time 

against Jordan’s 

That Ras Club 

with goals from 

Omar Al Soma, 

Saif Al Hashan 

and Mesaed Nada 

before Bader Al 

Mutwa sealed the 

victory with a fourth 

goal late in the game. 

In Indonesia, Liberian striker Eddie Foday 

scored five goals as Jayapura followed up 

their Group E dominance by easing into 

the last eight for the second time with a 

Kuwait SC Remain 

On Course 

stunning 9-2 win over 10-man Yangon United 

of Myanmar. 

It was the biggest-ever victory for a team 

in the AFC Cup knockout rounds, surpassing 

Vietnamese side Binh Duong’s 8-2 rout of 

Malaysia’s Kedah in the last 16 in 2009. 

Jayapura also became just the second team 

to score nine goals in an AFC Cup game after 

Nasaf of Uzbekistan, who thrashed Indian side 

Dempo 9-0 in 2011. 

“We are very pleased and excited with 

this victory that has 

taken Persipura to 

the quarter-finals,” 

said Jayapura coach 

Jacksen Tiago. 

“This is a victory 

to be proud of, 

thanks to the good 

cooperation between 

the players, coaches 

and management 

of the club and the 

support of the people 

of Papua.” 

Also in the East, 

Vietnam champions Hanoi T&T secured 

their own passage into the next round of 

the competition as Nigerian striker Samson 

Kayode scored twice to secure a 5-0 win over 

Myanmar’s Nay Pyi Taw. 

Trinidad & Tobago midfielder Hughton 

Hector, Thach Bao Khanh and Pham Thanh 

Luong also scored at Hang Day Stadium 

as the Group F winners recorded a sixth 

victory in seven games in the AFC Cup this 

season. 

And joining them from the Southeast 

Asian nation were unbeaten Group G 

winners Ninh Binh who earned a 4-2 victory 

of India’s Churchill Brothers thanks to a 

brace from Pham Van Quyen and goals by 

Le Van Thang and Sim Woon-sub. 

Meanwhile, two goals inside the 

opening 10 minutes by Jan Kyung-jin and 

Lam Ka Wai were enough for Group H 

winners Kitchee to progress to a second 

consecutive quarter-final apperencce after 

their 2-0 win over Arema Indonesia. 

Elsewhere, 2012 runners-up Arbil booked 

their place in the last eight after edging out 

Lebanese side Nejmeh 3-0 on penalties. 

After a goalless 120 minutes at the 

Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Jalal Hassan 

emerged as the hero for Arbil as the 

goalkeeper saved penalties from by Khaled 

Takaji, Khaled Hamieh and Kassem El Zein. 

Finally, Bahraini newcomers Al Hidd 

advanced to the last eight in their maiden 

AFC Cup campaign as a second half goal 

from Abdulwahab Al Malood secured victory 

over Safa. 

Group A 

Safa SC v Al Hidd 

13/05/14 

Safa SC 0 Al Hidd 1 (Abdulwahab Al Malood 53) 

Qadsia SC v That Ras Club 


Safa (LIB) 6 5 1 0 13 1 12 16 

That Ras Club (JOR) 6 3 2 1 9 4 5 11 

Al Suwaiq (OMA) 6 2 1 3 8 4 4 7 

FC Ravshan (TJK) 6 0 0 6 5 26 -21 0 

25/02/14 

Safa SC 1 (Rony Azar 84) That Ras Club 0 

Al Suwaiq 3 (Mohammed Al Ghassani 30, Abdulrahman 

Al Alawi 59, Seidah Siriki 80) FC Ravshan 1 (Numondzhon 

Khakimov 78) 

11/03/14 

That Ras Club 1 (Mohammed Talaat 84) Al Suwaiq 0 

12/03/14 

FC Ravshan1 (Solomon Takyi 69) Safa SC 2 (Nour 

Mansour 23, Hassan Hazimeh 82) 

18/03/14 

FC Ravshan 2 (Numondzhon Khakimov 35, Solomon 

Takyi 79) That Ras Club 3 (Ahmed Mjarmmesh 21, 

Mahmoud Mowafi 37, Baha’ Abdelrahman 89) 

Al Suwaiq 0 Safa SC 1 (Ali Nassereddine 18) 

02/04/14 

Safa SC 1 (Ali Karaki 74) Al Suwaiq 0 

That Ras Club 5 (Baha’ Abdelrahman 27, 75, Fahad 

Youssef 49, 51, Mohammed Talaat 67) FC Ravshan 1 

(Sayriddin Gafforov 62) 

09/04/14 

That Ras Club 0 Safa SC 0 

10/04/14 

FC Ravshan 0 Al Suwaiq 5 (Mohammed Al Ghassani 

24, 64, Ouday Abduljaffal 51, Al-Abd Al Nofli 54, Belal 

Abdul Daim 76) 

23/04/14 

Safa SC 8 (Ali Nassereddine 13, 52, Rony Azar 33, 

Mohamad Tahan 40, Ali Karaki 56, Nour Mansour 68, Jared 

Chouman 69, Taha Dyab 80) FC Ravshan 0 

Al Suwaiq 0 That Ras Club 0 

Group E 


Jayapura (IDN) 6 3 2 1 9 4 5 11 

Churchill (IND) 6 3 1 2 10 7 3 10 

New Radiant (MDV) 6 3 1 2 8 6 2 10 

Home United (SIN) 6 1 0 5 2 12 -10 3 

25/02/14 

Persipura Jayapura 2 (Boaz Solossa 48, Ferinando 

Pahabol 62) Churchill Brothers 0 

New Radiant SC 1 (Mohamed Umair 53) Home 

United 0 

11/03/14 

Churchill Brothers 3 (Cristhian Lagos 31, 75, Anthony 

Wolfe 53) New Radiant 0 

Home United 1 (Yasir Hanapi 26) Persipura Jayapura 

1 (Ferinando Pahabol 74) 

18/03/14 

Persipura Jayapura 3 (Ian Kabes 43, Imanuel Wanggai 

63, 68) New Radiant 0 

Churchill Brothers 3 (Anthony Wolfe 16, Yunman Raju 

26, Balwant Singh 90+1) Home United 1 (Qiu Li 10) 

02/04/14 

New Radiant SC 0 Persipura Jayapura 2 (Boaz 

Solossa 37, 69) 

Home United 2 (Fazrul Hameed 25, Indra Daud 72) 

Churchill Brothers 1 (Emuejeraye Precious 27 OG) 

09/04/14 

Churchill Brothers 1 (Balwant Singh 84) Persipura 

Jayapura 1 (Boaz Solossa 78) 

Home United 2 (Qiu Li 28, Bruno Castanheira 61) 

New Radiant SC 0 

23/04/14 

Persipura Jayapura 0 Home United 2 (Fazrul 

Hameed 14, Juma’at Jantan 23) 

New Radiant SC 1 (Mohammad Umair 40) Churchill 

Brothers 2 (Naveen Kumar 64, Anthony Wolfe 67) 

