The 2015 Asian Cup, which finished yesterday in Sydney, was one of the most successful and exciting football events in recent years.
After a dubious European Championship in Ukraine and Poland in 2012, an extravagant and wasteful World Cup in Brazil in 2014, a recent racist saga over the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations, and of course, the clouds hovering over Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, it seemed healthy for a major football tournament to be held in a relaxed, liberal country, with a solid tradition of sports, good organisation and a stable economy.
For this tournament, no public funds were scattered in all directions as an investment in the tournament, women trafficking and organised sex tourism were not rife and people were not uprooted from their homes in order to build stadiums or fan-zones.
The great facilities were used routinely by the Australians and will continue to be used in the future, long after the tournament, as football’s popularity increases in the country. The fact that the Asian Champions League winner was local team Western Sydney Wanderers, ensures that the victory over South Korea yesterday is the end of a great year for Australian football. Australia hammered its rivals for years as an Oceanic Association member, joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 and the victory was their first Asian title.
But don’t let this calm background fool you. In this tournament, the complex nexus of political conflicts and national tensions in Asia came alive and gave us some historic and fascinating moments. Looking at the past few weeks in Australia, therefore, reveals just as much about tense international relations as it does about sport.
1. First-Timers
The Palestinian national team made its first appearance in a big official tournament. Although they lost all three games, suffered from disharmony in the squad and conceded 11 goals, they scored a consolation goal in the thrilling derby with Jordan and won big time in a more important field: public opinion. The support the Palestinians received in Australia was impressive, international and significant to their efforts to achieve international recognition.
2. Death Game
After the match between Iraq and Jordan, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Iraqis, there were reports that the Islamic State authorities executed 13 teens, who were watching the game on television, claiming that this was a Western practice, which contradicts Sharia law and threatens the spirit of the Islamic state. As well as questions as to whether this sad incident really happened or not, the event raised the discourse around football and Islamic relations to a very serious level. The Iraqi players later said that the rumours about the incident only 'spurred' them on to represent their country with honour.
3. How do you say ‘Tweet’ in Persian?
Ali Reza Haghighi, the Iranian goalkeeper, posed innocently for a ‘selfie’ with an Iranian fan, who did not hesitate and was quick to post it on Twitter. The tweet led to angry reactions, accusations and threats against him in particular, and all the Iranian delegation in general, by senior Iranian authorities. Despite claims that this was because of the personal safety of members of the delegation, it turns out that Sharia law influences Iranian people, even when they represent their country abroad. This tweet, which came to light a day after the reports of murders in Iraq, made it clear that the relations between radical Islam and the West are now a part of the tournament’s agenda. This vast cultural divide, which has recently shook the world, is reflected in the biggest mirror of reality: football.
4. No Equality
his year’s tournament set a new record: 26 consecutive games finished without a draw, more than in any other major tournament. By the way, the previous record was set at the 1930 World Cup, in Uruguay.
5. Faster, Stronger, Higher
Ali Mabkhut, the Emirati striker, scored the fastest goal in the history of the competition, within 14 seconds of the opening whistle in the group match against Bahrain. He also finished as the top scorer of the tournament with five goals and helped his team qualify for the last four for the first time in 19 years and finish in third place.
6. Potential Profit
Australian Massimo Luongo, who plays for Swindon Town in League One (the third division in the UK), was voted as the tournament’s MVP, and rightly so. The kid is only 21, but he produced the goods with four assists and two goals (including a crucial goal in the final) and carried the Socceroos when Tim Cahill was exhausted. Australians can be relaxed – they have an heir to Cahill’s throne.
7. A Stylish Lad
Omar Abdul Rahman from the UAE, also starred in this Asian Cup and was one of the refreshing discoveries of the tournament. He controlled the pace of his team's game, made four great assists, has a '70s Afro hairstyle and scored a great Panenka kick in the penalty shootout with Japan in the quarter-finals. By the way, the Panenka was popular in this tournament, in which no fewer than four penalties of this kind were taken. Abdul Rahman is undoubtedly a fashionable guy.
8. The Surprise
This title goes to Japan, but not for a good reason. The defending champions and 4-time Asian champion, loaded with stars from the Serie A, Bundesliga and more, which destroyed everything in its path in the group stages, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the UAE, after an embarrassing display of penalties. Honda's missed penalty undermined the confidence of the Blue Samurais and the guy from the previous paragraph knocked them out, which was definitelya surprise.
9. The Game
“A Third Gulf War" screamed the headlines in the Iranian newspapers on the eve of the match between the two historic rivals, and oh, how they were right! The Iranians led 1-0 at the interval, suffered a dramatic red card and scored an equaliser in the second half, and then the game went into extra-time. In extra-time, the Iraqis took the lead twice and the Iranians equalised twice, including a crazy goal to make it 3-3 in the 119th minute. Each goal was followed by dramatic celebrations from the benches, piles of players and staff and thousands of excited fans in the stands. On penalties, Iran couldn’t handle the pressure and it ended 7-6 to Iraq. This game reminded us how national team’s football can be exciting, important and emotional and how much weight the history between countries can have in such a football game.
It did not prevent the Iranians from appealing against the outcome of the game, claiming that the Iraqis played a player who failed a drug test last September, after playing with his Iranian club. FIFA has promised to review and decide, and in a move, which was widely seen as humiliating and embarrassing, it was decided that the Iranian delegation would have to remain in Australia to wait for the decision. The investigation turned up with no evidence, and the Iranians, who were favourites to reach the final, all went home disappointed. The Iraqis, who have generally improved in recent years, finished in a respectable fourth place.
10. Spectators and Attendances
649,705 spectators filled the five stadiums to watch the games, with an average attendance of 20,303 per game. An all-time record for the Asian Cup final, of 76,385 fans, was recorded at the final in Sydney. 80 TV networks broadcasted the games worldwide. According to the official estimates of the organisers, there were about 800,000 television viewers, as well as a potential audience of 2.5 billion people. That's a lot!
11. Worth a mention:
Hamza al-Dardour (Jordan, who scored four goals against Palestine), Ahmed Khalil (UAE, with four spectacular goals), Lee Jung-Hyup (South Korea, a serving soldier and the national team’s rising star), Ahmed Yassin (Iraq, a great leader), Tim Cahill (Australia, even at the age of 36 he’s still great, vital and exciting) and Tomi Juric (Australia, he may be clumsy and slow, but his fight on the ball in extra time in the final brought the trophy to the hosts).
History, politics, culture, terrorism, Twitter, religion, inverters, promising youngsters and unprecedented peaks were all part of three weeks of football, which came to an end yesterday in Sydney. Although the football was not at the highest level, it was certainly stylish, fast and played at the right intensity.
International football is alive and kicking and is improving, even outside Europe or Latin America.