FEATURES
The ‘Lion King’ continues to roar
“I was in Korea but I did not watch a single World Cup game. Instead, I drank a lot of alcohol in an attempt to numb the pain.” Lee Dong-gook’s career, and life, could have […]
FEATURES
FEATURES
Australia still waking to its Asian future
“Asia is expecting us to be a contributing member to the Asian Football Confederation and we will be.” Those were the words of then Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy the day after that historic […]
FEATURES
Right or wrong? Naturalisations spark debate in UAE
For long, the UAE resisted. Then, in January 2020, the UAE Football Association declared that two South American players had become eligible to play for the country’s national team. And not just any two South […]
FEATURES
Iran FF left in the dark on Skočić appointment
Portuguese manager, Carlos Queiroz, gone. Belgian Marc Wilmots, sacked within six months. With the Iran national team on the verge of early elimination from Group C of FIFA World Cup qualifying, Iranian sport officials were […]
FEATURES
Football returns to Turkmenistan
This Sunday, the Turkmen Yokary Liga will resume as the fifth active domestic league in world football, the third in Asia, but interestingly the first to have returned to play following a Coronavirus suspension, which […]
FEATURES
Never fear, Tajikistan is here
With a near total lockdown of football the world over due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Tajikistan is set to become the next global curiosity, as it welcomes back domestic football for its season opener […]
ANALYSIS
2020 J.League Season Preview
A new decade, new technology, three coaching changes, former champions returning and plenty of young talent to keep fans excited – the return of the J.League is finally here. The 28th season of top-flight, professional, […]
ASIANS ABROAD
Minamino ready to take centre stage
Eighteen months ago, despite three and a half impressive seasons with Red Bull Salzburg in which he scored 31 goals in 95 games for the perennial Austrian champions, Takumi Minamino wasn’t included in the extended […]
ASIANS ABROAD
Hola! Asia’s future shines in Spain
It doesn’t take much for a young player to get hyped up in the social media age. A few fancy step overs, a few nice goals and the twittersphere is abuzz about the ‘next big […]
FEATURES
For women in Iran, the fight goes on
When it was first announced that Iranian women could buy tickets for a football match, they had to pinch themselves to believe it. For the Iran versus Cambodia World Cup qualifier on 10 October, for […]