The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary general Datuk Seri Windsor John has said that the problems faced by football at the Asian Games and Olympics can be solved through negotiations between the clubs and the associations. He was speaking to The Hindu in Kochi, where he attended the AFC Champions League final between Al Hilal and Guangzhou Evergrande.
Football at the Asian Games and Olympics is not played on a FIFA window, which means that the clubs are not obliged by the rules to release their players for these tournaments. This has created a lot of difficulties for the national teams, especially for those who have young and talented players in their squads.
For example, India’s football team had a bitter experience before the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as many of the country’s premier clubs were reluctant to release players for the event. The national coach, Igor Stimac, could not even have a single training session before playing in Hangzhou.
FIFA wanted to make the World Cup the premier event of football
One of the reasons why FIFA decided to make the Olympics an under-23 event was because it wanted its World Cup to be football’s premier event. But now, there is a new dilemma, as John explained.
“The thinking at that time was that under-23 players would not be the first choice, they would not be in the first 11, but now we realise there are many young talented players in the first team. We realise that players who are 20 and 21 are all playing for some of the world’s top clubs. So now, we are stuck,” he said.
“We cannot bring anything lower because it devalues the event. Olympic and Asian Games organisers would be upset if we decide to send under-18 teams. So, that dilemma is there.”
Some players have clauses in their contracts to play at the Olympics
Some of the top players, who were keen to play at the Olympics, have found a way to do so. They have clauses in their contracts that allow them to play at the Olympics or not.
“Messi played in the Olympics because he told whichever club he was playing that he would. Neymar also did that. So, it depends on how much influence the player has on his club,” John said.
He added that some countries have also managed to convince their clubs to release their players for the Asian Games and Olympics.
“Japan has done that very well. They have a very good relationship with their clubs. They have negotiated with them and they have released their players. Korea also did that. They won gold at the Asian Games in 2018 and they qualified for Tokyo 2020,” he said.
Dialogue is the key to solve the problem
John said that dialogue is the key to solve the problem of football at the Asian Games and Olympics. He said that both sides should understand each other’s perspectives and find a common ground.
“Don’t forget, the players belong to the clubs. They are the ones taking care, so it’s always a good understanding between the clubs and the association that can solve the problem. You cannot throw the rule book at both sides—the federation or the club; it does not help anyone. It becomes very emotional if there is no proper discussion,” he said.
“For the Olympics, even FIFA cannot force clubs to release players.”
He said that AFC is trying to help its member associations to deal with this issue.
“We are trying to facilitate dialogue between our member associations and their clubs. We are trying to educate them on how important these events are for their countries and for their players’ development. We are trying to find a win-win situation for everyone,” he said.
