2023/24 AFC Club Competitions Thread

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corbies said:
Looks like the A-League will just scrape in to getting 1 spot in that new AFC Elite League for the 25-26 season. It was looking a little dicey after Malaysia had jumped Australia in the coefficient which put Australia back to 6th in the East region.

Had any of the Vietnamese teams done anything in Asia this year we'd have fallen to 7th and have had 0 spots in the Elite league.

With Bangkok United making the last 16 of the Champions League and pulling Thailand further away, it's going to be a long time until Australia can get a 2nd team even in to the playoffs for the Elite League. CCM and Macarthur going a deep in to the AFC Cup will help somewhat though but we're currently a long way back from Thailand.
Click to expand...

Yeah we've only drifted further away from a second spot thanks to City. We look at least five years away from even getting close to another spot.

However, if Macarthur or Mariners win the Cup then that's our second spot earned in the ACLE! It's all resting with them now. If we have two club put in a good shift next ACLE then we can improve our coefficient faster.
 

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The full article from the above ^ post

‘Ridiculous’ rules, insane bills: New report reveals true cost of ACL​

Erin Smith8-10 minutes 19/02/2024
Australian clubs competing in the Asian Champions League can lose up to $100,000 for every match they play, prompting calls for a stunning overhaul of Asia’s premier football competition.
Professional Footballers Australia is backing calls for an overhaul of the Asian Champions League.
A new report has found the competition has a huge financial impact on clubs and increases the likelihood of players being injured.
One A-League club revealed it had cost them almost $100,000 to travel for one ACL game.
Another said it cost $80,000 every time it hosted a match in order to meet the AFC’s strict rules.
The Twenty First Group report was commissioned by FIFPRO Asia/Oceania, of which PFA is a member, and analysed the costs for both players and clubs to take part.
Results show the positives were outweighed by the drawbacks for the majority of players and clubs, making it an unsustainable competition format.
The report also analysed the new Asian Champions League Elite structure, which is set to be rolled out for the 2024-25 season, and found it failed to address the major issues of financial outlay to clubs and player welfare.

THE FINDINGS​

There was evidence the ACL provided little benefit to the careers of players or their bank balances.
In fact, the heavy travel and schedule risked hindering a player’s performance in their domestic league.
Two-thirds of players said fatigue prevented them from playing their best in their domestic competition following an ACL match, while 72 per cent felt the busy schedule created a risk of injury.
ACL games mean players spend more time in the “critical zone”, which FIFPRO defines as at least 45 minutes in two matches with less than five days rest in between.
The cost to clubs to participate is huge and there is little financial reward.
Loading embed...
Travel subsidies offered are the same for all clubs that participate, regardless of the distance they have to travel to compete.
That means an Australian club receives the same $40,000 subsidy as any other.
The subsidy does increase to $60,000 for the semi-finals and $120,000 for the final.
A case study of an A-League club that took 22 players and 12 staff to Japan in a recent ACL season said it cost $45,815 for economy flights and $51,504 for accommodation – a total of $97,319.
The travel subsidy at the time was just $30,000.

Clubs that host matches also face a significant financial burden for accommodating the AFC officials and providing “clean stadiums”.
That entails effectively removing all advertising, including peeling off labels from water bottles, backpacks or brand names on sports drink bottles.
Sydney FC dubbed the rules “ridiculous” and Melbourne City said it had cost the club approximately $240,000 over the group stage to provide “clean stadiums”.
The huge outlay doesn’t match the prizemoney on offer.
There is just $15 million up for grabs during the 2023-24 competition, a long way from the $650 million offered to teams competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Most of the prizemoney for the ACL is reserved for the finalists. The winner receives $4 million and the runner-up $2 million.
Loading embed...
A team that fails to get a win or draw in the group stage could be left empty-handed.
There are cash handouts for teams of $100,000, $150,000 and $250,000 for taking part in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
With such a small prize pool and the travel distances being so huge, most clubs participating in the ACL do so at great financial loss.

THE IMPACT​

Former A-League footballer Rostyn Griffiths, who has played for clubs across Asia, including China, Uzbekistan and India, has played in the ACL with Melbourne City and Mumbai City.
Griffiths wasn’t against the idea of an ACL but said it was yet to reach its full potential.
“Playing in the ACL can really take a toll on Australian clubs and it’s not much different elsewhere in Asia,” Griffiths said.
“You have to travel huge distances in economy, have time away from family and you’re basically playing for free because of the financial strain on the club. It all adds up.
“Then it becomes a challenge to keep up form in your domestic league with the added workload.

“During Covid, players made significant sacrifices, enduring hubs and packed schedules to support Asian football.
“Now it’s about working together with the AFC to enhance this competition and for meaningful collaboration to realise its full potential.”
Beau Busch, the PFA co-chief executive and a FIFPRO Asia/Oceania board member, said from the players’ point of view the ACL fell short of “what it can and should be”.
Busch said FIFPRO Asia/Oceania hoped the report, which is the most extensive available analysis of the ACL, would help shape better intercontinental competitions.
“A precondition for that is an effective relationship between the players and the AFC,” Busch said.
“This report, and the efforts of our members in AFC competitions across the region, illustrates our commitment to the development of Asian football.”

