But wait, didn’t we have 32 teams for years before it was expanded to 40 in 2021 and then reduced to 24? Reading the latest release –with its talk of exciting new plans –and it seemed to be quite familiar.

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“The Asian Football Confederation’s …commitment to further strengthen Asian club football marked a significant milestone today after it approved several game-changing reforms aimed at heralding a new era of success and unrivalled progress… and the landmark revamp further reinforces the AFC’s ambitions, through its Vision and Mission, to stage world-class competitions for its Member Associations.”

That wasn’t the media release from Tuesday, April 14, 2026 but from December 23, 2022 as the change from 40 to 24 was announced. That format, which was supposed to herald a new era, has survived just two tournaments. Reading the statement, it’s like it all never happened.

Quoting George Orwell may be a cliche but sometimes, well, why not? “At this moment… Oceania was at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia,” his famous novel 1984 went. “In no public or private utterance was it ever admitted that the three powers had at any time been grouped along different lines…. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting.”

The AFC is now trying to convince fans that returning to the number of teams that competed in the tournament from 2009 to 2021 is a historic move that really will herald a new era. There have been quite a few of those in recent years.

Of course, moving from 24 teams to 32 is a step in the right direction. I have written about it before about how two dozen does not make sense.

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In recent weeks, Iran have been sending missiles over to Saudi Arabia but on Sunday, Tractor SC arrived, ready —well, not quite ready as there have been no games since February in the Iranian league – to take on Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

This is the Round of 16 clash that was supposed to take place in March on a home and away basis but was rescheduled and relocated to a single tie in Jeddah. With all that has been happening, many thought that Tractor, who won their first Iranian league title last season and are one of the best supported clubs in Asia, would stay home in Tabriz and give it a miss.

Instead, the squad travelled by land from the northwestern city to the Turkish city of Van, then headed to Istanbul, collected some foreign players, and flew to the Red Sea port on Sunday. There’s next to no time to train but the game is set to go ahead.

“Our situation going into this match is complicated, and the 90 minutes against Shabab Al-Ahli will be difficult for us,” Tractor coach Mohammad Rabiei said in a press conference Monday.

It’s not just the political and security situation but the fact that the team have not played a competitive game since Feb.28 as the Iranian league has been postponed. “We have high ambitions to win our upcoming matches and reach the Asian final,” added Rabiei. “Starting tomorrow, everyone will see the high level we possess, despite the major challenges we have faced recently.”

There is unlikely to be a big crowd in Jeddah to see an Iranian team take on one from the UAE. It would be interesting if there were though. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh are obviously fraught at the moment but there have been tensions between the Saudis and the Emiratis of late too, driven by their differing goals in Yemen as well as elsewhere in the region.

If Tractor keep trundling along and then end up taking on one of the home teams, then it would be different of course (The Asian Football Confederation has, in its infinite wisdom, decided that all games from the quarter finals onwards -last season and this- will be held in Jeddah. And the second round games that were postponed last month, have been added on).

If this was the usual home and away Round of 16 tie then Tractor would be expected to beat their Dubai opposition. The Red Wolves impressed in the group stage, finishing third in the 12-team group, separating the three Saudi clubs.

Given everything that has happened, is happening, though, it is harder to predict. Tractor haven’t played in over six weeks while Al-Ahli were in action at home just last weekend. If the Iranians can win, however, then they will face Thai titans Buriram United on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals on offer.

An Iranian team have never won the Asian Champions League before, to do so this year in Saudi Arabia with everything that is going on would be quite the story.

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It is rare to never that Chinese football makes positive headlines internationally (though there was the fact that the U-23 team reached the final of the Asian Cup in January) but there should be some for a Chinese Super League season that is starting to get into its stride.

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Attendances are looking better than ever before and with an average crowd of 32,000 so far, the best in Asia by some distance. The stars may have long gone but there are new teams, new stadiums and a new energy around the league at the moment.

Take the Shanghai Derby, for example, and Saturday’s record crowd of 60,141. There was plenty of sadness when Shanghai Shenhua moved to the Shanghai Stadium in 2023 and, in doing so, officially left the iconic, atmospheric and centrally located Hongkou Stadium behind. But on an occasion like Saturday, there weren’t many thinking about their old home. New history was being made. This new arena provided a spectacular backdrop to Shenhua’s 1-0 win over Shanghai Port.

In the last two seasons, Shenhua finished a close second behind their city rivals so the fans deserved their celebrations. This is a club that have finished as runners-up no less than ten times since their last title back in 1995 as I wrote about last year…

Former Russia and Hull City boss Leonid Slutsky is in his third season and would love to add the Chinese league title to the three he won with CSKA Moscow.

It won’t be easy for the 54-year-old to go one better this time as the team were one of nine in the top tier to start with a points deduction for financial violations. They were one of just two however to start on minus ten points while Port lost just the five despite that Shenhua are now above their rivals after winning three and drawing two of their five so far and should be in second.

Dalian Yingbo escaped those punishments and are going well in fourth. The team from the northeastern port city have, so the Chinese media are fond of saying, the best stadium in Asia. It is a beauty and was opened in 2023 with a capacity of just short of 64,000 that the local team manages to fill on a regular basis. The wind blows cold off the Yellow Sea in the winter but Dalian is a football hotbed and was home to Dalian Shide, the dominant team around the turn of the century with eight titles from 1994 to 2005.

The club dissolved in 2012. There was then Dalian Pro but they ended in 2024. Now it is Yingbo’s turn, a club founded just five years ago way down in the fourth tier. After three straight promotions, there was an 11th place finish in the CSL last season and now –helped by the advantage of starting on zero points –a top four tilt is possible especially with Romania’s captain Nicolae Stanciu in the middle. And the fans help too. Last season, the average attendance was not far short of 60,000 – a stunning number in a country, it should be remembered, that does not have a tradition of large away followings.

Beijing Guoan have the renovated Worker’s Stadium and fans have been flocking there too though the team are still on minus one. Leading the table are Chengdu Rongcheng. The Sichuan side finished third last season and after escaping the punishment from the authorities are probably favourites for the title.

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That is some pressure for John Aloisi in his first season as head coach but fans, and the team averaged over 40,000 in 2025, have taken the Australian to their hearts, helped by an attacking style with 16 goals scored in the first five games and two in the final few minutes at the weekend to come from behind and beat Beijing. Sichuan is famous for its fiery food and pandas but the southwestern province has rarely been at the centre of the country’s football scene. There is still a long way to go but that could be about to change.

This unusual season is starting to take shape. If either Shanghai teams get themselves in the title race, it would be quite a feat given their points deductions. That leaves some new names in the mix. It promises to be quite a ride.

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With Italy missing out once again, there were the usual comments –though as this is the third failure in a row then maybe fewer than before –that a World Cup sans Azzurri doesn’t feel like a World Cup. Few in Asia will care about that though there are sure to be more barbs coming the continent’s way if most of the nine fall by the wayside early on.

