The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup dates are set to clash with the AFC Champions League competition

The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup dates are set to clash with the AFC Champions League competition


The Thai national team with the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup they won in 2023. (PHOTO: Reuters/Chalinee Thirasupa)

SINGAPORE — This year’s ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the region’s top international football competition, could spark a “club versus country” clash, as its competition goes head-to-head with the new Asian Football Confederation Champions League. (AFC).

The dates for the 15th edition of the ASEAN Cup were announced on 29 February to be from 23 November to 21 December. This is a departure from previous editions, which were usually played in December and January.

As the tournament is a non-FIFA sanctioned event, it is therefore played outside the normal international window. More importantly, football clubs do not have to release their players for the biennial tournament. And this raises a major issue when the ASEAN Cup competes with major Asian competitions other than the various domestic league competitions in Southeast Asia.

This year’s ASEAN Cup will compete with two AFC Champions League (ACL) competitions. The ACL Elite will see popular local clubs such as Malaysian Premier League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim and eventual Thai League 1 champions take part.

Meanwhile, the ACL 2 tournament also features teams from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore, which will be represented by Singapore Premier League runners-up Lion City Sailors. Fellow Singapore Premier League champions Tampines Rovers and Indonesian Liga 1 finalists can also qualify via the play-offs.

Will the feud devalue the ASEAN Cup?

ACL Elite is scheduled to have its match days from 25th to 27th November, as well as from 2nd to 4th December. Meanwhile, ACL 2 will see action from 26 to 28 November, and also from 3 to 5 December. These dates are in the middle of the ASEAN Cup tournament dates.

While Singapore’s national team is aiming to do well in the ASEAN Cup, SPL clubs such as Sailors and Tampines will also want to do well in ACL 2, as Singapore will get more quota points that will determine the country’s chances of qualifying for the AFC in the future. competition.

Can the best players miss the ASEAN Cup? Why couldn’t the ASEAN Football Confederation find dates that don’t compete with the AFC Champions League? Can this “club against country” devalue the ASEAN Cup?

Join the The “Football Weekly” podcast show. while the panelists are discussing this outrageous situation.

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