By Les Tan
The ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup) is a tournament best played on a home-and-away format over the course of a few months because to cram seven games (and only for the eventual finalists) in the space of three weeks just says to sponsor Suzuki, “Thanks for your money but we can only give you three weeks of returns in the media.”
The championship has the potential to generate crowds and excitement over a longer period than just three weeks. Played home-and-away, the championship allows fans in all countries to attend home games and gives the respective sports industries a boost.
A home-and-away format also gives the teams more time to rest and recover. Playing three group games in six days meant the quality of play dropped over the course of the championship.
What’s holding back that idea?
Probably bureaucratic inertia and vested interests. Some football associations in South east Asia see it as an opportunity to make money every time they host the group stages in their country.
While it may not be the Malaysia Cup, it is certainly one level more exciting than the S.League for the average Singaporean fan. Witness the 48,000 who turned up to watch the Singapore-Vietnam semi-final two Sundays ago.
They came because there was a game with something at stake and it involved the Singapore national football team. Even when there was a title at stake in the S.League, the paying crowd never exceeded 1,000.
For Singapore football fans who want to have something to attend on a regularly basis, a home-and-away format for the ASEAN Football Championship is what they need.
If only the organisers feel that way too.
REDpoll
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I think that is more an Indonesian administration problem from start to finish.
The S.League has international breaks and is able to run on time.
the ISL does give breaks, but look at what cost, the league instead runs over nearly 1 and a half years. 2 years ago, it costed them a asian champions league place because their league have not ended when they were supposed to submit the ‘champions’ of the league.
It is possible, your last point about the Indonesian League taking a break just for the championship being a case in point. All leagues can take a break for international competitions.
The only reason why they won’t do it is because of politics within the AFF.
It’s not difficult to set up a home-and-away format but the AFF leadership have vested interests and prefer it the way it is right now.
home and away format?
quite impossible. the south east asian countries have their own professional leagues running throughout the earlier part of the year.
and for international matches, teams need to have centralised training together and that would surely disrupt the clubs that the players belong to if the competition was held over a few months.
december is the prime period of competition, thailand, malaysia, singapore, vietnam have already ended their league seasons by november, thus no disruption to the clubs. while indonesia gives the ISL a break just for the Suzuki Cup.