13/05/14 

Qadsia SC 4 (Omar Al Soma 7, Saif Al Hashan 14, 

Mesad Nada 39, Bader Al Mutwa 74) That Ras Club 0 

Group B 


Kuwait SC (KUW) 6 4 1 1 12 4 8 13 

Nejmah (LIB) 6 2 3 1 4 3 1 9 

Fanja (OMA) 6 1 3 2 2 6 -4 6 

Al Jaish (SYR) 6 0 3 3 0 5 -5 3 

25/02/14 

Kuwait SC 2 (Javad Nekounam 67, Waleed Jumah 90+3) 

Nejmah 1 (Akram Moghrabi 75) 

26/02/14 

Al Jaish 0 Fanja 0 

11/03/14 

Nejmah 0 Al Jaish 0 

Fanja 2 (Abdulaziz Maqbali 42, Cisse Ely 53) Kuwait SC 

1 (Javad Nekounam 65) 

19/03/14 

Nejmah 1 (Akram Moghrabi 60) Fanja 0 

Kuwait SC 2 (Javad Nekounam 42, Chadi Hammani 85) 

Al Jaish 0 

01/04/14 

Al Jaish 0 Kuwait SC 2 (Issam Jemaa 67, 90+1) 

Fanja 0 Nejmeh 0 

09/04/14 

Nejmeh 1 (Akram Moghrabi 90+2) Kuwait SC 1 (Ali 

Al Kandari 82) 

Fanja 0 Al Jaish 0 

24/04/14 

Kuwait SC 4 (Rogerinho 14, 58, Ahmad Al Saqer 24, 

Abdullah Hashem 62) Fanja 0 

Al Jaish 0 Nejmeh 1 (Akram Moghrabi 27) 

Group F 


Hanoi T&T (VIE) 6 5 0 1 14 7 7 15 

Arema (IDN) 6 3 1 2 10 9 1 10 

Selangor (MAS) 6 2 2 2 9 6 3 8 

Maziya (MDV) 6 0 1 5 7 18 -11 1 

25/02/14 

Hanoi T&T 5 (Nguyen Van Quyet 18, 75, 84, Nguyen Ngoc 

Duy 77, Pham Van Thanh 88) Maziya Sports & 

Recreation 1 (Ahmed Nashid 43) 

Selangor 1 (Paulo 9) Arema Indonesia 1 (Victor 

Igbonefo 72) 

11/03/14 

Maziya Sports & Recreation 1 (Mohamed Ahmed 51) 

Selangor 1 (Steve Pantelidis 43) 

Arema Indonesia 1 (Alfaro Gonzalez 27) Hanoi T&T 3 

(Gonzalo Marronkle 20, 33, Nguyen Van Quyet 89) 

19/03/14 

Maziya Sports & Recreation 1 (Ali Amdhan 25) 

Arema Indonesia 3 (Gustavo Lopez 31, Dendi Santoso 68) 

Hanoi T&T 1 (Nguyen Van Quyet 52) Selangor 0 

01/04/14 

Arema Indonesia 3 (Alfaro Gonzales 25, 90+1, Gustavo 

Lopez 26) Maziya Sports & Recreation 2 (Ali Amdhan 

62, Abdulla Ibrahim 65) 

Selangor 3 (Paulo 21, 32, 43) Hanoi T&T 1 (Gonzalo 

Marronkle 36) 

09/04/14 

Maziya Sports & Recreation 1 (Mohamed Ahmed 

59) Hanoi T&T 2 (Gonzalo Marronkle 11, Nguyen Van 

Quyet 22) 

16/04/14 

Arema Indonesia 1 (Gustavo Lopez 45) Selangor 0 

23/04/14 

Hanoi T&T 2 (Nguyen Ngoc Duy 68, 75) Arema Indonesia 

1 (Alfaro Gonzales 15) 

Selangor 4 (Paulo 34, 63, 79, Mohamad Azmi 83) 

Maziya Sports & Recreation 1 (Abdulla Asadhulla 10) 

Persipura Jayapura v Yangon United 

13/05/14 

Persipura Jayapura 9 (Eddie Foday 2, 23, 41, 43, 86, 

Tinus Pae 10, Ian Kabes 28, 53, Titus Bonai 57) Yangon 

United 2 (Cezar Augusto 16, Kyaw Ko Ko 21) 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh v Churchill Brothers 

13/05/14 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh 4 (Le Van Thang 23, Sim Woonsub 

28, Pham Van Quyen 67, 88) Churchill Brothers 2 

(Balwant Singh 21, Abdelhamid Shabana 76) 

Group Stage 

Group C 

Round of 16 


Qadsia SC (KUW) 6 3 2 1 11 5 6 11 

Al Hidd (BHR) 6 3 2 1 10 6 4 11 

Al Shorta (IRQ) 6 1 4 1 3 4 -1 7 

Al Wahda (SYR) 6 0 2 4 5 14 -9 2 

26/02/14 

Al Shorta 0 Qadsia SC 0 

Al Hidd 3 (Akarandut Orok 15, 89, Abdulla Al Saqer 56) Al 

Wahda 1 (Maher Said 25) 

12/03/14 

Al Wahda 1 (Mohammad Bashbayouk 30) Al Shorta 3 

(Amjed Kalaf 59, 60, Mahdi Kareem 90+3) 

Qadsia SC 2 (Saif Al Hashem 72, Omar Al Soma 85) 

Al Hidd 0 

18/03/14 

Al Hidd 0 Al Shorta 0 

Al Wahda 1 (Osama Omari 87) Qadsia SC 3 (Saif Al 

Hashem19, Omar Al Soma 38, Michel Simplicio 84) 

21/03/14 

Qadsia SC 1 (Omar Al Soma 39) Al Wahda 1 (Maher 

Al Said 29) 

02/04/14 

Al Shorta 0 Al Hidd 0 

08/04/14 

Qadsia SC 3 (Omar Al Soma 3, 50, 74) Al Shorta 0 

09/04/14 

Al Wahda 1 (Maher Al Said 78) Al Hidd 4 (Isa Musabbeh 

6, Mohammad Al Daoud 42, Sayed Adnan 45+1, Paulo 

Roberto 56) 

22/04/14 

Al Hidd 3 (Abdulwahab Al Malood 11, Abdulla Fatadi 38, 

Akarandut Orok 60) 

Qadsia SC 2 (Soud Al Mejmed 32, 45) 

Al Shorta 0 Al Wahda 0 

Group G 


Ninh Binh (VIE) 6 5 1 0 18 7 11 16 

Yangon (MYA) 6 3 0 3 16 17 -1 9 

South China (HKG) 6 2 1 3 11 11 0 7 

Kelantan (MAS) 6 1 0 5 9 19 -10 3 

26/02/14 

Yangon United 5 (Emerson Luiz 8, 45, Kyaw Ko Ko 28, 

52, 89) Kelantan 3 (Wan Zaharul 47, Badhri Radzi 63, 90+4) 

South China 1 (Chan Siu Ki 58) XM Vissai Ninh Binh 3 

(Bryan Elroy 12, Dinh Van Ta 26, Tambwe Patiyo 50) 

