Why we must win

In late June 1996, in the plush Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, the gathered world media was alerted over breakfast that a planned FIFA press conference, scheduled for the next day, had been brought forward for 10am that morning.

The reporters, tucking in to their croissants, were there to hear FIFA’s decision on which of the two bidders, Japan or South Korea, would be granted the hosting rights to the 2002 World Cup.

The bidding race had been very tight, with FIFA’s hierarchy divided along political lines. FIFA boss Joao Havelange wanted Japan. UEFA chief Lennart Johansson, a Havelange opponent, wanted South Korea.

Clearly something must have been going on to make FIFA move the presser forward by a day. There was.

The bidding war had become quite nasty. In the days leading up to the decision, it became clear to Havelange that South Korea, and Johansson, had the numbers on the FIFA executive committee.

Havelange, facing humiliation, had to move quickly, to stop the political bleed and save face. He got on the phone to the Japanese bid committee and told them to face reality: either they agreed to a joint hosting, which the Japanese had steadfastly refused to entertain, or they would lose the bid.

The Japanese, reluctantly and against their better wishes, agreed. The joint hosting formula, a compromise acceptable to both Johansson and the Koreans, was announced.

But scepticism about the joint hosting reigned. How could two countries and cultures, which had an historic hatred for each other, get together to host such a gigantic event? Yet history now tells that they did and made a magnificent fist of it.

What made it possible, beside other things, was the two countries’ broader and common responsibility to Asia, an equal need to promote Asian capacities and Asian football. This was the lone common denominator that drove the success of the partnership and the tournament.

It was a magnificent achievement. The event was a monumental success, not in the least because the host nations performed so well in it, giving Asia a legitimate place in the geopolitics of football.

Once it was over Asia found itself in a position of having to consolidate and build. Asian football had suddenly become a brand but if it did nothing to build on it all the achievements of Korea-Japan 2002 would be wasted.

This drove the thinking of the AFC, and its still new president, Mohamed bin Hammam, when accepting Australia’s overture to come in to Asia.

In August 2002, just a few weeks after the World Cup, I was in Kuala Lumpur, the seat of the AFC, for a broadcasters’ meeting on Asian football. I took time out to interview Dato Peter Velappan, general secretary of the AFC, on the subject of future relations between Australia and the AFC and, separately, had a private meeting with Bin Hammam.

Velappan, as I reported on this website at the time, made some positive noises about building closer relations, even suggesting that Australia might be invited to play in the Asian Cup ‘one day’.

Bin Hammam, who impressed me at that first meeting as a man of vision, appeared even more positive and totally open minded on the issue. Taking the Asian football brand beyond the geographical borders of Asia made a lot of sense to him.

Just over three swift and turbulent years later Bin Hammam and Frank Lowy were in an emotional embrace as Australia’s full membership of the AFC was ratified by the confederation’s extraordinary congress in Marrakech.

It made so much sense one was left to wonder how it didn’t happen years earlier.

Here was a country, affluent and developed, of 20 million people, with close on 200 players good enough to ply their trade in Europe, including several global playing celebrities, wanting to enter the Asian door. Why shouldn’t it be admitted? Why wouldn’t the admission of Australia enrich the Asian football brand?

Bin Hammam was proven to have made the right punt when Australia, now an ‘Asian’ nation, made it into the second phase of the World Cup in Germany and came seriously close to tossing Italy, the eventual winner.

It was indeed rotten luck for Asia that Japan had been drawn in the same group as Australia. Had the two been split into separate groups, as will be the case in 2010 if both qualify, Japan, too, may have made into the round of 16.

This gave Asia serious status credits and an assurance that it would, in the least, retain its World Cup finals quota in 2010. Thank you Australia and thank you Mohamed bin Hammam.

The AFC is one of FIFA’s larger confederations with 47 members. Yet, before Australia became a member, it had just four countries capable of performing competitively in the global sphere: Japan, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia. With the entrance of Australia the confederation increased its on-field muscle and performance credibility by 25 per cent.

That was Asia’s profit in accepting Australia.

But now, once again, Australia needs to show it has been worthy of admission and repay the faith.

There is a view that Australia winning the Asian Cup might be somehow counter-productive to enhancing the value of integration, i.e. that too much domination by the newcomer carries the spectre of cultural humiliation.

This is poppycock and I do not subscribe to it.

Asia, as an emerging region, needs high flying on-field performers to capture the world’s imagination and respect. Australia, with its glut of Premier League and Europe-based celebrities, is beautifully positioned to deliver some of that.

There is no need to fear that this will be some kind of walkover by the Australians, the white, blue-eyed intruders, as some opponents of its AFC membership would have it.

Japan, South Korea, Iran and some others will give Australia more than a run for its money. Far from easy, it will be tough. It should not entirely surprise if Australia fails, as our clubs did in the AFC Champions League and our youth teams already have in various regional competitions.

Far from being insecure over the prospect of winning the tournament, Australia should go for it and, importantly, should go for winning it in style.

The squad Australia parades, with its many pin-up boys in the eyes of Asia’s fandom, already has celebrity status in the region and nothing would please Asian audiences more than a regal, stylish performance by the Socceroos in the Asian Cup.

In such an event, Asian audiences will take ownership of the Socceroos as a team of their own and isn’t that, after all, Frank Lowy and most of us have wanted?

If the scenario is to be that Australia wins the Asian Cup, and does it with aplomb, it will be a thing that will cement Australia’s integration with Asia more rather than less.

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