Asian Cup to kick off in Qatar

16 of Asia’s best national soccer teams will be seen in action. Former German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel, who has played on all continents and knows Asian football well, has high expectations from host Qatar. "I think it will be a very well organized tournament," Pfannenstiel told Deutsche Welle. "Generally, the Arab world has developed in football and improved a lot over the last few years. I think it definitely will be a spectacular tournament of high quality."

The defending champions Iraq had surprised everyone by winning the 2007 Asian Cup finals 1-0 against Saudi Arabia in Jakarta. That tournament was co-hosted by four Southeast Asian nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, who this time will not be participating in the Asian Cup.

Complicated qualifying process

The qualifying process for the Asian Cup is rather complicated. The top three nations from the last Asian Cup, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, were qualified directly along with its host Qatar. India and North Korea qualified as the 2008 and 2010 champions of the AFC Challenge Cup, Asia’s second-tier national team competition, while the remaining 10 nations went through the continental qualifiers.

The opening match will see host Qatar take on Uzbekistan, while China and Kuwait are also part of an evenly poised Group A. Group B will see one of the tournament favorites Japan taking on Middle Eastern sides in heavyweight Saudi Arabia plus rising powers Jordan and Syria.

India back after decades

The biggest unknown is the Indian national team, who return to the Asian stage after a long absence and face tough opponents in Group C. Soccer expert Dhiman Sarkar from the Hindustan Times said, "The draw didn’t do us any favor. If you are clubbed with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain, two of the teams made it to the World Cup finals in South Africa last year and a third almost made it there and lost in the playoffs, then a developing football nation in Asia and a country that has gotten its passport to the Asian Cup through a tournament which is primarily for developing nations in the continent, then it couldn’t have gotten worse."

But the Indians have prepared as well as they could, said Sarkar. "You can’t do anything about injuries. And it would be unfortunate if some of those injured don’t really make it, and that includes the captain Baichung Bhutia."

Meanwhile in Group D, World Cuppers North Korea will have to prove their worth at Asian level against defending champions Iraq, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Australia, Japan and South Korea among the favorites

So who are the title favorites? "I think that there will be no big surprises," said Lutz Pfannenstiel. "Japan and South Korea will be up there but I think quality-wise Australia has the best team overall."

Other experts say a Middle Eastern side could use the home advantage and could cause an upset like Iraq did four years ago. Players such as Manchester United star Ji-Sung Park of South Korea, Japan’s Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund and Australian Tim Cahill of Everton FC could become the stars of this Asian Cup.

But the eyes of the football world will be on Qatar over the next three weeks to see how they host Asia’s premier football competition, the first real test for the Qataris.

Author: Arunava Chaudhuri
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein