This thread will be place to discuss following topics, but not limited to: Would you consider the 2009 season successful? What are the changes that you demand and why. What must AFC do to improve the quality of Club Football in Asia Has the brand ACL/AFC Cup reached Asian Audience? Any marketing strategies? Individual Awards and methods. Meanwhile keep in mind that There will be "country protection" in quarterfinals if and only if there is two countries left from the same leauge The prize money is expected to increase from 2013 due to new Sponsorship deal with WSG. (note: more money will available for marketing as well) Next year, the group stage schedule is shifted one month early, due to FIFA WC in the summer. Round-of-16 is not the "knock-out stage". The Knock-out stage starts in quarterfinals. Hence the regional restriction.
The basic change I would like to see happen, is to open up the Champions Legaue for all countries. It's OK to keep the current 'elite' nations in the group stage with their current allocated slots, but simply invite all Asian League winners into a qualification pool split into East and West, and a couple of winners from each region to enter the Group Stage. All i'm asking is that everyone in Asia is given the chance to play at the very highest level and lets start having teams from anywhere getting their on playing merit rather than the current criteria to enter.
The current criteria is for ourselves good It has to stay & blocked off Leagues that are unwilling to change or else we suffer more The playing standard is 1 thing but a nos of leagues will nvr change if they do nt think they need to change to join ACL Like UAE in the west who once blocked their own players becoming professional (even oversea) before backing off once they know AFC will not let join ACL 2009 or HK in the East; who finally moved their clubs out of playing their matches in only main 1 or 2 stadiums to have their own home stadiums once they discovered they have a problem making the list Even Singapore, SSC (Singapore Sport Council) relented and fit the floodlight (Only stadium though) to international standard so we could meet the AFC Cup standard
I think we should wait at least few more years, before we "open up" the champions league. The whole goal of making this a closed league is to up the standard of professional football from the lowest level and to stimulate the popularity of ACL. But AFC needs to be careful here. In few years or so, other leagues will also pass the minimum criteria. Once that happens AFC need to hold up to the promises.