Think Asian football, talk the education way

Asia is unfortunate and fortunate in many ways. It is the largest inhabited continent in the world, and also with the largest population on the planet, nearly 4-5 billion people in a planet only has 8 billion. Asia is blessed and cursed by the diversity: it is the home to the three biggest religions: Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. Three major ancient civilisations resided in Asia. The continent is also destined to become the world's main economic hub. Yet, at the same time, war, destruction, social discontent and political clashes exist in many forms, causing instabilities. Think of Vietnam as a major example, it suffered nothing but wars, occupation and destruction throughout the entire 20th century. Leave alone Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

And this situation produces vast cultural differences as well as thoughts. This is embedded in many subjects, regardless of its stance. Football isn't an exception, but football is unique for its path to give Asians breath about it, and also, how it manipulates and drives the people. Asian football has been shaped, and maybe likely to be shaped, that way...

Boot camps to the field

Asians are fascinating yet harsh when it comes to education. Though some European families are serious as well, they're no match to the harshness of Asians. Yes, I'm talking football as an aspect of Asian sporting school for kids.

Evergrande Football School in Guangzhou, financed by Evergrande Enterprise, is the largest football school in China and one of the world's biggest.

Now, comparing your status, if you're an 11-year old kid from Guangzhou, China, enrolling into a football school, you'll have to wait for your family's approval. Then, when you come to study, you play football, at the same time, you must enrol in learning other lessons like math, chemistry, science, etc. But the expectation is very high, everyone looks after you. You have to demonstrate you can excel in every major front, something that would make you insane. Then, teachers decide to relax the rule, but it remains deeply conservative enough that you'll have to commit or you'll fail. As for the result, from looking into football with passion, you start to question if football is really that crazy. That's when after you move to professionalism, you find it difficult to overcome the eyes of the others, you have to balance between the fans, and the managerial staff - thus you must show the impression and maintain a facade.

Then, the same kid from Saudi Arabia. He enters the academy of Al-Hilal, the most successful Saudi football club. He, like the kid in China, also has to study outside football. Unlike the kid from China, the kid from Saudi Arabia is not pressurised by the family, he can do the activities if he wants, prove that he is dedicated. It's better to persuade a professional career because no one will make it hard on you. Sounds good. But there is a problem. Even if your team may not win the game and you don't perform at the expectation as a professional-in-student, the government still channels money for you so you and your family members can live fine. Probably a way to keep you on the football track. So much that you don't have to learn something from the mistakes. No doubt. That means even when you make it wrong, you won't care about it at all. The government's football subsidies ensure no one would have to leave early and punishment will not be taken too severe. The subsidies also work to keep native players staying, by hiring foreigners to do for them. Voilà! Just the same formula and done, no need to go elsewhere, Saudi Arabia is still producing a group of players that can help Saudi Arabia to conquer world's football, or so maybe.

Finally, a similar kid from Japan. He faces the same pressure as the Chinese kid, but once he is convinced, he is let go to do something. The football academy in Nagoya is strict, but they have laws to encourage him to think outside the box. He is also assured, certainly, that he can go to other nations if he wants to make his country's football better. He is also not spared from punishment, definitely, but if this can help the boy grows, it should be sanctioned. Eventually, he sees this as an eye-opener, making him more serious to tell that he is capable of doing so.

A Chinese, a Saudi and a Japanese kid. Three children in three different circumstances growing with the ball. In the end, you become aware of the rising successful performance of Japan at the world's stage. Then you see China and Saudi Arabia - after early impressions, both slumped afterwards.

Societies to facilities

Social situation may also provide some insights about the development grasp of football in Asian countries. We have so many societies to think of, and since Asian countries are unique to each other, one can be different.

Children playing in a sand ground at the street outside Baghdad, Iraq.

We can take Iraq. Its population is fanatical with football, everything relates to this sport is widely followed. Iraqis take it seriously. Unlike some Arab nations, and akin to Turkish people, Iraqi families agree that football is the only way to change the course of life.

Unfortunately, though, Iraq has bad infrastructures, a legacy of the ruinous war the United States waged against her in 2003. When the Americans installed a civilian government in 2006, it was mired between sectarian groups. Thus the rise of Islamic State in 2014. However, Iraqis banded together when they became aware of Iraqi national team's miraculous journey at the 2007 Asian Cup, which Iraq finally crowned their first international honour. The national side of Iraq has remained competitive since. Yet, despite the same passion, institutions in Iraq continued to be undermined, the national team could not progress further. The only energy left is the determination to bypass difficulties. A coach in Iraq, no matter which teams, will be frequently replaced after just a few matches for different reasons. Players also struggle with the cakes.