That would be a bit unfair –for a large part of the World Cup’s history, it was basically a European/South American affair with Asia and Africa on the outside looking in. Regular access to elite competition brings benefits on and off the pitch. Japan are now the first Asian team to really think about going far but–and after recent wins over Brazil and England this is the expectation elsewhere too –but it should be remembered that it has taken seven past appearances to reach this stage.

As Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro said recently ahead of the White Wolves debut, “this is our first time, we have to learn from the experience and use it to improve and come back stronger.”

The Samurai Blue have had to play catch up and have had to play the vast majority of their competitive games against Asian teams who have never gone to the World Cup. For a large part of the tournament’s history, there was next to no access-just half a spot, for example, in 1966.

Until recently, around 85% of the confederation had no chance of qualifying which had consequences for how football was run across the continent. The expansion doesn’t just mean that there are nine who can now make it but a similar number again with realistic ambitions of doing so. And than there are more besides who can dream that, if they get their act together, then they too can actually play competitive games against teams from outside Asia. It all adds to fans, media and stakeholders starting to demand more of their federations.

All that deserves a different and lengthier debate but in the short-term Asia needs a good tournament.

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The 2022 World Cup

The last one went pretty well. Three – Japan, Australia and South Korea – got into the last 16. Saudi Arabia beat Argentina but fell short, though could have been different had Salem Al-Dawsari converted his penalty against Poland.

Iran would have advanced had Morteza Pouraliganji’s injury-time diving header against the United States been a few inches to the right. Only Qatar, playing in their first ever World Cup, well and truly flopped.

This time there are two debutants in Jordan and Uzbekistan though Iraq might as well be given that they last appeared in 1986. The structure means that a win could be enough to get out of the groups which makes it interesting. In the former format, it would be a surprise if any of these finished in the top two but third place is definitely within reach especially for Jordan, who will relish an Arab Derby with Algeria and Uzbekistan, you would think can give Colombia trouble in the opener and then have a chance of doing more than that against DR Congo.

Still, it means that the usual World Cup quintet have to step up and give a good account of themselves and of Asia. You could probably add Qatar to that due to the fact as the 2022 World Cup hosts won the last two Asian Cups.

The new format muddies the water somewhat in terms of what constitutes success. In the past, success was getting out of the group and into the last 16. Anything else was a bonus though only the two Koreas, in 1966 and 2022, managed that and have won knockout games Now though, getting out of the group is the first target but only puts you in the last 32 and for some teams, it is hard to say how that would feel. Winning a knockout clash and then going on in the last 16 would surely be seen as a decent summer for some.

So, if Asia has just under a fifth of the teams in North America then preserving that ratio in the knockout stages means that roughly, six of the last 32, five of the last 16 and two of the last eight would be a very solid showing.

South Korea are in a mini-crisis at the moment and would, at the moment, snap your arm off for a place in the last 16. that as success. Just getting out of the group, an open one containing Mexico, South Africa and Czechia, would bring a sigh of relief. In many countries, coach Hong Myung-bo, would be out of a job.

In Saudi Arabia, there is something similar with Herve Renard, who looked at one point last week like he was off, and it took two statements from the Saudi FA to quieten the speculation. Few expect a repeat of 1994 and a last 16 spot, not least the hero of the campaign Saeed Al-Owairan who was scathing after the 4-0 loss to Egypt.

Australia look just OK but will be hard to beat and usually step up in tournament situations. Turkey have added some colour to a group containing the United States and Paraguay and it should be one the Socceroos can navigate. Iran would be able to say the same, if they ever get there, which is unlikely unless something fairly drastic happens soon. And then Qatar, while unimpressive in qualification are back to back Asian champions and in a group with Canada, Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and need to step up,

Then there is, of course, Japan. For the first time perhaps, expectations are that the Samurai Blue will go far. For Asia’s sake, that is what has to happen.

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On Friday, Saudi Arabia showed potential Saudi Pro League transfer target Mohamed Salah just how accommodating they can be as they lost 4-0 to Egypt in Jeddah. Then on the following day, South Korea lost to Ivory Coast by the same scoreline. At least this game was on the neutral ground of England but that was about the only positive —apart from the fact that at least this wasn’t a World Cup match.

The respective head coaches Herve Renard and Hong Myung-bo are in their second spells meaning that there wasn’t much of a honeymoon period anyway. Now though, they are in trouble, especially the Frenchman.

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It doesn’t seem long ago since Renard was the toast of the 2022 World Cup after leading Saudi Arabia to that famous come from behind victory against Argentina. After leaving a few months later to take over the French women’s team, he returned in October 2024, to replace his replacement, Roberto Mancini. Qualification for 2022 was impressive but this time around it has been harder going and the Green Falcons only squeezed into the World Cup via the Asian playoffs thanks to home advantage and a very friendly schedule.

At home to Egypt, the team that Saudi Arabia beat at the 2018 World Cup, fans by the Red Sea saw a disappointing performance, to say the least. It was 3-0 by half-time with huge holes in the Saudi defence and not much happening at the other end. It didn’t give much hope that the team can replicate the success of the last World Cup in North America when they reached the knockout stages and Saeed Al-Owairan scored one of the best goals in World Cup history.

That legendary forward was less than impressed at the performance. “The Egyptian national team exploited these spaces by sending long balls behind the defence, which led to several one-on-one situations with the Saudi goalkeeper,” he said on television.

“The score could have ended 6–0 in favour of Egypt in the first half were it not for some luck and key saves. The Saudi national team did not create a single organized attack during the entire first half due to the lack of cohesion between the lines. Egypt played in complete comfort after scoring two early goals in the first fifteen minutes, which allowed them to control the flow of the game.”

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“Yalla! The Turbulent History of Arab Nations at the World Cup”

By: Ali Khaled

Iraq at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico

It is 31 March 1980 and new Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is not very pleased. And when Saddam Hussein is not pleased, bad things happen. The object of his easily provoked ire was a football match. Not just any football match, but the mother of all football matches in the Middle East at that time: Iraq versus Kuwait in front of 60,000 fans in Baghdad.

In the bowels of Al-Shaab Stadium, Saddam stood grimacing at the final whistle. The Iraqi team had just lost a spectacularly ill-tempered match 3–2 to their arch-rivals, confirming Kuwait’s place at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. It did not help that Iraq had led 2–0 at half-time only to collapse in the closing stages. Iraq’s dejected and, one would imagine, genuinely petrified footballers were set to stay at home and face the repercussions from their displeased leader.

Iraq eventually secured a placein Moscow 80 after Malaysia withdrew, but no one knew that yet. Even in 1980, mere months after he officially became the president, Saddam’s Iraq was a frightening place to be. It would certainly prove to be for a generation of gifted Iraqi footballers by the middle of the decade.

