Footballing Weekly: AFC Asian Cup success stories show why nations like Singapore, Malaysia cannot stay stagnant
Finalists Qatar and Jordan show that countries are catching up with traditional powerhouses, with every nation looking to improve their fortunes
SINGAPORE — More than anything else, the recently-concluded AFC Asian Cup showed that national football teams in Asia cannot stay still and stop improving themselves against the rest of the world.
For the winning country for the quadrennial Cup is not from the traditional Asian powerhouse nations - not Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, nor Australia. It was Qatar, who have only started becoming a title-challenging team in the past decade, but have now won the past two Asian Cup editions.
Even the runners-up, Jordan, were ranked only 87th in the FIFA world rankings. Yet they overpowered South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals after holding the Taeguk Warriors to a 2-2 draw in the group stage, and showed remarkable spirit and tactical discipline as they overachieved gloriously.
There were other success stories amid the second and third tiers of Asian football nations. Tajikistan are the other fairytale success story of the Asian Cup, the debutants advancing out of the group stage ahead of China and then stunning United Arab Emirates in the last-16 to reach the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Iraq took down Japan in the group stage, war-torn Palestine advanced into the last-16, and Malaysia could be proud of a 3-3 draw against South Korea even as they bowed out early.
What this means is that there is no place for countries sitting still - every nation is trying to improve its football fortunes, and overtake the traditionally-strong teams. Qatar and Jordan may be relatively small Asian nations compared to the likes of China, India and Japan, but they made up with intensity, passion and sound strategy at the month-long tournament.
Their success should spur other aspiring nations - including Malaysia and Singapore - to find ways to improve their fortunes. Whether it is naturalising foreign players, finding heritage players or seeking new tactical ideas from astute coaches, they should seek whatever advantages they can find.
The Asian Cup has shown that success comes to those who always want to be better. The worst move for any nation is to sit still and feel nostalgic over past successes.
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