Then we look at Thailand. A population, simultaneously, passionate about football. But Thailand was never, still not, a war-torn country. A coach from Thailand can earn a higher salary than their Iraqi partners. It has everything to prepare for: best football ground from training sections to stadiums. Better player grassroots. But somehow, Thailand's achievement is far below Iraq. Why?

Thai society is very entrenched in football, but it has never matched the heat of Iraqi fans for sure. Thai footballers always have more salaries, but this creates a mechanism of arrogance. They aren't poor, so they have little understanding about the common. Thai players are talented, but because of an education system that prioritises so much about individual brilliance and ignorance of life, Thai players lack emphasis on willingness, teaming or sympathy for life (Thai education has a long history of low-process reforms), hence it may also see so many coups. Although they agree that going abroad is the best way to improve football and their life.

As a result, Thailand is always under-achieved, even when they have enough ingredients to make a perfect national team. If Thai authorities spend more times investing in football, it'll be a tough nut.

In the end, societies play a major role, and so are facilities. The people's power will always triumph above better infrastructures eventually, as if the Chilean band Quilapayún once underlined in their song with the same name, "The people united will never be defeated". Iraq doesn't have the prosperity Thailand has today. But Iraqis understand where they're. So they beat Thailand.

But ignore the role of a welfare society is dangerous, too. As much as the people love football, but without investments, without funding, the national team will only stop at the potential level. The case of Iraq is also an example. Decades of instabilities and political upheavals led to the demise of Iraq from the international presence, now struggling to regain its prominence. Without football facilities, who will provide Iraqi players with the chance to practise, to play competitive matches or functioning stadiums?

In the end, people's will is strong, but without devices, a breakthrough will only arrive like a miracle. Australia, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea's domination have most to do with good tools and the stubborn belief of the players combined.

Politicisation

In football, politics have a huge influence and can impact the outcome of a game. When it comes to a continent that can be coined as an expert, Asia stands alone the biggest political football field. Eleven faces eleven for a ball and yet we have no idea how the leaders think of players. With some exceptions, politicisation is omnipresent in Asian football world.

North Korean league players meeting with Kim Jong-un, the third dictator of North Korea.

You can easily compare the two best examples, all lies in one peninsula.

Take North Korea. The Hermit Kingdom has isolated itself for so long and sports have been directly controlled by the state. North Korean football team, indeed, is not out of the circle. The state commands and chooses players, also make decisions which ones would represent the mighty Kim dynasty. Of course, players are indoctrinated from kindergarten that the Kim family was sent by God to construct and build a prosperous North Korea. This indoctrination goes all the way to adult, people have to learn nothing but gratitudes to great Kim. A result of it is the North Koreans have no idea about the outside world. Same thing with footballers - of course with some exception. Moreover, the state distributes salaries for the players and also carefully restricts a number of them when it comes to going abroad, bringing a state agent to monitor all of their activities. Connection with the South is forbidden.

Choe Myong-ho was once a national team player and took part in the North Korean side at the 2011 Asian Cup, the only big tournament of his career. He used to play in Russia for Krylia Sovetov Samara from 2006 to 2008, but he only had a match to play in two years. He could also only have one chance to greet Oh Beom-seok, who also played for Samara but has southern citizenship instead of the north. He's also not allowed to speak with other teammates unless he had permissions, no partying and no travelling elsewhere without approval. Choe was also restricted from communicating with the locals. It was later revealed that Choe Myong-ho had always been escorted by a North Korean agent working as a "translator", and the agent graduated from the SSD, the Ministry of State Security of North Korea. Han Kwang-song also suffered the same fate when he played for the U-23 side of Juventus.

And that, North Korea creates a very disciplined national team, but lacks emotions or knowledge abroad to transform for the better. This in turn shunned the country's many opportunities, driving North Korea away from ever exploring football prowess. State interference has also prevented players from diversifying its assets, meaning that they have been neutralised. North Korea, therefore, can't perform with full potential and economic difficulties, added by sanctions elsewhere, made the national team almost impossible to compete with the others. Hence after 1966 World Cup, it took 44 years to return where it had the worst performance among all 32 teams. Even in Asian Cup nowadays, North Korea's performance has also deteriorated, with only one draw in their three latest Asian Cups.

Meanwhile, South Korea also started with nothing like North Korea, with GDP/per capita worse than Ghana. But the country adopted economic diversification, encouragement of capital investments and determination to shine up with the world, thus South Korea developed rapidly in 1970s, which was referred as "Miracle at the Han River". And football benefited from the opening up of South Korea.

We must remember, South Koreans have been taught at schools that any potential invasions from North Korea could happen, and they must fight. Thus discipline is strongly reinforced in the south. Footballers aren't exempted, no matter how privileged they're. They must enroll in military training for over a year, maybe two. This, in turn, fosters a very strong sense of determination among the southerners. Many southern footballers actually realise that if they gave up over one/two years under the military camps, they'll be better organised and more responsible to persuade their football dream. Think Cha Bum-kun, Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min; they all began within the military camps to become superstars like today. Lee Kang-in also comes to headline today as a potential successor to Son Heung-min.