The footballing battle at Al-Shaab Stadium was the inevitable and unedifying conclusion to a series of matches between the two nations that captivated the region’s football fans of that era. In 1982, Kuwait had become the first Arab nation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to reach the World Cup, the apex for their wonderfully talented group of players. Iraq, managed by the Croatian Lenko Grčić (1976–1978) and later their very own legendary coach Emmanuel “Ammo” Baba (1978–1980 and 1981–1984) countered with an equally brilliant generation. There was the flying Raad Hammoudi in goal, left-wing wizard Ali Kadhim, box-to-box midfielder Hadi Ahmed, Nigem Al-Fartooss and Sabah Abdulghalil; and gravity-defying centre-forward Falah Hassan, nicknamed “Seeler” for his physical resemblance to West German international Uwe Seeler. Later came man-mountain Adnan Dirjal in defence and forwards Hussein Saeed and Ahmed Radhi, perhaps Iraq’s two greatest players.

By the 1980s, football may not have been a high priority for the Iraqi dictator and his sons Uday and Qusay, but that did not stop them playing a major part in sabotaging the country’s first, and to this day only, World Cup appearance.

Like Mussolini and Argentina’s military junta, Saddam realised the power of football to garner good publicity during his reign. Back in March 1979, only months before ascending to power officially, he had used the Gulf Cup in Baghdad as a personal platform to confirm his status as the country’s leader. In September of the following year, Iraq embarked on a long and ruinous war with neighbouring Iran. In the middle of that eight-year conflict, Iraq’s footballers, at the tail end of their own golden era, somehow managed to reach the World Cup in Mexico.

***

In a just world, the1986 World Cup would have been the crowning glory for Iraq’s green giants. Except when they showed up in Mexico, the green was nowhere to be seen. Seemingly inexplicably, Iraq, who had sacked coach Edu just before the tournament started, had changed their first and second kits from the historic green and white to light blue and yellow. For their passionate fans, it was the equivalent of Brazil showing up to the World Cup in orange.

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Not surprisingly, it was thanks to the meddling of Uday Hussein, football’s latest Bond villain. He ruled over every aspect of Iraqi sport with an iron fist but reserved some of his most brutal treatment for the nation’s footballers. A brash and insecure man, Uday took out his frustrations at being his father’s less favoured son – to younger sibling Qusay – by becoming a sadistic tyrant over athletes who had little option but to toe the (Ba’ath) party line.

By Mexico 86, Iraq’s battered and bruised footballers bore little resemblance to the joyous team that had thrilled with often futuristic football over the previous decade, particularly in the second half of the 1970s. The team’s change of colour, it transpired, was due to Uday’s preference for the yellow and blue colours of Al-Rasheed Sports Club, which he had established in 1983. Iraqi officials knew better than to disobey.

***

At the World Cup, Iraq had been drawn with hosts Mexico, Belgium and Paraguay, who they would face on their World Cup debut on 4 June. Playing against Group B’s weakest opponent gave Iraq hope of causing an upset. A win in the opening match would emulate debut victories by Tunisia and Algeria and leave progress to the second round a tantalising possibility. But this was not a time of fantastical dreams for Iraqis.

At Estadio Nemesio Díez, the team now managed by Brazilian Evaristo de Macedo Filho, or just “Evaristo”, started well and threatened to take the lead through a couple of long-range efforts.

Yet Iraq fell behind after 35 minutes to Julio Romero’s smart flick past the keeper, and now captain, Hammoudi. Khalil Allawi almost equalised for Iraq with a deft free-kick effort that was tipped over the bar by Paraguay goalkeeper Roberto Fernández.

The controversy came from the resulting corner on the stroke of half-time. Mauritian referee Edwin Sydney Picon-Ackong, having allowed Iraq to take the corner as the match moved into stoppage time, blew his whistle just as Radhi headed home what would have been a deserved equaliser. The effort was disallowed, and just 45 minutes into Iraq’s World Cup campaign, the clouds were gathering. The players, needless to say, were furious as they walked back to their changing room. César Zabala could have doubled Paraguay’s lead in the second half, but his powerful long-range free kick struck Hammoudi’s right-hand post and deflected to safety. Iraq, sadly, could not take advantage of the let-off, and that disallowed goal remains a bone of contention to this day.

Belgium, who had lost 2–1 to Mexico in their opener, were next up for Iraq, who were now on a hiding to nothing. The Belgian team, managed by Guy Thys and containing the likes of Jean-Marie Pfaff, François Vercauteren, Jan Ceulemans and the up-and-coming generational talent Enzo Scifo, were about to embark on a run of form that would take them all the way to the semi-finals. In front of 20,000 fans at the Estadio Nemesio Díez on 8 June, Scifo opened the scoring for Belgium after 15 minutes with an arrowed right-foot finish from the edge of the penalty area after a fine assist from Ceulemans. The second goal came only six minutes later and also had Ceulemans’ fingerprints all over it. The captain was brought down in the Iraqi box, and Nico Claesen easily converted the resulting spot kick. With more than three quarters of the match left, things looked ominous for Evaristo’s men but, now playing in the unfamiliar light blue, Iraq survived until half-time with only a two-goal deficit.

Their task, already improbable, looked to be impossible when Basil Gorgis was sent off for two quick-fire bookings in the 52nd minute. Somehow, however, the defiant Iraqis pulled a goal back five minutes later with an excellent Radhi effort that was almost a carbon copy of Scifo’s first-half goal. But there would be no more scoring as Iraq crashed to their second defeat in two matches and, barring some miraculous mathematical permutations, were out of the tournament as well. In the end, there would be no need for calculators on 11 June as Iraq faced the hosts Mexico at the imposing Estadio Azteca. At least they were about to depart the World Cup on the grandest stage possible.

A dominant home team could have taken the lead on several occasions in the opening period but Iraq’s reserve keeper Fatah Nsaief, given the nod over Hammoudi, was having an alternately inspired and chaotic afternoon. At the other end Natiq Hashim fired over the bar from Iraq’s best chance.

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Fernando Quirarte scored what turned out to be the only goal of the match nine minutes into the second half, firing from a tight angle past Nsaief. To their credit, the Iraqis managed to fashion a number of half-chances, mostly from distance, but
in truth Mexico could have had the match wrapped up if not for some of Nsaief ’s interventions. Iraq, bottom of Group B with no points, were heading home while Mexico, Paraguay and Belgium – respectively in first, second and third place – all qualified for the Round of 16.

Iraq’s Golden Generation was no more, and it remains a sporting tragedy that it ended in such unremarkable circumstances. Off the pitch, Uday’s treatment of athletes would cause more terror and distress. The boys in green certainly deserved a better send-off into the history books.

Ali Khaled

Click to order ‘Yalla! The Turbulent History of Arab Nations at the World Cup’

It remains to be seen if the Samurai Blue will be brave enough to take the train south after Saturday’s game north of the border, but, regardless, it makes sense to play both Scotland and England in the same international window.

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Indeed Japan has a similar relationship with South Korea. Touring teams from Africa, Europe and South America, usually combine a game in each of the East Asian nations, otherwise the journeys involved are not really worth their time. South Korea are in England too this week, due to play Ivory Coast in, for some reason, Milton Keynes, for but then head to Austria.