THE FUTURE​

From the 2024-25 season, the ACL will be replaced with the ACLE – a revamped version of the competition that involves just 24 clubs, not 40.
While the prizemoney and subsidies on offer are yet to be released, the new structure will improve the quality of the competition when just the top clubs take part.
Under the new structure, the initial group stages will be replaced with East and West leagues that have 12 clubs each.
Each team will play eight opponents from their league, so a club will have four home and four away games.

The top eight teams from each league will progress to a two-leg round of 16 that will still be separated by region.
Eight winners will then enter a mini tournament to be held at a central location, which will be Saudi Arabia for the first two seasons.
While travel will be slightly reduced due to the league being split into regions, the report found the revamped competition could still have a negative impact on players due to workload and travel.
The mini tournament for the finals might mean clubs are overseas for up to two weeks, which could affect domestic league schedules.
Busch said putting together a competition across such a vast region was always going to be a challenge.

“The research shows that the new ACLE format will help lessen some of the burden placed on players and clubs,” Busch said.
“However, it is clear that they don’t go far enough and the costs are likely to continue to outweigh the benefits.
“Challenges such as workload, travel demands and performance pressures, which have long had an impact on clubs and players, are likely to persist.
“Furthermore, the current financial arrangements fail to shield the majority of clubs from potential financial losses associated with participation.”
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania chair Takuya Yamazaki said the findings proved that the current ACL tournament was “unsustainable”.
“This does not mean that the future of Asian club football is bleak,’’ Yamazaki said.
“On the contrary, we believe that this economically significant region can lead a discussion for truly sustainable new formats.

More Coverage​

“It is time for all stakeholders to mutually respect each other as trusted partners and discuss the sustainable competitions for the future.
“Certainly, it is not easy to change longstanding, traditional tournament formats or decision-making processes.
“If stakeholders in Asian football can build a future together based on trust, it will be a significant asset not only for the region but for others as well.”

 
giggler99 said:
The full article from the above ^ post

‘Ridiculous’ rules, insane bills: New report reveals true cost of ACL​

Erin Smith8-10 minutes 19/02/2024
Australian clubs competing in the Asian Champions League can lose up to $100,000 for every match they play, prompting calls for a stunning overhaul of Asia’s premier football competition.
Professional Footballers Australia is backing calls for an overhaul of the Asian Champions League.
A new report has found the competition has a huge financial impact on clubs and increases the likelihood of players being injured.
One A-League club revealed it had cost them almost $100,000 to travel for one ACL game.
Another said it cost $80,000 every time it hosted a match in order to meet the AFC’s strict rules.
The Twenty First Group report was commissioned by FIFPRO Asia/Oceania, of which PFA is a member, and analysed the costs for both players and clubs to take part.
Results show the positives were outweighed by the drawbacks for the majority of players and clubs, making it an unsustainable competition format.
The report also analysed the new Asian Champions League Elite structure, which is set to be rolled out for the 2024-25 season, and found it failed to address the major issues of financial outlay to clubs and player welfare.

THE FINDINGS​

There was evidence the ACL provided little benefit to the careers of players or their bank balances.
In fact, the heavy travel and schedule risked hindering a player’s performance in their domestic league.
Two-thirds of players said fatigue prevented them from playing their best in their domestic competition following an ACL match, while 72 per cent felt the busy schedule created a risk of injury.
ACL games mean players spend more time in the “critical zone”, which FIFPRO defines as at least 45 minutes in two matches with less than five days rest in between.
The cost to clubs to participate is huge and there is little financial reward.
Loading embed...
Travel subsidies offered are the same for all clubs that participate, regardless of the distance they have to travel to compete.
That means an Australian club receives the same $40,000 subsidy as any other.
The subsidy does increase to $60,000 for the semi-finals and $120,000 for the final.
A case study of an A-League club that took 22 players and 12 staff to Japan in a recent ACL season said it cost $45,815 for economy flights and $51,504 for accommodation – a total of $97,319.
The travel subsidy at the time was just $30,000.

Clubs that host matches also face a significant financial burden for accommodating the AFC officials and providing “clean stadiums”.
That entails effectively removing all advertising, including peeling off labels from water bottles, backpacks or brand names on sports drink bottles.
Sydney FC dubbed the rules “ridiculous” and Melbourne City said it had cost the club approximately $240,000 over the group stage to provide “clean stadiums”.
The huge outlay doesn’t match the prizemoney on offer.
There is just $15 million up for grabs during the 2023-24 competition, a long way from the $650 million offered to teams competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Most of the prizemoney for the ACL is reserved for the finalists. The winner receives $4 million and the runner-up $2 million.
Loading embed...
A team that fails to get a win or draw in the group stage could be left empty-handed.
There are cash handouts for teams of $100,000, $150,000 and $250,000 for taking part in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
With such a small prize pool and the travel distances being so huge, most clubs participating in the ACL do so at great financial loss.