South Korean government also leaves players under the command of the Korean Football Association, or KFA. In turn, KFA leaves the duty to the clubs, which functions almost autonomously within the association. But because of the deeply disciplined duty within the south, fairness is highly rewarded. No secret, South Korea has become one of the world's biggest economic powerhouse today. The national team also gets the lion's share. It had a successful 2002 World Cup (albeit controversial) and has more chances to play competitive games against powerful football teams across the world. It has won two Asian Cup titles and finished second fourth times. The more diverse the funds, the better South Korean team is. The nutrition of South Korean players today is also recognised by even European standard as some of the best, far ahead of North Korean counterparts.

South Korea is respected. North Korea is not. Football answers all of that. One country built a genuine patriotism with a sense of responsibility for the brighter future of the state. One country built a cult surrounding one man and making people think that he and his ancestors are Goddess, relying on or die becomes an undeclared motto. Just that, that's it. The education in two parts of Korea has created two completely different national teams, deeply entrenched with two distinct cultures.

Are there any reasons outside these?

I think yes.

Football is a double-dagger sport. We can also trigger corruption, bribery, or cultural differences, to make it into the list. But the situation needs to be examined from the dirt ground. And these issues contribute to how football goes, there.

Iraq is full of talents, but an unstable country with little infrastructures condemns Iraq from making itself greater. Thailand is full of talents, having full facilities to offer, but bad education creates a very fraudulent national team. Then we have a very insular North Korean side, with hard-working but ineffective players that disallow them to expose. We have football academies functioning like a kind of "monarch and slave" in China and Saudi Arabia. Not to mention the very religious problem of the Iranian national team with an anti-democratic and anti-secular government. Some countries in Asia have only better football infrastructures due to being inherited from the Soviet era, entirely in Central Asia, notably Uzbekistan. Some countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh never recognise football as a pushover. Indonesia meanwhile suffered constant fighting within the football top brass. Qatar and the UAE gain power only by having so much oil money but conservatism and cultural diffusion remain the code.

That's why education provides a national team and evolves them. Country where it has good institutions managed to bring football to the spotlight and progress. Think Japan, it was not a football-mania country by 1980s, but a successful transformation in 1990s made the country an Asian giant. South Korea has been a football-loving country since 1960s, but a successful reorganisation allows it to blossom, of course by paying heavy prices. Australia is also heading that way, though at a much slower pace.

Yet, models like Japan, South Korea and Australia are rare in Asia. Many of these countries I have listed lingered between mismanagement, corruption to some self-sufficient and wealth. Institutions in most Asian countries are deeply entrenched by a string of mishandling or interference. That's why Asia lost an important member, Israel, in 1972, because of Israel's poor relations with most Arab countries in Asian continent. Then Asia saw Kazakhstan abandoning AFC to join the UEFA in 2002, yet Kazakhstan's poor status due to long history of corruption unravelled and is now being seen by the UEFA as the biggest failure, some in Kazakhstan and UEFA are even now calling for the country to be re-admitted to the AFC as Kazakhstan proved incapable to be in European football, save for some football clubs. Annoying, no?

Unfortunately, AFC has not done anything either. It is, as the majority federations under control, a group of nepotism. Presidents in the AFC have been elected throughout a rigid council to be run by rich men, from Malaysia, Qatar, China, Bahrain and Iran, and also depending on timelines. For instance, the President of AFC from 1976-1978, Kambiz Atabay, was from a wealthy, powerful yet secular Iran at the time, resigned a year before the revolution. AFC is a place for playboy rather than for professional people.

With the way how AFC has run from the past to the present, one thing to be said for sure: the AFC has nothing great to offer for. Hence the same old story to most AFC members, and this has gone even to affect Kazakhstan as well, now a UEFA member. Asian football competitions are also greatly affected by this dark reputation. No secret, Brett Holman, Australian former footballer, stated clearly that "Worldwide it's not recognised as a good tournament" back in 2011 Asian Cup held in Qatar, where fan and data controversies took place.

This is also affecting even women's football well. Back in 2011, Japan crowned the title as the Queen of the world in a miraculous shootout with the United States in the Women's World Cup final in Germany and the rest acknowledged that women's football is rising in Asia. Fast forward eight years later in France, no team from Asia and over seven teams from Europe reached the final eight. What has gone wrong for Asia?

Education in Asia is only half-baked. So football in Asia will find it hard to burst out from its own eggshell. Think why the UEFA, CONMEBOL and partially CONCACAF always have the dominance? Time to go, folks.