Japan’s schedule is reminiscent of South Korea’s in 2002 when, just before the World Cup kicked off, the Taeguk Warriors faced Scotland and England in consecutive games. In the first, the Scots were outclassed and lost 4-1 in front of 50,000 delighted fans in the country’s second city of Busan.

“They played brilliant football,” said Scotland coach Berti Vogts. “They are a much better side than the one I faced with Germany in the 1994 finals.”

It was a big moment for a team that had rarely beaten a European opponent, and one that had appeared at the previous World Cup, with such ease. And then, there was a 1-1 draw with England on the island of Jeju as Park Ji-sung equalised Michael Owen’s opener. Both games showed the Koreans that they had what it took to compete on the global stage which is exactly what they did in reaching the last four just a few weeks later.

Almost a quarter of a century on, Japan have the same sequence and are much better known to British audiences than the Koreans were. There is now quite a list of Japanese stars who have appeared in Scotland –mostly Celtic, for more than 20 years now. From Shunsuke Nakamura –who joined the Hoops in 2005 and only hung up his boots in 2022 –to Daizen Maeda, current Celtic star.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu has then, in his eight years in charge of the national team, spent plenty of time watching Scottish league football. He is expecting a big test in Glasgow.

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First the English Premier League gave Chelsea a £10 million/$13.3 million fine for making secret payments. According to reports, other teams in England’s top tier are furious with what they see as the leniency of the punishment. Then, incredibly, two months after the final of the 2026 African Cup of Nations when Senegal defeated host Morocco 1-0, the Confederation of African Football overturned the result, declaring Morocco the winner.

There’s no need to get into that! But it all means that the AFC’s punishment to Malaysia has been overshadowed somewhat, perhaps to the relief of the two Kuala Lumpur based organisations –the AFC itself and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

Just a quick recap: last June, Malaysia thrashed their regional rivals Vietnam 4-0 in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier. This was the team’s best result for years, helped by seven overseas-born players who had just recently been naturalised. They then went on to beat Nepal to secure first place in their group in qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup –only the winners advance –with a game to spare.

It later emerged that these players had no real Malaysian ties despite FAM submitting documents to FIFA which showed that each had a grandparent born in Malaysia.

FIFA found the original birth certificates and, in September, confirmed the submitted documents had been falsified. The body stated that using fake papers to gain national eligibility was “a clear form of cheating” that undermined football’s integrity. It was all pretty damning as outlined in the post below, published last October.

The players were banned for a year, and FIFA fined FAM $450,000. FAM’s appeal failed, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the ruling, though, earlier in March, it allowed the players to resume training without taking part in matches.

After FIFA had finished, it was time for the AFC to get its disciplinary committee involved, as, after all, the games in question came during qualification for the Asian Cup. As expected, the AFC has ruled that the two wins over Vietnam and Nepal have been forfeited meaning Malaysia have lost six points and Vietnam are now the qualified team.

For Harimau Malaya, the dream of a second successive Asian Cup is over but that is just because of how the group went.

If just two results were overturned then logic suggests that the team would still —despite everything —have been able to qualify if the points in the group had been differently distributed. It would only have taken a couple of different scorelines for Malaysia still to be in the running for first. Also, what would happen if the top two teams qualified for the Asian Cup?

We’ll never know but we can say for sure that this is a slap on the wrist. One AFC official told me that it was expected with noise being made behind the scenes by certain Malaysian figures with influence, on and off the pitch, so to speak. Seeing a major nation -and home of the AFC even if these days, the real decisions are taken far away in the west – seriously punished was, they said, never going to happen.

Fans elsewhere must be feeling pretty philosophical. In 2017, Timor Leste did not only have results in qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup overturned but were also kicked out of the 2023 competition for a similar crime. Just last month, Vietnam’s Hanoi Police saw a 4-0 win over Tampines Rovers of Vietnam turned into a 3-0 loss in the AFC Champions League Two as they fielded two players who were ineligible because they were under suspension. That was a mistake.

Malaysia’s was intentional and on a much bigger scale. I spent six happy years living in the lovely country so it gives me no pleasure to say that the book should have been thrown. It adds to the perception among those in the smaller nations that the AFC is not as even-handed as it could be.

A message should have been sent to the rest of Asia – such cheating is not acceptable and brings serious consequences. Instead, there was a message sent but it is not one that does Asian football any good at all.

The midfielder thought that was because of his decision to swap the English Premier League for the Chinese Super League.

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“When I accepted the offer from China I knew that I would be out of the spotlight and out of the Brazil team,” he said in 2021. “It took me a while to accept that. Whenever I failed to make the squad, I would look at the list of players called up. I knew I was better than some of them. There’s a big prejudice against those who play in China. People look down on players just because they’re here.”

Tite, Brazil’s coach from 2016 to 2022, called up CSL stars Paulinho and Renato Augusto but, Oscar did not get the nod. There’s no doubt that moving from Europe to China –you are lucky to fly from Rio to Shanghai in 24 hours –makes it more difficult for Selecao coaches to keep tabs on their players. Oscar paid a price.

Saudi Arabia is easier and there will be some satisfaction in the offices of the Saudi Pro League (SPL) in Riyadh especially at the last squad announced before the real deal in mid-May. Three of the league’s players have been called up by Carlo Ancelotti in the latest squad for upcoming games against France and Croatia.

Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento, Al-Ahli defender Roger Ibanez as well as Al-Ittihad midfielder Fabinho are in the roster.

If Neymar had stayed at Al-Hilal, and stayed fit (a bigger if), he could have ensured that the Big Four of Saudi football were all represented which would have been quite a coup. To have one of the biggest names in football representing the most famous national team at the World Cup would have been seen as a big deal in Saudi Arabia but then Neymar barely played during his time for Hilal.

Still, three is pretty good and shows that a move to Saudi Arabia does not mean the end of international careers for even the big national teams. Fabinho is a familiar name but has not barely appeared on the international stage since 2022 and his recall is due to his recent fine form for Al-Ittihad.

The addition of Ibanez will be especially pleasing, however. The centre-back has only made three appearances for the five-time world champions and the last of those came back in 2023. This is not, then, an established big-name player keeping his place under Ancelotti but a defender who has been in fine form, for the Al-Ahli, the Asian champions, who also had shown what he can do in both boxes by chipping in a few goals and earning a call-up.

With Al-Nassr on top of the Saudi Pro League with eight games of the season remaining, it has been a good week for the former Roma defender who arrived in Riyadh in the summer of 2023.

So as Ibanez turns up for training in Jeddah this week, one of his team-mates will be hoping that those smiles will be replicated.

The attention will go on whether England coach Thomas Tuchel will do something similar with Ivan Toney. The striker has been in fine form this season for Al-Ahli and currently tops the goalscoring charts with 25 so far. He also has 30 goal contributions this campaign, already breaking the club record set by Omar Al-Somah a decade ago.

England’s squad to take on Uruguay and Japan will be named on Friday and it could be that the former Brentford striker who arrived in Jeddah in 2024, could earn a first call since last June.

“Of course, there’s going to be eyes on that,” Toney said in an interview to talkSport.

“But I can only control what I can control, which is trying to score goals and do well for my team here. I’m sure goals will get me recognised and help me push close to being in the frame. But there’s a lot of other great strikers and a lot of competition.”

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“I’m sure the coach will choose the best team possible to give the country the best chance of winning something at the World Cup.”

There hasn’t been any contact from the German coach.

“No, there’s been no conversation. But I don’t expect there to be, because he’s got so many other players he has to be watching. I’m sure he’s keeping one eye on me and seeing what I’m doing. I just have to be focused on myself, keep my head down and keep scoring goals.”

Toney has been scoring goals but has not exactly been keeping his head down, becoming involved in a post-match scuffle with Julian Quinones, his Mexican rival for the golden boot, after last week’s 3-2 loss to Al-Qadsiah that put a dent in Ahli’s title hopes. He was also the subject of an official complaint from Jeddah rivals Al-Ittihad after what the club saw as a provocative goal celebration in the derby on March 6.

He is making headlines on and off the pitch then and there is still time for some good news this week for Ivan Toney and also the SPL.

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This is not a nation that scares easily but there have been concerns about what has been happening in Mexico. South Korean newspaper XSports summed up the mood in South Korea when its headline address the national team head coach. “Hong Myung-bo: is it ok to go to such a dangerous place?”

The received media wisdom is that a headline that asks a yes or no question should always be answered in the negative.

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Long(ish) term readers of this newsletter will know that last June, Malaysia thrashed their regional rivals 4-0 in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier. This was the team’s best result for years, helped by seven overseas-born players who had just recently been naturalised. These were Facundo Garces (Deportivo Alaves) Gabriel Arrocha (Unionistas de Salamanca), Rodrigo Holgado (America de Cali), Imanol Machuca (Velez Sarsfield), Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel (all with Malaysian powerhouse Johor Darul Ta’zim).

There were eyebrows raised at the time over the rapid inclusion of these players born in Argentina, Spain, Netherlands and Brazil –not countries with many historical ties to Malaysia. They received their papers just before the Vietnam game.

And it turned out that that they did not have any ties at all despite the documentation supplied by FAM to FIFA. This claimed that one grandparent of each of the seven had been born in various Malaysian states. FIFA said in September that they had easily found the original birth certificates and the documentation provided by FAM had been doctored. The report added:

“Presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating, which cannot in any way be condoned. Such conduct erodes trust in the fairness of competitions and jeopardises the very essence of football as an activity founded on honesty and transparency.”

The players were banned for a year and FIFA hit with a $450,000 ban. FAM appealed and that was denied by FIFA. Then they went to Court of Arbitration for Sport and CAS upheld the original decision with the amendment that the players are now allowed to train, though still can’t play actual games.

“After considering the evidence, the CAS Panel found that the infraction of falsifying eligibility documents was established and that the 12-month ban from playing matches was a reasonable and proportionate sanction for the players, given their complicit responsibility in this fraud,” CAS said in a statement. “However, in accordance with Article 22 FDC, the Panel decided that the ban should only apply to matches and not to all football-related activities. This means the players can resume training with their respective clubs during the ban.”

FAM Response

FAM complained that the punishment was disproportionate. “The outcome remains deeply disappointing, particularly for the players,” FAM said. “They are Malaysians who obtained citizenship in accordance with the laws of Malaysia.”

It was quite a response given that the national body was accused of cheating by FIFA. FAM does not seem to have grasped a simple fact: the Malaysian government can give passports to whoever it wants to but it does not mean they are automatically eligible to represent the country in international football competitions.

Instead of telling fans what actually happened, and why, FAM is playing the victim.

As Kuala Lumpur-based journalist Haresh Deol wrote at the end of 2025.

Yet to date, Malaysians remain clueless as to:

• who recommended the players,

• who doctored the documents, and

• who gave the seven players the thumbs up to play for Harimau Malaya?

It seems that the answer to those questions is: nobody.

Certainly not Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Regent of Johor, former president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and owner of club Johor Darul Tazim where three of the players play, wrote on social media in January 2025: “We have identified 6-7 heritage players … and hope the Malaysian government could assist in the process of obtaining Malaysian passports in order for them to play in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.”

He doesn’t seem to have explained what he meant by this. Indeed, TMJ’s initial reaction when it all came out was to blame other countries for being jealous. His most recent is that he is being made a scapegoat.

While the royal’s precise role in Malaysian football is uncertain, it is clear that he is not going to take any responsibility for this mess. Nor is anyone else, it seems.

What happens next?

Qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup is ongoing with the final game taking place at the end of this month. After five of the six matches, Malaysia are top with 15 points, three ahead of Vietnam and only the group winner qualifies for the continental tournament. The two meet on March 31 in Kuala Lumpur.

There were reports that this could be cancelled but the AFC has other ideas. “The matches must go on,” Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Windsor John. “These are contractual and commercial matches that should not be cancelled unless natural disasters dictate otherwise,” he said. “Both Vietnam and Malaysia have commercial obligations to fulfil. Matches are also vital for rankings - ‘cancellation’ is never a good word in football.”

Neither is ‘cheating’. The AFC has been waiting until the end of the FIFA decision and the CAS ruling before taking measures and their punishment is expected to rain down on Malaysia within a few days.

Most think that the games that took place with the illegal players will be forfeited which would leave Vietnam heading to Saudi Arabia next January. When Timor Leste did something similar with nine Brazilian players in the previous decade, they forfeited their results in 2019 Asian Cup qualification and were also kicked out of the 2023 tournament as well.

There are concerns —not least in Vietnam —however that influential figures in Malaysia are lobbying behind the scenes at the Kuala Lumpur-based AFC in the hope of leniency. That would be another scandal.

For now, some accountability from officials at the Football Association of Malaysia would be welcome. Malaysian fans and Asian football deserve better.

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Qatar have suspended all football until further notice—not ideal World Cup preparation with almost all of their players based at home — Asian Champions League games are on hold and other sporting tournaments are being affected.

The biggest question is, of course, about Iran and the World Cup. How could a country that is being attacked by the main host of the event in March then go and play there just three months later? Group G looked open and fascinating with games against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt and a great chance to get past the group stage for the first time ever. Donald Trump is unpredictable but it is still hard to imagine it happening.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iranian FA president Mehdi Taj said.

“I really don’t care,” Trump said about Iran playing in the tournament. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

So, assuming Team Melli does not go and participate in a fourth successive tournament after winning their group in qualification, what happens then? There are no rules in place for such an eventuality but it stands to reason that Asia would keep its eight automatic spots allocation and another nation from the AFC would step in.

Iraq have a playoff on March 31 in Mexico. If the Lions of Mesopotamia, whose sole appearance on the global stage was back in 1986, beat Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey, then they will return –and into a tough group containing France, Senegal and Norway. The 2007 Asian champions are favourites to book that World Cup berth, not least because they only have to win one game.