12/03/14 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh 3 (Dinh Van Ta 12, 45, Vionea 

Petrisor 17) Yangon United 2 (Cezar Augusto 27, 89) 

Kelantan 2 (Wan Zaharul 72, Mohamad Ghaddar 84) 

South China 0 

18/03/14 

Yangon United 2 (Cezar Augusto 36, Emerson Luiz 77) 

South China 0 

Kelantan 2 (Muhamad Nazri 37, Mohamed Khairul 

45+2) XM Vissai Ninh Binh 3 (Bryan Elroy 24, Tambwe 

Patiyo 50, Vionea Petrisor 62) 

02/04/14 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh 4 (Vionea Petrisor 11, Phan Anh 

Tuan 52, Le Van Thang 76, Bryan Elroy 80) Kelantan 0 

South China 5 (Chi Ho Luk 8, Sasa Kajkut 15, 36, Chan 

Siu Ki 56, Lee Hong Lim 61) Yangon United 3 (Kyaw Ko 

Ko 21, David Htan 45+1, Cezar Augusto 76) 

08/04/14 

XM Vissai Ninh Binh 1 (Pham Van Quy 86) South 

China 1 (Sasa Kajkut 32) 

Kelantan 2 (Mohamed Khairul 50, Wan Zaharul 55) Yangon 

United 3 (Cezar Augusto 25, Emerson Luiz 64, Kyaw Ko Ko 80) 

22/04/14 

Yangon United 1 (Cezar Augusto 54) XM Vissai Ninh 

Binh 4 (Dinh Van Ta 4, 85, Bryan Elroy 6, Hoang Vissai 65) 

South China 4 (Lee Hong Lim 42, Andrew Barisic 75, 

90+3, Lo Kong Wai 82) Kelantan 0 

Kuwait SC v Riffa 

14/05/14 

Kuwait SC 3 (Issam Jemaa 44, Husain Al Shammari 82, 

Jarah Al Ateeqi 90+4) Riffa 0 

Arbil v Nejmeh 

14/05/14 

Arbil 0 Nejmeh 0 

Arbil win 3-0 on penalties 

Group D 


Arbil (IRQ) 6 5 0 1 19 5 14 15 

Riffa (BHR) 6 3 1 2 7 7 0 10 

Shabab Al Ordon (JOR) 6 3 0 3 9 10 -1 9 

Alay FC (KGZ) 6 0 1 5 1 14 -13 1 

26/02/14 

Alay FC 0 Riffa 0 

Shabab Al Ordon 1 (Papa Diop 36) Arbil 3 (Luay Saleh 

53, Amjed Radhi 61, Borja Rubiato 88) 

12/03/14 

Arbil 6 (Hawar Mohammed 34, 52, 85, Jorge Blas 45, Halkor 

Mohammad 56, Farhan Tawfeeq 89) Alay FC 0 

Riffa 2 (Saad Al Amer 55, 61) Shabab Al Ordon 0 

19/03/14 

Arbil 1 (Halkor Mohammad 35) Riffa 2 (Mohamed Daije 

40, Burhan Sahyouni 68 OG) 

Shabab Al Ordon 2 (Oday Zahran 20, Ahmad Al Essawi 

40) Alay FC 1 (Vitalii Timofeev 25) 

01/04/14 

Alay FC 0 Shabab Al Ordon 1 (Abdelhadi Al 

Maharmeh 89) 

Riffa 0 Arbil 3 (Luay Salah 74, Borja Rubiato 85, 90) 

08/04/14 

Arbil 3 (Luay Salah 3, 72, Borja Rubiato 89) Shabab Al 

Ordon 2 (Rawad Abu Khizaran 45, Mohammed Shishani 80) 

Riffa 2 (Geilson 45, Saad Al Amer 71) Alay FC 0 

22/04/14 

Alay FC 0 Arbil 3 (Borja Rubiato 16, Nabeel Zghair 54, 

Hawar Mohammed 65) 

Shabab Al Ordon 3 (Oudi Al Qara 6, Oday Zahran 36, 

Mohammad Al Amleh 87) Riffa 1 (Abdulla Shallal 85) 

Group H 


Kitchee (HKG) 6 4 1 1 15 5 10 13 

Nay Pyi Taw (MYA) 6 2 2 2 10 10 0 8 

Tampines (SIN) 6 2 0 4 9 16 -7 6 

Pune FC (IND) 6 1 3 2 12 15 -3 6 

26/02/14 

Pune FC 2 (Mustapha Riga 9, Pierre Douhou 88) Nay 

Pyi Taw 2 (Zaw Lin 17, Khaing Htoo 85) 

Tampines Rovers 0 Kitchee 5 (Jorge Tarres 40, 45+1, 

Chan Man Fai 47, Xu Deshuai 56, Juan Belencoso 90) 

12/03/14 

Nay Pyi Taw 3 (Michele Di Piedi 39, Jung Yoon-sik 60, 67) 

Tampines Rovers 1 (Aleksandar Duric 70) 

Kitchee 2 (Nando 29, Juan Belencoso 43) Pune FC 2 

(Mirjan Pavlovic 55, Gabriel Fernandes 74) 

19/03/14 

Tampines Rovers 3 (Miljan Mrdakovic 38, 69, Gonzalez 

Closa 62) Pune FC 1 (Mustapha Riga 16) 

Kitchee 2 (Juan Belencoso 8, 46) Nay Pyi Taw 0 

01/4/14 

Nay Pyi Taw 1 (Carlos Delgado) Kitchee 2 (Chan Man 

Fai 6, Juan Belencoso 80) 

Pune FC 2 (Mustapha Riga 12, Anthony D’Souza 14) 

Tampines Rovers 5 (Miljan Mrdakovic 5, Jamil Ali 43, 

Aleksandar Duric 57, 69, Mustafic Fahrudin 60) 

08/04/14 

Nay Pyi Taw 3 (Aung Kyaw Naing 41, Nyein Tazar Win 

62, Khaing Htoo 72) Pune FC 3 (Shamboi Haokip 36, 

Arata Izumi 55, Calum Angus 80) 

Kitchee 4 (Juan Belencoso 35, 62, 85, Jorge Tarres 82) 

Tampines Rovers 0 

22/04/14 

Tampines Rovers 0 Nay Pyi Taw 1 (Carlos Delgado 

79) 

Pune FC 2 (Zohmingliana Ralte 74, 80) Kitchee 0 

Hanoi T&T v Nay Pyi Taw 

14/05/14 

Hanoi T&T 5 (Hughtun Hector 34, Samson Kayode 45, 

67, Thach Bao Khanh 62, Pham Thanh Luong 88) Nay 

Pyi Taw 0 

Kitchee v Arema Indonesia 

14/05/14 

Kitchee 2 (Jang Kyung-jin 5, Lam Ka Wai 9) Arema 

Indonesia 0 

AFC QUARTERLY 67

REVIEW: AFC President’s Cup QUALIFIERS 

Debutant Trio Advance to 

President’s Cup Finals 

Debutants Rimyongsu 

Club from DPR Korea, 

Bangladesh’s Sheikh 

Russel Krira Chakra 

Limited and Sri Lanka 

Air Force will feature 

in the finals of the AFC 

President’s Cup after 

progressing from May’s group stage. 

