World Cup success likely to provide huge boost to Asian soccer
World Cup success likely to provide huge boost to Asian soccer
Slobodan Lekic
Associated Press
Jakarta
The success of Japan and South Korea in hosting the World Cup
will likely provide a huge boost to the development of soccer
throughout the world's largest and most populous continent,
regional sports officials said Sunday.
"This World Cup has gone beyond the wildest dreams of anybody,
including FIFA," said Peter Velappan, secretary general of the
Asian Football Confederation, the region's top soccer body.
"It will bring an immense benefit to Asian soccer," he said.
"It showed that we have come of age in terms of confidence (and)
that we will from now on be treated with respect."
He was speaking after South Korea played in the third/fourth
place playoff, the biggest success in the history of Asian soccer
in international soccer's showcase competition. The Koreans lost
3-2 to Turkey the day before powerhouse teams Brazil and Germany
met in the final at Yokohama, Japan.
Although the confederation was formed in 1954, its 45 members
traditionally have been regarded as little more than cannon-
fodder by European and South American sides.
With the exception of North Korea - which reached the
tournament's knockout stage in 1966 after a stunning upset over
Italy - no Asian team has ever progressed further than the
qualifying rounds in past World Cup finals.
Before the 2002 Cup, the South Koreans had not won a match in
five previous trips to the quadrennial event. Japan - which this
year progressed into the round of 16 - lost all three games in
its debut at France '98.
Other Asian teams in this year's tournament were less
impressive.
Saudi Arabia lost all three of its qualifying matches. China -
which was making its World Cup debut after unsuccessfully trying
to qualify for four decades - also returned home without a point.
This proved that only "hard core professionals" such as those
who play in the premiere leagues in Japan and South Korea can
hope to make a mark at the World Cup, Velappan said.
Most of Asia's soccer leagues consist of semiprofessional or
amateur clubs.
Still, Velappan said the success of the 2002 World Cup should
ensure Asia - with its 3.3 billion people, a growing economy and
surging interest in soccer - receives five berths of its own at
the 2006 edition in Germany.
This should be sufficient for the "8-10 flagships of Asia,"
which include this year's co-hosts, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and
Uzbekistan to adequately represent the continent, he said.
Other emerging soccer powers are Indonesia - known as the
"Brazilians of Asia" - Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
Indonesia, where soccer matches regularly end in brawls
between supporters, praised the lack of crowd trouble during this
year's tournament.
"I salute the Korean's achievements, not only in reaching the
big four, but also on their success in managing the huge crowds
inside and outside the stadium," said national coaching team
member Eddy Elison.
Singapore's soccer body has set a target of getting the city-
state into the World Cup finals by 2010.
Its assistant director, P. N. Sivaji, said the national team
would draw lessons from the effort South Korea and Japan made in
this year's competition.
"In the last World Cups Asians haven't made any impact at
all," said Sivaji. "This shows that the top teams in Asia can now
close the gap with the top teams elsewhere in the world."
For the some in the region, however, South Korea's success
served only to highlight the weaknesses of their own national
sides.
"I feel happy (for South Korea) but I feel sad for Malaysia.
We used to beat the Koreans ... we used to beat the Japanese,"
said Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi late
Saturday.
"Today I don't know what is happening to our football team,"
he said.