Preparations have been hit, however, as the Iraq FA said in a statement released on Wednesday.

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The fourth home game, however, took place in Qatar, in February against local powerhouse Al-Sadd (giving Roberto Mancini’s men an extra game in Doha, which they won, squeezing into the Round of 16 on goal difference). Had it taken place in Iran then Tractor may well have got the point to go second in the group above Asian champions Al-Ahli.

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It was moved due to the protests that have been taking place in Iran and the regimes reaction with reports of thousands killed by the ruling regime. With the internet and all other communications cut, it is hard to know exactly what has been happening and, while domestic league games have been going on, it was inevitable that international games would be moved.

Even before however, when the situation was relatively calm, there were concerns and reservations about going to play football in Iran. Last September, Indian club Mohun Bagan refused to travel to the country for a Champions League game after a request for a neutral venue was turned down. “The players decided they can’t take this risk, where lives and their families’ future are at stake. So we have to stand with them,” a senior Mohun Bagan official told Reuters. As this was the second time in a year the Kolkata giants had declined to go to Iran, the AFC issued them a ban from future tournaments and a fine of over $100,000.

The Iranian national team struggles to arrange tests against decent opposition. Teams are rarely tempted to visit Tehran. There were October games overseas against Russia and Tanzania and there will be two valuable tests in March in Jordan, taking on Nigeria and Costa Rica.

There are going to be no teams going there for the foreseeable future. Whatever your views on the US and Israeli air strikes on Iran that started on Saturday, it is safe to say that they have added instability to an unstable part of the world.

Champions League Pause

Football obviously takes a back seat but the knockout stage in the the AFC Champions League Elite was due to start today - the Round of 16. The four games in the west would have taken place in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and with missiles falling around the region, then the AFC’s decision to postpone the games was inevitable.

On Sunday, it was officially announced.

Tractor were due to play their first leg at the Dubai home of Shabab Al-Ahli. The return match was never going to take place in the club’s city home of Tabriz, it was already scheduled for Doha. In the AFC Champions League Two, the AFC may be relieved that Iran’s representative Sepahan, were eliminated last week.

The four games in the east Asian region will go ahead as planned. With the quarter-finals kicking off on April 18, there is still time to rearrange but there is, of course, huge uncertainty.

National Teams

Iran’s women are about to kick off their Asian Cup campaign in Australia with players and staff doing their best to avoid questions about what is going on at home. Ahead of their opening game against South Korea, coach Marziyeh Jafari said.

“I don’t think we should talk about this topic now,” she said. “The team came to this tournament, which is important for women, and I think we should go to the next question.”

And then there is the men’s World Cup that starts in June with the United States, which has been dropping bombs and missiles on Iran, the main host.

There were already issues with visas and, until the last minute, it looked as if Iran would boycott the December draw that was made in Miami as staff had not been granted entry to the US.

The prospect of two games in Los Angeles, against New Zealand and Belgium, adds an extra level of spice. Known as ‘Tehrangeles’ due to a large Iranian community, many of which fled the country at the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there is certain to be a lot going on off the pitch.

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It’s too early to say what will happen but there are just over three months to go and now we have the hosting country attacking one of the participants.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said the situation will continue to be monitored. “I read the news [about Iran] this morning the same way you did,” said on Saturday. “We had a meeting today and it is premature to comment in detail, but we will monitor developments around all issues around the world.”

Iranian football fans have become used to unpredictably but this is another level.

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It is unfortunate that, internationally, this has been overshadowed somewhat by the recent antics of Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old sat out a couple of SPL games, reportedly to protest about how his club Al-Nassr are being run by the Public Investment Fund.

At his age, electing to miss two games –and he also failed to appear in the club’s trip to Turkmenistan in the AFC Champions League Two clash –when there can’t be that many left in his professional career, is quite a statement. This was not just because the Portuguese star is said to be earning around $660,000 a day and but due to the fact he is close to scoring 1,000 professional goals, a target thought to be very close to his heart as he needs just 36 more.

Now he has returned to action, the quest for the thousand and a third successive SPL Golden Boot is back on. More importantly, for the Yellows is that, if they beat Najma on Wednesday, they will go top.

“I’m happy here. I want to continue here,” he said at the weekend. “And the most important, it’s we keep pushing. We are there in the top. Our job is to win, make pressure [on our title rivals], and let’s see. We are on track. We’re back; we are good; we are confident. Game by game. We are in a good shape. Let’s see what’s going to happen.”

Since signing for the Riyadh club in December 2022, Ronaldo has yet to add a major trophy –the Arab Club Champions Cup doesn’t count –to his extensive collection of silverware. For most of the three years plus, Al-Nassr, have flattered to deceive. This season may well be different. The ten-time champions still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do but this is a genuine title challenge.

Ronaldo has done his bit with 20 goals so far but the arrival of another Portuguese star has made a difference. Jorge Jesus led Hilal to league title number 19 two seasons ago, setting a world record winning streak of 34 games along the way. After failing to defend that crown last time around, Jesus was fired in May 2025. A few weeks later, he returned to Riyadh bringing 45 years of coaching experience and a desire to work with Ronaldo. It’s not just about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner though, especially in an attacking sense with Joao Felix has chipped in as has Sadio Mane. At the back Inigo Martinez has come in from Barcelona and looked very solid as have the team in general.

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Hilal replaced Jesus with Simone Inzaghi, a decision that looked like a decent one when the Blues defeated Manchester City at the FIFA Club World Cup. The arrival of Darwin Nunez did not bring the impact hoped for and the Uruguayan is out of the domestic league squad and called now only for Asian games. Aleksandar Mitrovic and his goals have been missed after the striker left for Qatar. It remains to be seen if Karim Benzema, signed last month, can fill that gap, though the 38-year-old is already injured. Hilal, a trophy-winning machine, have stuttered a little in recent weeks.

Al-Ahli are, currently top, helped by the goals of Ivan Toney. The English striker is leading the scoring charts with 23 so far and is in great form. The Greens also have the tightest defence in the entire league. And after winning a first Asian Champions League title last year, confidence is high of only a second domestic crown since 1984.

And then Al-Qadsiah are in fourth, the only one of the top four not in Asian competitions and the only one not owned by the Public Investment Fund though being backed by Aramco, the Saudi-state energy company, means that the Knights of the East are one of the richest clubs in the world. Since Brendan Rodgers took over in October, the team have won ten and drawn three of their 13 league games. Confidence is soaring with Mexican marksman Julian Quinones and Italian ace Mateo Retegui banging in the goals and Musab Al-Juwayr shining in midfield. A first title is a possibility.

The rest are nowhere with defending champions Al-Ittihad down in sixth, 14 points behind Al-Qadsiah and now focused on the AFC Champions League Elite, the knockout stages of which start next week. Not being involved in any continental competition, unlike the other three members of the top four, may help Qadsiah but there are sure to be lots of twists and turns.