Former semi-finalists FC Httu of 

Turkmenistan, Nepal’s Manang Marshyangdi 

Club and Mongolian champions FC Erchim 

completed the line-up for the decisive stage 

of the 10th and final edition of the AFC 

President’s Cup, which will be played in 

September. 

In Group A, unbeaten Sheikh Russel 

topped the table ahead of Sri Lanka Air 

Force to eliminate 2013 finalists KRL Football 

Club of Pakistan. 

Sheikh Russel and KRL had shared a 

goalless draw in their group opener, but 

despite the Pakistani champions beating 

Ugyen Academy of Bhutan, they suffered 

a surprise exit after losing their final group 

stage fixture 3-0 to Sri Lanka Air Force. 

Bangladesh league champions Sheikh 

Russel had followed up their draw with KRL 

by thrashing Sri Lanka Air Force and Ugyen 

Academy to ensure their spot in the final 

stage of the tournament with an undefeated 

record after scoring nine goals without 

conceding. 

Sri Lanka Air Force, meanwhile, secured 

a crucial 1-0 opening victory over Ugyen 

Academy and, although beaten heavily by 

Sheikh Russel, bounced back to qualify at 

the expense of KRL. 

Chinese Taipei’s Tatung Company, who 

were second only to KRL in terms of previous 

AFC President’s Cup campaigns of the sides 

featuring in this year’s group stage, also 

failed to advance after losing to qualifiers 

Rimyongsu and FC Httu as well as Ceres La 

Salle from the Philippines in Group B. 

FC Httu topped the group with an 

unbeaten record ahead of Rimyongsu, who 

crucially finished a point clear of hosts Ceres 

La Salle. 

Finally, Manang Marshyangdi and hosts 

FC Erchim advanced from Group C ahead of 

Svaireng of Cambodia. 

Group C had kicked off in enthralling 

fashion as Manang Marshandi came out on 

top of a nine-goal thriller with Svaireng in 

Ulaanbaatar. 

Home favourites FC Erchim then secured 

a 3-1 win over Svaireng, before a goalless 

draw saw the home side advance alongside 

Manag Marshandi. 

The final stage of the AFC President’s Cup 

will be held from 22–28 September. 

Group A 


Sheikh Russel 3 2 1 0 9 0 9 7 

Sri Lanka Air Force 3 2 0 1 4 5 -1 6 

KRL Football Club 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4 

Ugyen Academy 3 0 0 3 0 8 -8 0 

Group B 


FC Httu 3 2 1 0 5 2 3 7 

Rimyongsu Club 3 1 2 0 8 3 5 5 

Ceres La Salle 3 1 1 1 5 4 1 4 

Tatung Compan 3 0 0 3 0 9 -9 0 

Group C 


Manang Marshyangdi Club 2 1 1 0 6 3 3 4 

FC Erchim 2 1 1 0 3 1 2 4 

Svarieng 2 0 0 2 4 9 -5 0 

07/05/14 

Sri Lanka Air Force 1 Ugyen Academy 0 

KRL Football Club 0 Sheikh Russel Krira 

Chakra Limited 0 

09/05/14 

Ugyen Academy 0 KRL Football Club 3 

Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited 5 Sri 

Lanka Air Force 0 

11/05/14 

Sri Lanka Air Force 3 KRL Football Club 0 

Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited 4 Ugyen 

Academy 0 

06/05/14 

Ceres La Salle 2 Rimyongsu Club 2 

FC Httu 2 Tatung Company 0 

08/05/14 

Rimyongsu Club 1 FC Httu 1 

Tatung Company 0 Ceres La Salle 2 

10/05/14 

Ceres La Salle 1 FC Httu 2 

Tatung Company 0 Rimyongsu Club 5 

01/05/14 

Manang Marshyangdi Club 6 Svarieng 3 

03/05/14 

Svarieng 1 FC Erchim 3 

05/05/14 

Erchim 0 Manang Marshyangdi Club 0 

AFC QUARTERLY 69

REVIEW: AFC WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP 

Azusa Iwashimizu’s 

goal ended 37 years of 

continental drought as 

Japan won their first-ever 

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 

title by dethroning defending 

champions Australia with a 

1-0 victory in May’s final in 

Ho Chi Minh City. 

After netting a late extra-time winner in 

the semi-final against eight-time champions 

China, defender Iwashimizu’s was on 

the scoresheet after 28 minutes of the 

tournament’s showpiece with her second vital 

contribution in consecutive games. 

Rising highest to meet a cross from Rumi 

Utsugi at the back-post, Iwashimizu forced 

home a header past Australia goalkeeper 

Lydia Williams that would ultimately conclude 

an undefeated campaign in Vietnam for Norio 

Sasaki’s all-conquering side, who added the 

continental championship to the 2011 FIFA 

Women’s World Cup. 

“I thought to win the AFC Women’s Asian 

Cup was one of my biggest projects, so the 

players did a great job. We came here to 

Japan Finally Land 

Asian Cup Crown 

Vietnam with one aim: to win the tournament 

and end Japan’s jinx. We’ve done that, so it’s 

mission accomplished,” said FIFA Women’s 

World Cup-winning coach Sasaki. 

“For this Asian Cup campaign I couldn’t 

bring some players because of conflicts with 

their club schedules, but the young players 

who played instead of them have shown 

me they have good potential and have 

experienced good lessons for the future. 

“The task for the next 12 months will be to 

combine these new youngsters with our more 

experienced players into one unit so we can 

have a successful World Cup next year.” 

The competition finale was Japan’s second 

meeting with Australia after they shared a 2-2 

draw in their tournament opener before the 

Nadeshiko secured comfortable wins over 

hosts Vietnam and Jordan to take top spot in 

Group A ahead of the Matildas by virtue of a 

superior goal difference. 

Then came Iwashimizu’s dramatic 

intervention in the final seconds of extra-time 

against China as Japan secured a 2-1 win 

and booked their meeting with Alen Stajcic’s 

Australia side who edged out free-scoring 

Korea Republic 2-1 in their semi-final. 

“Japan showed us why they are one of 

the top two teams in the world. They kept 

the ball well, defended well when they had 

to and took their chances well. They have 

outstanding players and are a fantastic team,” 

said Australia coach Stajcic following the 

final. 

“My players fought to the death and 

showed tremendous effort but we need to 

improve just that little bit further in technique 

and execution if we want to be challenging 

the big teams like Japan on a regular basis.” 

China had earlier edged out Korea in the 

third place play-off when a last-minute goal from 

forward Yang Li secured a 2-1 victory. 

“After playing 125 minutes against Japan in 

the semi-final only to lose in the last second, it 

was very special to win this match,” said China 

coach Hao Wei. 

“The players did very well in both the mental 

and physical aspect of this match. Winning 

this match and 

being third will 

help to bring 

promotion to 

women’s football 

in China.” 

