Essay Sample on Asian Football: Striving for Global Competitiveness

Introduction

Asian football teams strive to outcompete their competitors in the international soccer industry. As in geopolitics, the region's clubs and leagues aim to occupy better strategic positions in the world soccer through the implementation of strategic approaches. Currently, Asia has well-established soccer institutions such as the AFC that strive to enhance the competitiveness of Asia football through proper coordination and regulations. However, the achievements of AFC bear little correspondence to local and regional realities. With all forms of branding, rules and several tournaments, Asia is yet to realize its vision and position in the worldwide soccer industry. The region lacks cultural, economic and political unity and hence limit their achievements in the 21st-century football. Areas such as the Gulf, Levant and West Asia play football in their respective tournaments and thus a constraint to its competitiveness. Several local and regional forces such as marketing efforts, team diversity and buying of European clubs are critical factors that shape the 21st-century football in Asia.

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Historically, crickets have overshadowed football in the region, especially South East Asia. It has the most ineffective and venal football administrators, but it has recorded remarkable progress in the recent past. Given the diversity in Asia, which accounts for the most significant proportion of the world population, it is evident that there is a shift in the balance of power between the global football system and that of the region. For instance, there is a growing trend of influential people buying European clubs. Also, the Asian population has shown a resistance to the foreign leagues even with intense international marketing efforts targeting the region. The second factor that indicates a change in Asian football in this century is the rise of aggressive nationalism. While this situation is not new, there is a growth in violence and social disorder around the Asian games. Another aspect is an intersection between money laundering, illegal gambling and organized match-fixing which are getting worst in Asia compared to other countries with developed football.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirms that the region's soccer has improved since the early 2000s. Some of the key indicators that show improvement in football are enhanced remuneration, the popularity from the fans and interests by the political elites in Asia and beyond. The proliferation of technology is one of the critical factors that enhance football in Asia. In the wake of globalization, AFC has commercialized football everywhere in the region. This aspect implies that the football agency has implemented strategies that enable a majority of the people to access football matches and information concerning their teams globally. The cable televisions and satellites, in particular, are some of the primary factors that have enhanced the status and popularity of football in Asia.

The advanced capitalist nations of Asia facilitates hosting of professional and most organized leagues in the region. The existence of vast resources in Australia, South Korea, and Japan, which is Asia's sporting apex is a critical factor that has revolutionized the 21st-century soccer in the region. The three countries are the regular attendees of the World Cup and hence suggests that they are the face of football in Asian countries. Since South Korea and Japan hosted the World Cup in 2002, they are determined to modernize football in Asia as a strategy to establish not only sustainable but also robust leagues and tournaments in Asia. Australia, on the other hand, is emerging as a football hub of Asia owing to factors such as cultural and organizational revamp. Australia has utilized the two elements like the region's critical instruments of change in 21st-century football. The strategy is working since Australia has occupied a central role in establishing a popular sports culture in Asia.

Advertisers, sponsors, and media companies play critical roles in transforming Asian soccer in the present-day world. These parties have shaped the sporting industry by enhancing their prominence and consequently developing the emergence of football in the region. It is worth noting in this perspective that these parties support Asian football financially and thus their capability to achieve international standards. They give prominence to the region's soccer by making football players endorsers and celebrities. In Japan, for instance, the country's significant television channels are currently hosting football-lifestyle celebrity show as a strategy to market the region's soccer. Also, magazine publishers have implemented a plan where they focus on single players. Their titles, in this regard, is one of the approaches to popularize Asian football and make it a model of organized soccer in the world.

The Asian billionaires who had initially invested their resources to several football clubs in Europe are currently supporting football in the region. Whereas soccer in England and other parts of Europe are well-established, it is no doubt that world entrepreneurs have improved Asian football to better standards compared to the last two decades. Thailand's billionaires such as VI Chai, for instance, initially had concentration hitherto in European football but is now supporting Asian soccer clubs. This person is an influential figure who have mobilized domestic politicians and audience to support Asian football. Hence, the role of famous and influential figures in Thailand explains why the residents have retained sufficient public interest for the country's and Asian football clubs to remain attractive in the world soccer industry. The region's football teams such as Muangthong United have risen to prominence in Asia soccer because of the investment of Rawi Lohtonmg among other entrepreneurs in Thailand.

The elimination of corruption is one of the developments that have led to the growth of Asian football in the 21st century. Over the last two decades, the popularity and integrity of the Asian soccer industry were rapidly declining because of corruption. However, several countries such as Japan and China have reorganized the structure of their national leagues. Before these changes, Asia reported cases of match-fixing and gambling among the top officials. This situation had adverse impacts since several leagues could not attract foreign sponsors for financial support. Also, a significant proportion of teams in the region could not attract large crowds that were initially a substantial source of their revenue. In China, for instance, Wei Be, the country's vice president presided over the launch and subsequently coordinated the anti-corruption programs in football. The strategy was successful since the Chinese leader was politically influential besides his obsession with football for decades.

The implementation of anti-corruption and match-fixing program ultimately led to six years imprisonment of four former players who once engaged in match-fixing. Also, the agency did not spare Lu Jun, the referee for the infamous "golden whistle' that the fans and the regulatory agency saw it as a form of match-fixing. The role of anti-corruption agencies has successfully restored the integrity of matches across Chinese and Asian societies. While many people saw the role of football anti-corruption campaigns as political, it is no doubt that it restored the trust that the Asian fan base and the world football community had lost. In this case, European soccer remains a worldwide football that has a significant following in Asia. The number of countries that value the European football league TV rights has sharply increased. Hence, it is an indication that AFC and individual clubs ought to revolutionize their plans to make the region football competitive.

Conclusion

Football in the 20th century Asia faced multiple challenges that adversely impacted on its growth. Some of these factors are political interference, corruption, match-fixing, and inadequate finances to run operations in essential leagues. Also, the existence of several geopolitical subsystems divided the region that it could not organize significant tournaments and leagues. A substantial proportion of Asian soccer teams played their matches and hence could not cooperate to play under one league or tournament. However, several transformations have taken place in the 21st century and thus making Asia one of the emerging football hubs of the world. Firstly, the region currently has AFC that organize, regulate and coordinate football in the entire Asian countries. It also organizes major competitions besides drafting, implementing laws and boosting grass root support. Secondly, Asia has overhauled the previous systems that facilitated match-fixing and corruption in football. This situation was a barrier to the development of Asian soccer since it was making it unattractive to the locals and the sponsors. Thirdly, the region's entrepreneurs, the media companies and the sponsors are supporting the growth of the leagues and tournaments. While football in Asia is emerging at a fast pace, it is no doubt that AFC ought to implement more strategies to support the growth of the region's tournaments and leagues.