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One was Musa Al-Taamari, the French-based winger and for some time the biggest star. Then there was Yazan Al-Naimat, the forward and one of the standouts of the 2023 Asian Cup when Al-Nashama reached the final.

Completing the celebrated trio was Ali Olwan. The striker is a year younger than Al-Naimat but also based in Qatar and confirmed his iconic status by scoring all three goals in the 3-0 win over Oman that sealed qualification for the World Cup. Then, in December, the 25-year-old became the top scorer of the FIFA Arab Cup, when Jordan reached the final.

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It’s a lot of football, a lot of travelling, and a lot of messing about for not that much reward and less excitement especially when this is a tournament too small and features too few nations. Months and months just to eliminate eight teams. It all feels a little meaningless.

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While it may have been said, or written before, it bears repeating that just having 12 nations represented in the top tournament in the world’s biggest continent makes little sense. Three-quarters of Asia are not involved and seem to care little about what happens, at least now Cristiano Ronaldo is absent.

The AFC loves to follow all things UEFA and has recently aligned with the schedule and the format of the European edition. One of the few aspects that the western version gets right, however, is that every single nation in the confederation is represented when it all starts. They all have the theoretical ability to go all the way.

In Asia, that is just not the case. The competition is closed off to the vast majority of the continent. Officially, it is about raising standards but that doesn’t really wash. There are teams from plenty of other nations like India, Indonesia and Vietnam, for example that would not be —were not in the past — embarrassed and, would, in fact, benefit from the exposure against higher-level opposition. Asian club football should not be a closed shop.

The old format may not have been perfect but was better. Two years ago, a group stage had just finished that featured 40 teams from 20 nations. This should have been expanded further rather than cut almost in half. The more nations, the merrier when it comes to engagement, interest and excitement —all desperately needed in Asian club football.

Where’s the danger?

There is little jeopardy in the group stage, for the big teams at least. Al-Ittihad lost their first couple of games to quicken the pulse for a week or two but there was no real prospect of the Saudi Pro League champions not finishing in the top eight. Al-Sadd of Qatar went through with eight points from eight games and a goal difference of minus four.

At the opposite end, Al-Hilal went through with 22 points from a possible 24. After winning their first three games, they were through with over half of the stage still to play.

Before, a bad start did mean genuine pressure. There were six games to avoid finishing in the bottom half of the standings. Now there are eight matches to keep out of the bottom third.

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The European group stage is just as bad. A massive mess of 36 teams that only eliminates 12. At least, however, the knockout rounds make up for it, even if there are the usual list of names in the later hats.

In Asia however, even the elimination matches have been marred. The first leg of the Round of 16 games take place next week and they are the usual home and away clashes that fans know and love.

But from then all the games from the last eight stage onwards are one-legged. A bit unfair, you may say, but that is nothing compared to the fact that they will all be staged in the city of Jeddah for the second year running. Last year, all three Saudi teams made it through and, naturally, enjoyed massive home advantage and plenty of home support.

Before then, they have the second round to negotiate, the one stage of the competition that feels both exciting and fair.

In the West — Al-Hilal face Al-Sadd of Qatar, first against eighth, and should make it through as should Al-Ahli, also Doha-bound to take on Al-Duhail in the first leg.

Al-Ittihad meet Al-Wahda of the United Arab Emirates while the only clash in the western zone not to feature an SPL team is between Shabab Al-Ahli of Dubai and Tractor SC. The Iranian champions, who won a first domestic title last May, have surpassed themselves, finishing third, level on points with then Saudi Al-Ahli and above Al-Ittihad.

If head coach Dragan Skocic had not already been in charge of the Iranian national team, and treated quite badly by the federation in Tehran, then the Croat would be heavily-linked with the Team Melli job.

Over in the east then the story is about Japan. Machida Zelvia topped the group in a first ever ACL appearance, with Vissel Kobe and Sanfrecce Hiroshima completing the top three.

Just like last time, clubs from the J.League look best equipped to challenge the Saudis, though playing in Jeddah from the quarter-finals onwards makes it that much more difficult. Machida will be expected to get past Gangwon FC, the South Korean side that scraped into eighth by virtue of goals scored.

Kobe head to FC Seoul while Hiroshima are in action against Johor Darul Tazim of Malaysia and Buriram United of Thailand meet Melbourne City, just the second Australian team to make the last 16 in the past decade.

Perhaps the biggest talking point is that the three Chinese teams finished in the bottom three. Shanghai Port lost four and drew four, scoring just twice. Shanghai Shenhua weren’t much better with Chengdu Rongcheng the best of a bad bunch, with six points from the eight games.

Some would say that three Chinese teams is too many. Regardless a lot more variety and a little more jeopardy would make a big difference to a flat first round.

No longer, he said, was it good enough just to appear at the tournament and be happy just to get out of the group. It was time to set sights much higher.

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“Our goal isn’t just to qualify for the World Cup but to make an impact there, and that’s the next level for Japan,” the Liverpool midfielder said. “I want people to have those expectations of us.”

He said later that it was a deliberate move. “I thought it was good for them to hear me say it,” he added. “Qualifying for the World Cup is an important point, so I wanted to share our target with the fans, not just the players.”

Now, though, it remains to be seen if the 33-year-old will line up for the Samurai Blue this summer as they kick off against the Netherlands and then take on Tunisia before ending with a clash with a European playoff winner.

On Wednesday, he was carried off the pitch at Anfield after sustaining an ankle injury. The prognosis isn’t too encouraging.

“How serious, we don’t know yet, because it of course has to be assessed tomorrow,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot explained.

“But it doesn’t look good. I assume that he will be out for a long, long, long time. And what is long, that’s difficult to say in this moment. But [Wata’s] injury doesn’t look good. I expect him to be out unfortunately for quite a long time again.”

Unfortunately indeed. That Netherlands game is just four months away.

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There is more uncertainty when it comes to the next two tournaments.

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Just take a look at the list of willing hosts released by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) last week.

Following the withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates Football Association from the 2031 bidding process, the list of Bidding Member Associations (BMAs) for the AFC Asian Cup 2031™ is as follows:

AFC Asian Cup 2031™

1. Football Australia

2. All India Football Federation

3. Football Association of Indonesia

4. Korea Football Association

5. Kuwait Football Association

6. Joint Bid: The Kyrgyz Football Union, Tajikistan Football Federation and Uzbekistan Football Association

Meanwhile, the following Member Associations have formally expressed their interest in hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2035™:

AFC Asian Cup 2035™

1. Football Australia

2. Japan Football Association

3. Korea Football Association

4. Kuwait Football Association

The AFC will now engage with the respective BMAs to coordinate the submission of the required bidding documentation, in accordance with the established timelines, regulations and evaluation processes.

History

It is an interesting list, especially for the 2031 tournament.