With the 

competition 

doubling up as 

a qualifier for 

the 2015 FIFA 

Women’s World 

Cup all four 

semi-finalists 

automatically 

received a ticket 

for the global tournament in Canada next year. 

And with an additional place at next year’s 

FIFA Women’s World Cup available for the team 

finishing in fifth-place, Kanjana Sung-Ngoen 

scored twice as Thailand secured a pulsating 

2-1 victory over hosts Vietnam to advance to 

the international showpiece for the first time in 

their history, despite a late long range strike from 

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung. 

“This victory and thereby qualifying for the 

World Cup is a very important milestone in our 

development,” said Thailand coach Nuengrutai 

Srathongvian. 

“This is the first time we’ve ever qualified for a 

global event like this, so I can say this is a first real 

step for woman’s football in Thailand.” 

Japan captain Aya Miyama was named the MVP 

of the tournament, while 

Korea’s powerful striker 

Park Eun-sun netted 

six goals in five games 

to claim the top goal 

scorer honour. 

Park finished at the 

top of the scoring charts 

alongside China’s Yang, 

but the Korean striker 

claimed the award 

having contributed one 

more assist. 

“Of course I’m sad 

that the team didn’t 

finish as high as 

possible, so while this award is good, it’s bitter 

sweet as we didn’t finish where we wanted,” said 

Park. 

“I hadn’t been called up to the national team for 

a while and it took me some time to get used to 

all the systems again. The tournament went well, 

though, I scored lots of goals and bonded with the 

team.” 

Group A 


Japan 3 2 1 0 13 2 11 7 

Australia 3 2 1 0 7 3 4 7 

Vietnam 3 1 0 2 3 7 -4 3 

Jordan 3 0 0 3 2 13 -11 0 

14/05/14 

Vietnam 3 (Nguyen Thi Muon 18, Le Thu Thanh Huong 

36, 84) Jordan 1 (Maysa Jbarah 34) 

Australia 2 (Caitlin Foord 21, Lisa De Vanna 64) 

Japan 2 (Claire Polkinghorne 71 OG, Yuki Ogimi 84) 

16/05/14 

Japan 4 (Nahomi Kawasumi 44, 87, Nanase Kiryu 65, 

Yuki Ogimi 69) Vietnam 0 

Jordan 1 (Stephanie Al Naber 71) Australia 3 (Kathryn 

Gill 36, 51, Katrina Gorry 61) 

18/05/14 

Vietnam 0 Australia 2 (Le Thi Thuong 42 OG, Katrina 

Gorry 90) 

Japan 7 (Chinatsu Kira 25, 90+3, Emi Nakajima 45+1, 

75, Mizuho Sakaguchi 49, 81, Enshirah Al Hyasat 69 

OG) Jordan 0 

Group B 


Korea Republic 3 2 1 0 16 0 16 7 

China 3 2 1 0 10 0 10 7 

Thailand 3 1 0 2 2 12 -10 3 

Myanmar 3 0 0 3 1 17 -16 0 

15/05/14 

Korea Republic 12 (Ji So-yun 4, Park Eun-sun 17, 

43, Park Hee-young 33, Jeon Ga-eul 36, 40, 63, Cho 

So-hyun 45+3, 61, 82, Kwon Hah-nul 58, Yeo Min-ji 

76) Myanmar 0 

China 7 (Li Dongna 6, Li Ying 8, Yang Li 16, 45+1, 

64, 90+1, Xu Yanlu 75) Thailand 0 

17/05/14 

Myanmar 0 China 3 (Ren Guixin 10, Ma Xiaoxu 

60, Yang Li 87) 

Thailand 0 Korea Republic 4 (Ji So-yun 11, Park 

Eun-sun 12, 47, 84) 

19/05/14 

Korea Republic 0 China 0 

Thailand 2 (Kanjana Sung-Ngoen 27, Sritala Duangnapa 

59) Myanmar 1 (Yee Yee Oo 45+1) 

Fifth Place Play-Off 

21/05/14 

Vietnam 1 (Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung 86) Thailand 2 

(Kanjana Sung-Ngoen 48, 65) 

Semi-Finals 

22/05/14 

Japan 2 (Homare Sawa 51, Azusa Iwashimizu 120+2) 

China 1 (Li Dongna 80) AET 

Korea Republic 1 (Park Eun-sun 53) Australia 2 

(Katrina Gorry 47, Elise Kellond-Knight 77) 

Third Place Play-Off 

25/05/14 

China 2 (Park Eun-sun 3 OG, Yang Li 90+3) Korea 

Republic 1 (Yoo Young-ah 80) 

Final 

25/05/14 

Japan 1 (Azusa Iwashimizu 28) Australia 0 

AFC QUARTERLY 71

REVIEW: AFC Futsal Championship 


Japan claimed a third AFC 

Futsal Championship title 

after edging out 10-time 

champions Iran on penalties 

following a 2-2 draw after 

extra-time in May’s final in 

Vietnam. 

Goalkeeper Yushi Sekiguchi saved three 

penalties in the shootout to hand Japan a 

3-0 victory having twice come from behind 

courtesy of Kotaro Inaba and an extra-time 

own goal from Hamid Ahmadi after Farhad 

Tavakoli and Hossein Tayebi had given Iran 

the lead. 

Uzbekistan, who beat Japan 2-1 in the group 

stage before losing to Iran in the semi-finals, 

finished third after beating Kuwait 2-1 thanks 

to goals from Dilshod Rakhmatov and Farkhod 

Abdumavlyanov. 

“That defeat by Uzbekistan made us even 

stronger and a more solid family,” said Japan 

coach Miguel Rodrigo. “If the group is initially 

united, these types of defeats unite us even 

more.” 

Japan, having begun the defence of their title 

Sekiguchi On The Spot 

As Japan Retain Title 

with a 12-0 win over Korea Republic, were 

able to recover from conceding in the last 

minute against Uzbekistan although the 4-0 

win over Kyrgyzstan was only good enough to 

secure a runner-up finish in Group D. 

But after beating 2012 finalists Thailand 

3-2 in the quarter-finals, Japan sealed their 

place in the final for an eighth time with a 6-1 

win over Kuwait semi-finals. 

“To join this new team I made a dangerous 

bet by cutting off one or two players who had 

the experience of being champions,” added 

Rodrigo, who was in charge two years ago 

in Dubai. 

“And I thought of a plan that will continue 

to 2016 and our target is to get to the quarterfinals 

at least in the World Cup in two years’ 

time.” Iran came into the final with a 100% 

record after easing their way through their 

group stage with wins over Indonesia, China 

and Australia. 

Jesus Candelas’ side then beat 

tournament hosts Vietnam in the quarterfinals 

before downing Uzbekistan 10-0 in the 

semi-finals to take their tally to 50 goals in 

five games. 

“I think that we were the best team 

throughout the competition, but that did not 

matter when it came to the final match,” said 

Iran coach Candelas. 

Artur Yunusov’s header with just under 

eight seconds remaining saw Uzbekistan 

snatch a dramatic 2-1 win over Japan in the 

group stage. 

But after beating Lebanon in the quarterfinals, 

Uzbekistan found Iran one step too 

far as Bahodir Ahmedov’s side lost 10-0 in 

what was their only defeat of the campaign. 

“Uzbekistan were not bad in this 

tournament, but we should now think about 

the next AFC Futsal Championship because 

it will give us a chance to qualify for the next 

World Cup, and that is why we brought a 

very young team,” said Uzbekistan coach 

Ahmedov. 

Iran duo Hossein Tayebi and Asghar 

Hassanzadeh, meanwhile, claimed the 

individual awards. 

Tayebi scored 15 goals to top the scoring 

charts ahead of team-mate Hassanzadeh, 

who scored eight times to earn the MVP 

accolade. 

Group A 


Kuwait 3 2 0 1 11 5 6 6 

Vietnam 3 2 0 1 13 7 6 6 

Iraq 3 2 0 1 11 7 4 6 

Tajikistan 3 0 0 3 5 21 -16 0 

30/04/14 

Kuwait 5 (Hamad Hayat 3, 22, Abdulrahman Al Taweel 13, 

38, 39) Tajikistan 0 

Vietnam 1 (Hussein Al Zubaidi 25 OG) Iraq 2 (Firas 

Mohammed 22, Waleed Khalid 40) 

02/05/14 

Iraq 3 (Amjad Kareem 18, Waleed Khalid 34, Karrar Al 

Thabeti 35) Kuwait 5 (Ahmad Al Farsi 2, Abdulrahman Al 

Taweel 16, 29, 30, Abdulrahman Al Mosabehi 25) 

Tajikistan 4 (Khurshed Makhmudov 11, 28, Mansur 

Mamedbabaev 17, Sherzod Jumaev 28) Vietnam 10 (Tran 

Van Vu 10, Phung Trong Luan 12, 27, Ngo Ngoc Son 13, 27, Le 

Quoc Nam 15, Pham Duc Hao 16, Nguyen Bao Quan 25, 33, 

Ly Khanh Hung 37) 

04/05/14 

Vietnam 2 (Ahmad Al Farsi 18 OG, Phung Trong Luan 24) 

Kuwait 1 (Abdulrahman Al Mosabehi 40) 

Tajikistan 1 (Khurshed Makhmudov 13) Iraq 6 (Mustafa 

Bachay 1, 24, Hasan Ali 15, 28, Waleed Khalid 27, Karrar Al 

Thabeti 35) 

Group B 


Iran 3 3 0 0 25 2 23 9 

Australia 3 2 0 1 8 9 -1 6 

Indonesia 3 1 0 2 5 13 -8 3 

China 3 0 0 3 4 18 -14 0 

30/04/14 

Iran 5 (Hossein Tayebi 8, Farhad Tavakoli 17, 17, Asghar 

Hassanzadeh 18, Vahid Shafiei 38) Indonesia 1 (Andri 

Kustiawan 30) 

Australia 2 (Tobias Seeto 6, 39) China 1 (Zhang Wen 3) 

02/05/14 

Indonesia 0 Australia 5 (Wade Giovenali 14, Fernando 

De Moraes 20, Gregory Giovenali 38, Tobias Seeto 39, Daniel 

Fogarty 40) 

China 0 Iran 12 (Asghar Hassanzadeh 1, 2, 25, Hossein 

Tayebi 1, 12, 27, 35, Farhad Tavakoli 5, Vahid Shafiei 10, 28, 

Farhad Fakhim 24, Hamid Ahadi 40) 

04/05/14 

Iran 8 (Hossein Tayebi 2, 10, 11, Mohammad Taheri 10, 29, 

Alireza Vafaei 15, Vahid Shafiei 17, Ahmad Esmaeilpour 28) 

Australia 1 (Daniel Fogarty 7) 

China 3 (Zhao Liang 9, Wang Tianyi 11, Agustin Andriansyah 

40 OG) Indonesia 4 (Andri Kustiawan 3, 30, Caisar 

Silitonga 12, 26) 

Group C 


Thailand 3 2 1 0 15 6 9 7 

Lebanon 3 1 1 1 12 13 -1 4 

Chinese Taipei 3 1 0 2 10 15 -5 3 

Malaysia 3 1 0 2 8 11 -3 3 

01/05/14 

Thailand 7 (Jirawat Sornwichian 11, 12, Suphawut Thueanklang 

26, 28, 36, Wiwat Thaijaruen 31, Zubaidi Alwee 39 OG) 

Malaysia 1 (Asmie Zahari 11) 

Lebanon 8 (Moustafa Serhan 2, Ali Tneich 17, 23, Mohamad 

Kobeissy 23, 23, 39, Ahmad Kheir El Dine 28, Hassan Zeitoun 

35) Chinese Taipei 5 (Chu Chia-Wei 9, Liu Chi-Chao 11, 

Huang Cheng-Tsung 18, 19, Le Chih-En 27) 

03/05/14 

Malaysia 5 (Muhammad Shamsul 1, 23, Nizam Ali 5, 11, Aula 

Ahmed 34) Lebanon 1 (Ali Tneich 16) 

Chinese Taipei 2 (Lo Chih-An 24, Huang Cheng-Tsung 33) 

Thailand 5 (Suphawut Thueanklang 3, Jetsada Chudech 4, 

Piyapan Ratana 9, Kritsada Wongkaeo 24, Jirawat Sornwichian 

33) 

05/05/14 

Thailand 3 (Kritsada Wongkaeo 21, Suphawut Thueanklang 

33, 40) Lebanon 3 (Ali Tneich 1, Karim Abou Zeid 17, 40) 

Chinese Taipei 3 (Chang Hao-Wei 14, Huang Cheng-Tsung 

17, Weng Wei-Pin 26) Malaysia 2 (Asmie Zahari 20, Fitri 

Yatim 29) 

Group D 


Uzbekistan 3 2 1 0 7 3 4 7 

Japan 3 2 0 1 17 2 15 6 

Kyrgyzstan 3 1 1 1 6 7 -1 4 

Korea Republic 3 0 0 3 1 19 -18 0 

01/05/14 

Japan 12 (Kazuhiro Nibuya 3, 35, Nobuya Osodo 6, 20, 31, 

Yusuke Nakamura 16, 33, 38, Akira Minamoto 29, Shunta 

Uchimura 31, Toru Sato 36, Kaoru Morioka 39) Korea 

Republic 0 

Kyrgyzstan 2 (Ulan Ryskulov 38, Emil Kanetov 39) Uzbekistan 

2 (Erkin Tabaldiev 5 OG, Farkhod Abdumavlyanov 17) 

03/05/14 

Korea Republic 1 (Shin Jong-hoon 32) Kyrgyzstan 4 

(Rustam Ermekov 17, 27, Marat Duvanaev 37, Vadim 

Kondratkov 40) 

Uzbekistan 2 (Andrey Shlema 10, Artur Yunusov 40) Japan 

1 (Ryosuke Nishitani 9) 

