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Is South Korean Football Doomed?
February 5th, 2024. The South Korean national team is having dinner at their hotel on the eve of their semi-final match against Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup. Fresh off a dramatic 2-1 victory over Australia in extra time, the team seems destined to win their first Asian Cup since 1960. But in one…
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How Vissel Kobe’s Set-Piece Excellence Paved the Way for their J.League Title
Vissel Kobe won the J.League title for the second time in their history last month. They scored 61 goals, the third-best attack (tied with Yokohama) behind Kawasaki (66) and Hiroshima (72) and conceded 36 goals, the third-best defense after Osaka (35) and Machida (34). Under coach Takayuki Yoshida, Vissel Kobe scored 25 goals from…
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Ventforet Kofu: From Japan’s Second Tier to the AFC Champions League
Japan can brag about an immense and millennial culture, and that includes a plethoric mythology, with several gods trying to exert influence over the peasants. The champion of them, Amaterasu, is a goddess who sits above Mount Fuji, the highest point of this archipelago. Amaterasu is the goddess of the Sun, the main deity in…
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One Game Away from Glory: Can Jordan Win the AFC Asian Cup?
Unbridled scenes of Jordanian jubilation have continually graced this year’s edition of the Asia Cup. Nobody could have possibly foreseen this team – still currently ranked 87th in the world – being within one victory away from their first ever international trophy. And while it’s easy to be simply jolted by the shock, you…
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ACL Reform Poses Danger to Indian Super League Clubs
The last three years have represented a great time in the evolution of the Indian Super League and its clubs. In 2020, FC Goa became the first ever Indian club to compete in the AFC Champions League. Their league title in 2019/20 marked the beginning of a journey that would see them compete against one…
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The Future of Japanese Football
Over the past quarter-century, Japan has quietly emerged as a rising star in world football. Having reached the World Cup for the first time in 1998 only to lose all three matches, they would return to the competition four years later, co-hosting the tournament with South Korea. Whilst South Korea reached the semifinals, Japan would…
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The Future of Asian Continental Club Football: The Ripple Effects of Saudi’s Football Investments
When Japan’s Urawa Reds met Saudi football behemoth Al Hilal in the showpiece event of the Asian club football calendar, the Asian Champions League final, many lamented the familiarity that this conclusion has kindled among followers of Asian club football. For the past six seasons, the ACL crown has gone to a side from the…
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The Phoenix That Is Indian Football
Football’s governing body, FIFA, reversed a ban on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday, August 26. The move came just 11 days after the ban was announced. In its original decision, FIFA explained that there were alleged third-party influences within Indian football, which constituted a violation of FIFA Statutes. In May, the Indian…
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Witan Sulaeman: The Indonesian Baby-faced Assassin
Having large, sharp eyes, a big smile, and the messy hair you often see on a child, Witan Sulaeman looks like that cute kid you want to mess around with. These features also earned him the nickname “Baby Shark,” coined by Valentino Simanjuntak, an Indonesian commentator, which often got repeated into oblivion every time Bung…
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Rizky Ridho, the Mature Defender in An Immature Footballing Environment
Indonesian football still has a long way into becoming a proper football environment for its players to grow. From the federation’s improper management of the league, clubs that hastily buy old players and disregard their long-term plan, lack of a clear plan on the footballing curriculum, violence in the lower football pyramid, illegal activities involving…