There is some context needed so let’s go back 30 years. It was then hosted by the United Arab Emirates, and four years later it went to Lebanon. Then China in 2004 and three years later (the AFC wanted to move it out of the cycle occupied by the European Championships and, more importantly, the Olympics), it went to Southeast Asia and Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Then it went to Qatar in 2011, early preparation for the recently-appointed World Cup, then Australia, the United Arab Emirates and then, for 2023 (though it took place early the following year) back to Qatar. So, since 1996, the continent’s biggest event has taken place in the east only once. It has been in the west five times. It is an imbalance that reflects the recent reorientation of political power towards the western side of Asia.

In some ways, that there is such interest shows that perhaps it doesn’t really matter but it does mean that the next decision is a big one. It is time to take the tournament out of west Asia for what would be, when 2031 rolls around, the first time for almost a generation.

Where next?

This means that Kuwait are likely to miss out as giving the big bash to the 1980 champions would be seen as a slap in the face by many others around the continent. It is good to see Kuwait stepping up to take a bigger role in Asia but they will surely have to wait a bit longer.

Australia are outsiders too because of the simple fact that the 2015 tournament took place. There are rival bids from countries that have not hosted so for a long time, if at all, and there are some romantic choices in there. A joint proposal with Indonesia may have changed that but without a partner and with plenty of competition, it is hard to see Asia heading down under at the start of the next decade.

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Indonesia would also be an interesting choice though was one of four hosts in 2007 with Jakarta the venue for that famous Iraq win over Saudi Arabia in the final. Much has changed since then, there is new ambition in the country now and the AFC have seen that the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup went well.

India would be an exciting one. The AFC are interested in taking the game to the most populous nation on earth. The country wants to host the Olympics and is thinking about 2036.

A major international football tournament would not only be good preparation but would help to improve facilities, take the game all around the country and, perhaps, take the game to another level. India also have some credit in the bank for withdrawing from 2027 but the AIFF, which has been under pressure of late due to the India Super League fiasco, still has work to do to persuade the authorities that they have what it takes to stage a 24-team football festival.

South Korea will fancy their chances in 2031 or 2035, if for nothing else than the fact that the country haven’t hosted since all the way back in 1960. Since then, their ambitions have been more global but there is an acceptance in KFA House in Seoul that if the Land of the Morning Calm is to host the World Cup then it has to have the Asian one first. The stadiums of 2002 need some upgrades too.

The most romantic choice is, however, the Central Asian one. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan would provide a dramatic backdrop for the event and a unique cultural experience. The region has never hosted, Uzbekistan are a rising power are preparing for the World Cup and can help its two neighbours stage a competition that they could not otherwise.

Japan have chosen the second one rather than the first and there are some in the AFC who feel that the continent’s strongest power on the pitch should host for the first time since 1992. It would be a safe and popular option.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the most famous footballer (most famous person, say some) –in the entire world, has put the league in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

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According to reports in his native Portugal, the 40-year-old refused to play in Al-Nassr’s 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh on Monday because he is unhappy at the relative lack of investment in the club by their owners.

The Yellows are backed by the same Public Investment Fund (PIF) that also own the rest of the ‘Big Four’, the two Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli as well as Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal.

League leaders Hilal were busy in the transfer market signing a couple of Saudi Arabian internationals, rumoured Manchester United target Mohamed Meïté from Rennes and former Arsenal centre-back Pablo Marí.

And then, in those final hours, they were joined by Karim Benzema. It seems like the prospect of the 19-time champions led by Simone Inzaghi strengthening with the former Real Madrid forward, who scored 21 league goals last season, was a bit too much for Ronaldo and he didn’t want the PIF to allow it to happen.

Yet Hilal’s deal with Benzema went through, late in the evening.

The 38-year-old was also allegedly refusing to play for Al-Ittihad, the club he joined in 2023 and helped to the title last May. He didn’t get the desired new contract in Jeddah so headed east to Riyadh to sign an 18-month deal. Unlike Ronaldo, his actions seem to have got him what he wanted. Al-Ittihad also lost star midfielder N’Golo Kante who refused to train in order to force a move to Fenerbahce.

Such antics from players that have been incredibly well-paid and treated must leave the SPL and PIF that have funded much of the spending in the past two or three years with plenty to ponder.

Since the arrival of Ronaldo on the last day of 2022, and Benzema and Kante a few months later, there has been a move towards signing younger players who can then develop in the country and then be sold on at a profit, those like Meïte. The 18-year-old has been described as one of the most exciting talents in Europe.

The youngster has the potential to be a major star and it could well be that his time in Saudi Arabia is relatively short before he heads to the English Premier League. Yet, better that he spend a season or two in the Middle East on his way up, as a hungry and ambitious star who wants to go to the very top, then to be a player around 40 who thinks that he can do whatever he wants and refuse to play when their every whim is not met.

“Some world-famous foreign players have come to control not only the spotlight, but even the decisions of the clubs they play for, exploiting international media outlets to strengthen their influence,” former Saudi Arabian international and legend Sami Al-Jaber said on Saudi TV.

“The uncontrolled behaviour and excessive power of global stars pose a real crisis within the league, as their influence sometimes surpasses that of clubs themselves.”

That certainly seems to be the case with Ronaldo. The UK media are reporting that he could be back in Europe once this Saudi season ends, or even move to the United States.

The Daily Mail said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly considering leaving Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in the summer, with a return to Europe or a move to the MLS considered potential options.

“The 40-year-old, who, on a contract worth £488,000 per day, is the highest-paid footballer in history, began a strike earlier this week…The report claims Ronaldo has a £43 million (€50m) release clause, with the veteran having 18 months to run on a two-year deal he signed last summer.”

Whatever happens, the events of this week have tarnished Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy in Saudi Arabia. It has been an expensive lesson but if learned then it could be the turning point that the SPL needs as it wrestles with what kind of league it wants to be.

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In October, he resigned as head coach of Celtic and two months later was unveiled as the new boss of Saudi Pro League (SPL) club Al-Qadsiah. Since arriving in the east of the country, he has taken the team, never a powerhouse but now owned by oil giant Aramco, on the kind of winning run that he had enjoyed when things were going well in Scotland. So far it is seven. If it gets to eight with victory at Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, on Thursday then a title challenge really will be on the cards.

That didn’t seem likely when he arrived. Al-Qadsiah were fifth but ten points behind leaders Al-Nassr. The start was unspectacular, a 1-1 draw with. Damac, “We should have won,” the Northern Irish boss said after and that is what the team have done ever since.

There have been seven straight victories. It has been quite a ride for fans with 24 goals scored on that magnificent winning run. It surpasses the club’s record streak of six achieved under Spanish boss Michel last season.

Then the Knights of the East finished fourth (though it should have been third but Ronaldo’s Nassr were, somewhat dubiously, awarded three points by the league after complaining that Al-Orubah goalkeeper Rafi Al-Ruwaili was ineligible to play in the game because he was not a full-time professional), though perhaps a lack of Asian club commitments has been beneficial.

Regardless, fourth in a first season after promotion is no disaster though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left at the end of the season, taking his 17 league goals to Marseille.

No matter. Replacing the veteran Gabonese goalgetter was Serie A’s top scorer Mateo Retegui in one of the biggest moves of the summer.

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