THE IMPACT​

Former A-League footballer Rostyn Griffiths, who has played for clubs across Asia, including China, Uzbekistan and India, has played in the ACL with Melbourne City and Mumbai City.
Griffiths wasn’t against the idea of an ACL but said it was yet to reach its full potential.
“Playing in the ACL can really take a toll on Australian clubs and it’s not much different elsewhere in Asia,” Griffiths said.
“You have to travel huge distances in economy, have time away from family and you’re basically playing for free because of the financial strain on the club. It all adds up.
“Then it becomes a challenge to keep up form in your domestic league with the added workload.

“During Covid, players made significant sacrifices, enduring hubs and packed schedules to support Asian football.
“Now it’s about working together with the AFC to enhance this competition and for meaningful collaboration to realise its full potential.”
Beau Busch, the PFA co-chief executive and a FIFPRO Asia/Oceania board member, said from the players’ point of view the ACL fell short of “what it can and should be”.
Busch said FIFPRO Asia/Oceania hoped the report, which is the most extensive available analysis of the ACL, would help shape better intercontinental competitions.
“A precondition for that is an effective relationship between the players and the AFC,” Busch said.
“This report, and the efforts of our members in AFC competitions across the region, illustrates our commitment to the development of Asian football.”

THE FUTURE​

From the 2024-25 season, the ACL will be replaced with the ACLE – a revamped version of the competition that involves just 24 clubs, not 40.
While the prizemoney and subsidies on offer are yet to be released, the new structure will improve the quality of the competition when just the top clubs take part.
Under the new structure, the initial group stages will be replaced with East and West leagues that have 12 clubs each.
Each team will play eight opponents from their league, so a club will have four home and four away games.

The top eight teams from each league will progress to a two-leg round of 16 that will still be separated by region.
Eight winners will then enter a mini tournament to be held at a central location, which will be Saudi Arabia for the first two seasons.
While travel will be slightly reduced due to the league being split into regions, the report found the revamped competition could still have a negative impact on players due to workload and travel.
The mini tournament for the finals might mean clubs are overseas for up to two weeks, which could affect domestic league schedules.
Busch said putting together a competition across such a vast region was always going to be a challenge.

“The research shows that the new ACLE format will help lessen some of the burden placed on players and clubs,” Busch said.
“However, it is clear that they don’t go far enough and the costs are likely to continue to outweigh the benefits.
“Challenges such as workload, travel demands and performance pressures, which have long had an impact on clubs and players, are likely to persist.
“Furthermore, the current financial arrangements fail to shield the majority of clubs from potential financial losses associated with participation.”
FIFPRO Asia/Oceania chair Takuya Yamazaki said the findings proved that the current ACL tournament was “unsustainable”.
“This does not mean that the future of Asian club football is bleak,’’ Yamazaki said.
“On the contrary, we believe that this economically significant region can lead a discussion for truly sustainable new formats.

More Coverage​

“It is time for all stakeholders to mutually respect each other as trusted partners and discuss the sustainable competitions for the future.
“Certainly, it is not easy to change longstanding, traditional tournament formats or decision-making processes.
“If stakeholders in Asian football can build a future together based on trust, it will be a significant asset not only for the region but for others as well.”

Click to expand...

Kinda seems like the AFC are scamming the smaller nations/clubs
 
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  • #60
Munga said:
Kinda seems like the AFC are scamming the smaller nations/clubs
Click to expand...

There is way to much bureaucracy within the AFC I mean ripping stickers off water bottles really? Don't think they give two hoots about any clubs as long as their own fat pockets are lined.

I really think its time for the split between East and West Asia to occur or steps at least to start happening in bringing this idea to fruition in future.
 
  • Thread starter
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  • #61
giggler99 said:
A Reminder...

AFC Cup ASEAN Zone final is tonight Thursday 22nd February

Macarthur FC V Central Coast Mariners 7:00pm ESDT, Campbelltown Stadium, Live on 10 Play

A preview on the match
aleagues.com.au

A-Leagues sides meet in $153k showdown 17 years in the making: Everything you need to know

Macarthur FC and A-Leagues rivals Central Coast Mariners will go head-to-head in the AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final.
aleagues.com.au aleagues.com.au
Click to expand...
A decent amount of cash for winning the whole thing. Let's hope one of them goes all the way.
 

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There was a lot of hubris about Harry getting sacked from the lower levels of England and proving the doubters wrong by reaching the ACL final. Looking at his league form, 3 points above relegation in the J League, he will get sacked now won't he? Ange handed him the mother of all coaching lifelines dragging him to Celtic and no doubt putting in a good word at Marinos.
 

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2023/24 AFC Club Competitions Thread

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