05/05/14 

Japan 4 (Akira Minamoto 4, Kazuhiro Nibuya 9, Nobuya 

Osodo 17, 35) Kyrgyzstan 0 

Uzbekistan 3 (Shuhrat Tojiboev 16, Davron Choriev 34, 

Dilshod Rakhmatov 39) Korea Republic 0 

QUARTER-FINALS 

07/05/14 

Kuwait 5 (Hamad Hayat 21, 32, Abdulrahman Al Taweel 

29, Abdulrahman Al Wadi 32, 34) Australia 2 (Tobias Seeto 

33, Jarrod Basger 38) 

Thailand 2 (Suphawut Thueanklang 20, Jirawat Sornwichian 

25) Japan 3 (Kazuhiro Nibuya 7, Nobuya Osodo 14, 

Maoru Morioka 36) 

Iran 15 (Hossein Tayebi 3, 10, 25, Vahid Shafiei 11, 

Mohammad Shajari 12, 30, 32, Alireza Vafaei 16, 37, Asghar 

Hassazzadeh 25, 25, 27, Behroz Jafari 30, Farhad Fakhim 37, 

38) Vietnam 4 (Phung Trong Luan 12, 28, Ly Khanh Hung 

33, Pham Thanh Dat 34) 

Uzbekistan 6 (Andrey Shlema 10, Andrey Shlema 25, 

32, Shurat Tojiboev 26, Farkhod Abdumavlyanov 30, 

Artur Yunusov 30) Lebanon 2 (Ahmad Kheir El Dine 38, 

Moustafa Serhan 40) 

SEMI-FINALS 

Kuwait 1 (Mohammad Mohamad 15) Japan 6 (Kotaro 

Inaba 5, 22, Akira Minamoto 21, Nobuya Osodo 24, 27, 

Shota Hoshi 29) 

Iran 10 (Alireza Vafaei 1, Asghar Hassanzadeh 5, Hossein 

Tayebi 5, 25, 27, Ahmad Esmaeilpour 7, Vahid Shafiei 9, 24, 

31, Mohammad Shajari 30) Uzbekistan 0 

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF 

Kuwait 1 (Mohammad Mohamad 15) Japan 6 (Kotaro 

Inaba 5, 22, Akira Minamoto 21, Nobuya Osodo 24, 27, 

Shota Hoshi 29) 

Iran 10 (Alireza Vafaei 1, Asghar Hassanzadeh 5, Hossein 

Tayebi 5, 25, 27, Ahmad Esmaeilpour 7, Vahid Shafiei 9, 24, 

31, Mohammad Shajari 30) Uzbekistan 0 

FINAL 

Japan 2 (Kotaro Inaba 26, Hamid Ahmadi 46 OG) 

Iran 2 AET (Farhad Tavakoli 9, Hossein Tayebi 42) 

Japan wins 3-0 on penalties 

AFC QUARTERLY 73

Inside AFC 

O 

A 

ACL Criteria & 

Slots Explained 

fficials from the member associations and leagues 

attended a meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the end 

of April to learn about the latest participation 

criteria and slot allocation decision methods for the AFC 

Champions League. 

The briefing introduced the new decision methods 

for AFC Champions League participation while also 

introducing revised criteria and club licensing matters. 

The briefing also covered reports from the AFC Special 

Mission Teams since 2010. 

“There were lots of decisions made by the AFC in 

November and January pertaining to our competitions’ 

participation criteria and decision methods. The decisions 

made in January also have a sustaining effect on our 

competitions,” said AFC Deputy General Secretary Dato’ 

Windsor John. 

“We have also taken feedback from the last CEO 

mbassadors Steve McMahon and Do Thi Ngoc 

Cham leant their support in raising awareness 

of the importance of child nutrition during an 

educational tour highlighting various 

projects of the campaign in Vietnam. 

Former Vietnam women’s 

international Ngoc Cham and former 

Liverpool and England midfielder McMahon participated 

in activities aimed at educating mothers about the 

importance of preparing nutritious meals. 

Ngoc Cham and McMahon exchanged experiences, 

stories and gifts with the children during the activities held 

workshop we held from which 

we drew up some proposals 

of change to the criteria. The 

workshop also helped us 

decide on the competition 

slots for a longer period of 

time. 

“Therefore, the reason 

for having this briefing is 

to update the member 

associations and leagues about the decisions made which 

will have a great impact on club competitions in Asia. 

“Through this briefing, we aim to ensure these decisions 

are clearly explained to you so that we can move forward 

and take our club competitions to the next level.” 

Under the AFC-UEFA Memorandum of Understanding, 

UEFA consultant Alex Phillips also attended the briefing. 

One Goal Visits Vietnam 

at nutrition clubs formed by World Vision Vietnam, who are 

focused on promoting good nutrition for children. 

They also participated in training sessions and activities 

with football clubs as part of the child 

and grassroots football development 

programme Football for All in 

Vietnam. 

The tour was organised by the AFC and One Goal, 

a partner driven campaign which includes the AFC and 

additional partners World Vision, Global Alliance for 

Improved Nutrition, Royal DSM and the Asian Football 

Development Project. 

T 

AFC Medical Committee 

Meets In New Delhi 

he AFC Medical Committee met for the seventh 

time at the end of April as the 2015 AFC Medical 

Conference was launched in New Delhi. 

The committee, under the guidance of chairman 

Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan 

Singh, established 

guidelines concerning 

safe participation in 

AFC tournaments in hot 

conditions which, subject 

to approval by the AFC 

Executive Committee, 

would see breaks 

introduced during games 

to prevent heat-related 

injuries. 

The committee also 

agreed to introduce a 

strategic development 

plan for football medicine 

in Asia aimed at providing 

comprehensive medical 

care and facilities for 

players at all levels. 

A pool of instructors will also be established to implement 

FIFA Football for Health Projects in Asia, while an 

international seminar for team physiotherapists will also be 

arranged every two years. 

round 300 children including 80 girls attended 

Tajikistan’s second grassroots festival in April. 

A The children, who were mostly aged under 12, 

came to Central Stadium in Qumsangir from Kumsangir, 

Rumi, Jilikul and Panj to participate in recreational 

programmes including football skills and games. 

All the children who participated in the festival were 

given a football to encourage their further interest and 

development in the sport. 

“The aim of the festival is not only bringing up good 

players, but at the same time to inspire children into the 

sport, to keep them away from bad habits, to encourage 

healthy lifestyles and to develop both physical, moral and 

volitional qualities,” said Anvar Mirzoyev, the head of the 

Tajikistan Football Federation’s Youth Department. 

Tajikistan, along with other AFC member associations, 

have implemented their own grassroots initiatives spurred 

by the AFC’s Grassroots Year which was observed in 

2013. 

The committee also recommended using the World 

Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory in Sydney for the 

analysis of samples during the AFC Asian Cup Australia 

2015. 

Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan 

Singh also updated 

committee members on the 

progress of the organisation 

of the fifth AFC Medical 

Conference which will be 

held in New Delhi next 

year and is expected to 

be attended by 800-1000 

delegates from around the 

world. 

The committee’s 

chairman also expressed 

his happiness following the 

productive joint meeting 

between the AFC Medical 

Committee and the All India 

Football Federation (AIFF) 

Medical Committee. 

