Japan had defended the title

Asian football bad-tempered, but making giant strides

August 8, 2004

BEIJING (AFP) - With 17 sending offs the Asian Cup was a bad-tempered affair, but it also showcased the giant strides the continent is making to match the top teams of the world.
While lacking the star power of Euro 2004, Asia's premier football tournament had plenty of spark. Coaches were sacked, fans got ugly, players brawled and politics were dragged into the mix.

The three-week festival ended Saturday with Japan defending their title against China, overcoming an intimidating atmosphere to win 3-1 courtesy of a highly controversial goal that Koji Nakata appeared to scoop in with his hand.

Dubious refereeing decisions marred the tournament, with one referee, Bahraini Abdul Rahman, sent home after an erratic display of officiating.

The championships produced 94 goals, edge-of-the seat thrillers and evidence that the game in Asia is pushing the barriers in its drive to be recognised as a competitive force on the global stage.

"It is a fact that most of the teams have made rapid improvement since four years ago and this is the most competitive and best tournament in Asian Cup history," said Chinese veteran Li Ming, who was competing in his fourth Asian Cup.

While broadcast to record television audiences around the world, it received a mixed reception in China, the first time the world's most populous country has hosted the premier Asian football event.

The home team attracted crowds, but many games elsewhere were played before half empty stadiums and the behaviour of Chinese fans was called into question.

Peter Velappan, the general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, lit the tournament fuse on the opening day, threatening to bar future AFC events from Beijing and even suggesting the city was not a suitable venue for the Olympics.

He was outraged after fans booed speeches by guests at the opening ceremony and spent the rest of the tournament trying to make amends.

In the end, China making the final proved a dream for the AFC, but it also brought headaches, with fans heckling Japan over the country's war-time past, drawing protests from politicians in Japan and China.

It threw security into the spotlight, although no violence was reported in any of the four host cities.

Tempers flared on the pitch though, with midfield brawls and 17 red cards in 32 games. Two Iranian players were suspended for slapping each other.

While China and Japan making the final was a fair bet, noone tipped Gulf minnows Bahrain to make the last four.

The tiny state, population just 680,000, set the tone with a last gasp equaliser to hold China in the opening game of the tournament and went on to display a never-say-die attitude as the competition surprise package.

Perhaps the biggest failure was highly fancied Saudi Arabia.

Recognised as one of Asia's top three teams, the Saudis had won the tournament three times and been runners up twice, including in Lebanon four years ago.

They came to China without playing any friendlies, so confident was Dutch coach Gerard Van Der Lem.

It all went horribly wrong, as they lost to Iraq and Uzbekistan and drew with lowly Turkmenistan to crash out at the group stage, with Van Der Lem paying for it with his job.

Experienced Frenchman Phillippe Troussier, who won the Asian Cup with Japan four years ago, was also sensationally sacked by Qatar after they lost their opening group match against Indonesia.

Iran's Ali Karimi once again proved he is a class act, scoring five goals to be tournament joint top scorer with A'ala Hubail of Baharin.

Meanwhile, legend Ali Daei, 35, played his last Asian Cup campaign, rounding off his tournament with two goals in Iran's 4-2 third place playoff victory over Bahrain.

Other players recognised by the AFC in their All Star team included Chinese defender Zheng Zhi, Japan's inspirational captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto and Iran's dashing forward Mehdi Mahdavikia.

Overall, the level of football and the quality of goals won plaudits, surprising many.

"To tell you the truth, before I came to Asia, I didn't think Asian football was so good, but this Asian Cup has let me see the whole of Asian football," said Chinese coach Arie Haan.

"The level of Asian football is high.... I think the level of Asian football is moving forward," he said.

The next Asian Cup, in 2007, will be jointly hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Updated on Sunday, Aug 8, 2004 6:51 pm EDT