A mass brawl erupted in the Asian Champions League semi-final between Al Sadd and Suwon
Bluewings after Suwon put the ball out for attention to an injured player only for the official to
wave play-on and Mamadou Niang to score Al Sadd's controversial second goal.
In South Korea Suwon Bluewings and Buson I'Park won their KFA Cup semi-finals after hard fought
encounters with Jeju United and Chunnam Dragons respectively. In Japan the J-League Cup has reached
its final four stage and the first legs of the semi-finals were played today. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
and Kawasaki Frontale hold the advantage after they defeated their opponents Shimuzu S-Pulse and
Jubilo Iwata respectively.
You can't do much better than 100 percent. South Korea's quartet of teams that started the 2010
Asian Champions League back in February have all survived the first round intact. China have lost
at least three of theirs and it could be all four while Japan will see at least one and probably
two fall by the wayside.
For at least two of South Korea's four representatives in the Asian Champions League, this week is
make or break time. The quartet stands at the halfway point of the group stage with three games
gone and three to go. With the top two in each group of four progressing to the second round, now
is the time to start picking up points.
"I think I am not in the best condition to analyse it. At this moment, my feeling is stronger than
my reason."
Those were the words of Jorge Fossati, the coach of newly-crowned Asian Champions Al Sadd, deep in
the bowels of Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Saturday evening. The Uruguayan had just watched a
fantastic final in which his team overcame favourites and host Jeonbuk Motors thanks to a penalty
shootout.
'Qatari club... failed to qualify for the tournament and was only granted entry after a Vietnamese
team was barred for failing to submit the correct documentation... Al Sadd lost both legs in the
quarterfinals but still made it to the last four. After losing, 1-0, at home to Sepahan, the Asian
confederation gave the losers a 3-0 win after discovering that the Iranian team had fielded an
ineligible player.
The group stages in the two major Asian club competitions have concluded on Wednesday and there
was plenty of tension in the air. The remaining places in the Round of 16 stages of each
competition were up for grabs and ensured some dramatic action on Matchday 6.
In the AFC Champions League there was virtually nothing left to play for in the east of the
continent as all of the qualifiers from Groups E-H were known before kick-off.
1 LEE Woon Jae (26/04/1973) P Suwon Bluewings (KOR)2 OH Beom Seok (29/07/1984) DF
Ulsan Hyundai (KOR)3 KIM Hyung Il (27/04/1984) DF Pohang Steelers (KOR)4 CHO Yong
Hyung (03/11/1983) DF Jeju Utd. (KOR)5 KIM Nam Il (14/03/1977) MC Tom Tomsk (RUS)6
KIM Bo Kyung (06/10/1989) MC Oita Trinita (JPN)7 PARK Ji Sung (25/02/1981) MC
Manchester Utd.
1 LEE Woon Jae (26/04/1973) P Suwon Bluewings (KOR)2 OH Beom Seok (29/07/1984) DF
Ulsan Hyundai (KOR)3 KIM Hyung Il (27/04/1984) DF Pohang Steelers (KOR)4 CHO Yong
Hyung (03/11/1983) DF Jeju Utd. (KOR)5 KIM Nam Il (14/03/1977) MC Tom Tomsk (RUS)6
KIM Bo Kyung (06/10/1989) MC Oita Trinita (JPN)7 PARK Ji Sung (25/02/1981) MC
Manchester Utd.
South Korea are now seven times in a row World Cup participants, veterans of the international
stage. No-one really sees them as challengers but a Fourth Place finish in 2002 and narrowly losing
out in the group stages in 2006 proves that they do have the quality to challenge the top sides.
And you just never know in football.
Singapore Armed Forces FC reached the promised-land of the AFC Champions League
and elevated themselves on par with Asia's finest for the very first time as they scarcely overcame
Indonesia's PSMS Medan 2-1 to advance through to the group stages for the nation's
very first time.
We received the following by email. It seems to confirm part a rumor we posted back in April, that
there would be Korean K-League involvement. However, what is unclear and what the message below
does not help to clarify is whether Australian A-League and New Zealand's FC (Football
Championship) will be involved.
Take emotion out of football and you have nothing but a soulless shell. Black type in the
newspaper. To describe football as a roller coaster rider is old hat but last night in the space of
a few minutes one coach experienced the full range.
Richard Bok looking on last night at Jalan Besar Stadium would have been delighted as the end of
the first half approached.
On the other side of the world to the eupohoria filled European Champions League, there is
another ‘Champions League'. The AFC Champions League. For those of you unaware of this league, 35
teams participate, either though direct qualification, or if you're from the UAE, Indonesia,
Singapore, Thailand or India, you have the arduous task of a playoff.
Suwon Bluewings were declared the K-League Championship Final victors after
defeating FC Seoul 2-1 in the second leg, condemning their title rivals to a 3-2
aggregate loss. It is the fourth time that Suwon has won their domestic championship since they
first joined the league back in 1996.
Kwak Hee-ju rescued a 1-1 draw for Suwon Bluewings against K-League rivals
FC Seoul in the contest to be crowned champions of South Korea. The two-legged
Championship playoff will be concluded on Sunday 7th December in the return leg at the
43,288-capacity Suwon World Cup Stadium following on from the deadlock in Seoul.
Players come and go in the K-League, especially those from overseas. There is an incredibly high
turnover of playing staff in South Korea, teams can virtually change their entire starting elevens
from season to season.
Hiring players is not, of course, an exact science. Some succeed and some don't for a variety of
reasons.
