The ASEAN Super League was a proposed international association football competition between domestic club sides run by the ASEAN Football Federation. It was initially scheduled to commence in 2017.[1] In January 2017 it was announced there could be a delay to 2018 or later though.[2] In June 2017 it was announced that the competition would not take place at all.[3][4]
Reception
editTampines Rovers' 2016 signing Jermaine Pennant said: I don't think it's going to be beneficial at all for Singapore football if the best players and the best teams are shipped off to a different league, I don't think the fans will appreciate it. His sentiments were shared by team-mate Afiq Yunos.[5]
Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor and chairman of Malaysian Super League club Johor Darul Takzim, said: "I don't agree with the ASL. I think we're [South-east Asian football] still young and we [should] focus on how it is done in Europe. For now, the Asian Champions League is the highest target. The ASL is not really my cup of tea."[6]
In April 2016, Buriram United's boss Newin Chidchob also said, "Quite simply, I don’t support the idea of an ASEAN Super League and I don’t think it works from either a competitive or organisational perspective. The business terms and the return on the investment are not good enough, I mean, they’re asking small clubs to pay US$5 million (S$6.7m), but how much can those clubs win in this proposed league?”[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Justin Ong (29 December 2015). "Singapore football chief says ASEAN Super League 'stepping stone' for local stars to level up". Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "ASEAN Super League faces more delays after AFF meeting in Singapore". espnfc.com. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ TNP (24 June 2017). "Asean Super League dead in the water". Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- ^ FourFourTwo (24 June 2017). "Proposed ASEAN Super League dead and buried: AFC". Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- ^ Chua Siang Yee (20 January 2016). "Pennant: Sending best players to Asean Super League won't benefit local football". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Johor Crown Prince cool to idea of Asean Super League". Asia One. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Scott McIntyre (13 April 2016). "Buriram boss pours cold water on ASL concept". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.