“With the formation of the AIFF Medical Committee, the 

AIFF has taken a positive step forward keeping in view the 

varied important oncoming football activities that augur 

well for the development of football in India,” said Dato’ Dr. 

Gurcharan Singh. 

Tajikistan Holds Second 

Grassroots Festival 

AFC QUARTERLY 75

Inside AFC 

Coach Asia 

Programme Begins 

total of 26 coaches have enrolled in the new 

AFC Coach Asia programme, which began in 

A Kuala Lumpur in April and is aimed at developing 

knowledge and experience. 

The new initiative, which qualifies participants for the 

AFC Professional Coaching 

Diploma commonly known as 

the Pro Diploma, began with 

a fitness module which is the 

first of five modules under the 

two-year programme. 

Professor Jens Bangsbo 

from Denmark and Dr. Magni 

Mohr from the Faroe Islands 

delivered the 11-day fitness 

module of the course. 

“The AFC should be 

commended for its proactive 

and groundbreaking coach 

education efforts,” said 

Bangsbo. 

“For one, the AFC has clearly defined the lines in fitness 

training in the various levels of coach training, from the ‘C’ 

and ‘B’ certificates to the ‘A’ certificate and Pro Diploma. 

“And there’s a gradual increase in the intensity of fitness 

training learning from the ‘C’ to the Pro Diploma. The AFC 

is the only confederation to do coach education this way.” 

Abdalnasser Barakat was one of the participants to 

attend the course, and was excited by the prospect of being 

given the opportunity to eventually become Palestine’s first 

recipient of the Pro Diploma. 

“There is a lot of new 

information that we learned 

from this course,” said 

Barakat. 

“I will ensure that with 

this new knowledge and 

experience from the Coach 

Asia programme, the 

Palestinian game develops. 

With this new knowledge and 

skills, I feel that I have taken a 

greater responsibility. 

“The instructors were 

excellent. They taught us 

about fitness that reflected the reality of football. It was not 

just general fitness. The fitness we learned was specific 

to not just football, but also to each individual player’s 

position. It’s fitness training with the ball, instead of without 

the ball like in general fitness training.” 

AFC Can Build On 

Grassroots Success 

FC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al 

Khalifa has backed Member Associations to build 

Aon the success of AFC Grassroots Year 2013. 

Last year, 14 Member Associations celebrated 

AFC Grassroots Day, and in 2014, 29 countries have 

officially declared their commitment to marking 

the occasion that coincides with United 

Nations International Day of Families. 

“Last year was declared AFC Grassroots 

Year and I was delighted to see the way 

our Member Associations embraced the 

initiative, as children, parents, teachers, and 

other volunteers joined those in the football 

industry in enjoyable and educational events 

and activities that took place all over Asia 

throughout 2013,” said Shaikh Salman. 

“And I am particularly pleased that many 

of our member associations have continued to build 

on this as they continue to utilise the support and 

resources from the AFC and FIFA in addition to 

introducing their own grassroots projects.” 

The AFC’s initiatives have included the organisation 

of workshops to share the best grassroots practices as 

well as the introduction of an AFC Grassroots Coaching 

Course Curriculum and the introduction of awards 

recognising the developmental work of the Member 

Associations. 

“We often refer to the AFC and our Member 

Associations as a family. This is a fitting 

description as we share many of the same 

principles of families such as unity, support 

and understanding,” added Shaikh Salman. 

“And the AFC will continue to support 

our member associations as we cannot 

underestimate the importance of grassroots 

development. 

“Grassroots football is not just about 

the first steps on the pathway to finding 

the players and coaches for the clubs and 

national teams of the future. It is about using football as 

a vehicle for social development and for fostering the 

enjoyment of a healthy and active lifestyle in children 

regardless of their ability, every bit as much as it is to 

identify those youngsters with great potential.” 

A 

FC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al 

Khalifa visited Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bahrain 

and Qatar in May. 

Having celebrated the Hong Kong Football 

Association’s 100th anniversary alongside FIFA 

President Sepp Blatter at the end of April, Shaikh 

Salman attended the opening of King Abdulla bin 

Abdulaziz Sports City as well as the final of Saudi 

Arabia’s King’s Cup between Al Shabab and Al Ahli in 

Jeddah at the start of May. 

Shaikh Salman then attended the opening ceremony 

A 

AFC President 

Visits Gulf Quartet 

Coaches Take First 

Step In Lebanon 

total of 27 people took part in the AFC ‘C’ 

Coaching Certificate course which took place 

in Lebanon in 

April. 

The 13-day course, 

which requires a 

minimum of 85 hours 

of study time for both 

the practical and 

theoretical sessions, 

is designed to teach 

coaches to organise, 

direct and conduct 

basic coaching 

practices targeting 

young players. 

“We have finished the first part of the coaching 

course and we will continue with the next one,” said 

of the first phase of the Michel Suleiman Sports Village 

in Beirut before receiving the National Order of Cedar 

from Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. 

The AFC President also held a meeting with South 

Asian Football Federation (SAFF) officials in Bahrain 

before attending the Emir’s Cup final in Qatar as Al 

Sadd beat Al Sayliyah. 

Shaikh Salman rounded off a busy month by 

attending the UEFA Champions League final between 

Spanish duo Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in 

Portugal. 

course instructor Mazen Mroueh. 

In the final examination, the students will be assessed 

on their practical 

coaching abilities and 

knowledge of the laws 

of the game, as well 

as their understanding 

of the theory contents 

of football. 

Holders of the 

‘C’ certificate can, 

after meeting other 

requirements, 

progress through the 

‘B’ and ‘A’ certificates 

before being eligible to sit the continent’s highest 

coaching qualification, the AFC Professional Coaching 

Diploma which is commonly known as the Pro Diploma. 

AFC QUARTERLY 77

Great Grounds of Asia 

NATIONAL 

OLYMPIC STADIUM 

Tokyo, Japan 

The 57,363 capacity National 

Olympic Stadium is an iconic 

sporting venue located to the 

south-east of Tokyo’s central 

business district of Shinjuku. 

Completed in March 1958, 

the stadium hosted the first ever 

Olympics held in Asia, serving 

as the main venue for the opening and closing 

ceremonies, as well as the track and field 

events at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games. 

The National Olympic Stadium was also 

the host of the 1991 World Championships in 

Athletics, as well as the Intercontinental Cup 

between 1980 and 2001. 

As a multi-purpose venue, the stadium is 

the home of the Japan football team and bore 

witness to their historic 1998 FIFA World Cup 

qualifying campaign, as the Samurai Blue 

advanced to the finals for the first time. 

The climax to the AFC Champions League 

also took place on two occasions as Pohang 

Steelers lifted the title in 2009 with fellow 

Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma doing 

the same a year later. 

In February 2012, it was confirmed that the 

stadium would be demolished in 2015 and a 

new national stadium built in its place to be 

completed in March 2019 and set to host the 

2020 Summer Olympics. 

AFC QUARTERLY 78

“This was a 

historic 

match and 

a historic 

achievement.” 

Palestine coach 

Jamal Mahmoud

1lK8cjm

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