2 Nov 2009(Mon)

October 30, 2009: Soon we will see if the Asian Football Confederation have bitten off more than they can chew with a neutral venue for their Champions League final.

Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia against Pohang Steelers of South Korea? In Tokyo? On a Saturday night?

Looks like a tough sell to me, and not the showpiece match the AFC wanted.

With four Japanese clubs in the competition, obviously they were hoping one of them would reach the final and have a chance of completing a Japanese 1-2-3, after Reds in 2007 and Gamba last season.

But their plans were ruined when the sole Japanese survivor in the semi-finals, Grampus, lost to the Saudis 8-3 on aggregate after their 6-2 battering in the first leg in Jeddah.

So now we are left with Al Ittihad against Pohang, and wondering just how many fans will turn up at Kokuritsu on the evening of November 7. I reckon 10,000 would be a good crowd for this match, but it could be lower and that would be an embarrassment for the continental governing body.

Just think of the highlights on the international news and sports channels, with banks of empty seats in a silent stadium, especially after the success of the past two finals played over two legs.

On those occasions, the fans responded in their thousands for all four games, providing a colourful spectacle inside the stadium and making for attractive viewing on the small screen. There was hometown pride and passion, and a good atmosphere and media coverage throughout. Yes, we thought, Asian football really was on the march after several false dawns.

But I always thought the AFC was taking a big – and unnecessary -- risk by announcing Tokyo as the venue for the 2009 final, and a poor turnout and anti-climax to the competition could undo a lot of the good, solid work that has gone on in recent years.

They should have retained the two-leg format for at least a couple more years, and built stronger foundations before trying to move to the next level.

This is not Europe yet; not by a million miles.

ends