After three Asian Champions League matchdays, the two competing A-League clubs have amassed a combined total of three points.
Last night two-time champions Sydney FC faced off against a Kashima Antlers side still recovering from the recent natural disasters that hit Japan. Kashima were arguably the J-League club hit hardest by the earthquake, their stadium suffering considerable damage and their squad force to disband, with foreign players returning to their home countries.
It was only last week that Kashima returned to competitive action the J-League temporarily stopped as a result of the disasters. The Antlers managed a respectable 1-1 draw away against the in-form Suwon Bluewings. Brazilian manager Oswaldo de Oliveira also admitted after the Sydney match that his players’ minds were with fellow countrymen back home in Japan, rather than totally on the game itself.
That they still managed to dismantle one of Australian football’s flagship clubs is an indicator that something is not quite right with A-League sides in Asia. Melbourne Victory – the only other club along with Sydney to have won two A-League titles – have been just as ineffective as their local rivals, nailed to the bottom of Group E with just one point.
These are two teams who played out an exhilarating A-League grand final and boasted some of the country’s most exciting local talents, as well as its best imports. Yet that was over a year ago and the teams and clubs have changed considerably since then.
Sydney FC have endured one of their worst seasons since the inception of the A-League after losing the spine of the team that did the Premiership/Championship double; goalkeeper Clint Bolton, defender Simon Colosimo and strikers Alex Brosque and John Aloisi have all moved on. Though they qualified for the finals series this season, Melbourne parted company with foundation manager Ernie Merrick during their Champions League campaign, marking the start of a personnel overhaul on and off the pitch.
Neither side has had any momentum to carry into the ACL this season. While K-League clubs are relatively fresh given their season has only just started and clubs from West Asia are in full flight with their competitions in the final straight, the playing field is anything but level for Australian sides.
 "Though they qualified for the finals series this season, Melbourne parted company with foundation manager Ernie Merrick during their Champions League campaign, marking the start of a personnel overhaul on and off the pitch." |
Of course, there’s no doubt Japanese teams this season have had to deal with difficulties of a totally different nature. Kashima are to be commended for an outstanding performance under the circumstances and they again highlighted the gulf in class between their own competition and the A-League.
It is frustrating however that a more accurate yardstick can’t be used for domestic football in Australia; an out-of-sorts Sydney and Melbourne are hardly an indicator of the league’s potential.
Whist there’s no guarantee that this season’s A-League grand finalists the Brisbane Roar and the Central Coast Mariners would fare any better in Asia, at least they would provide a fair representation of Australian football. To put things into perspective, even Adelaide United and Gold Coast United – who finished third and fourth respectively this season – would be in a far stronger position to compete in the ACL than Sydney and Melbourne.
Yes, the current J-League and K-League representatives need to contend with running a domestic campaign at the same time as competing on the continent – Australian clubs have the luxury of focusing solely on the Champions League during their off-season – but they also have the luxury of being able to retain their star players from season-to-season as they don’t have the restrictions of a salary cap.
Given their comparative lack of freedom when it comes to player wages, A-League clubs face a constant struggle to hold onto even their local, raw talent, which makes a 13-month delay before competing in Asia a lifetime. During such a period, player turnover is significant and can make all the difference, as has been the case with Sydney.
While technical and tactical shortcomings of Australian teams shouldn’t be excused, the current situation in which they compete is farcical.
It’s up to Football Federation Australia and the Asian Football Confederation to find a solution.
Perhaps the best way to address the problem is to pick a season in which the champion from the campaign before last simply doesn’t compete. For example, if we were to do that this season, Sydney and Melbourne would have their place taken by Brisbane and Central Coast, thus re-aligning the A-League with the Champions League calendar.
Whichever club suffers that fate will rightly feel hard done by but given their disastrous campaigns so far, Sydney and Melbourne might have appreciated a break this time around.
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