Regional associations in favour, number of teams, matches and tournament format being decided
Chua Siang Yee

After delays and despite lingering doubts about the participating teams, the Asean Super League (ASL) has been given a start date for its much-awaited kick-off.

In a phone interview with The Sunday Times, Azzuddin Ahmad, general secretary of the Asean Football Federation (AFF), said it is aiming to get the regional league off the ground next August.

He added that football's world governing body Fifa had given the go-ahead for the ASL.

Said Azzuddin: "Yes, the ASL is on track and will take place next year. We got the green light from Fifa. At the moment, we are scheduling it for August 2016.

"It will run for around eight months and we are now planning for the next five to six years."

ALL SYSTEMS GO

We got the green light from Fifa... It will run for around eight months and we are now planning for the next five to six years.

AZZUDDIN AHMAD, AFF general secretary, on the tournament going ahead

Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin is heading the AFF committee working on the mechanics of the ASL.

Azzuddin added that the AFF is now working out the details such as the composition of the league, fixtures and a possible promotion and relegation system.

Malcolm Thorpe, vice-president of sports development and events at World Sports Group, which is working with the AFF on the ASL, said: "We are working hard and closely with (all the member associations). Things are moving forward fairly positively."

"Fifa is in the process of creating a regulatory framework for the league," he added.

Thorpe said the league will begin at the earliest possible time that makes sense for all stakeholders.

However, he noted that the start date set for August next year represented a "tight timeline".

The ASL is expected to feature at least one team from each of the AFF's 12 member nations.

However, it is unclear if they will be existing clubs, a national age-group side or franchise teams like Singapore's LionsXII.

There is also uncertainty over Indonesia's participation.

Its football association (PSSI) is currently suspended from international football competition by Fifa.

The country's sports and youth ministry had cancelled the domestic football season because of a row over which teams were eligible to compete in the Indonesian Super League.

PSSI secretary-general Joko Driyono reiterated Indonesia's support for the ASL but said: "We are expecting further discussions with the ASL committee.

"There are still many things to discuss, such as the competition regulation and technical and commercial aspects."

"Indonesia is also in a very difficult situation," he added.

"If the Fifa suspension is not lifted by the end of the year, it is almost impossible for Indonesia to play a part in the ASL in 2016."

Joko added that the PSSI had earlier been given two spots in the ASL.

However, it is unsure which club it should send, or if it should create a new team.

Meanwhile, the new competition has been well received by other regional football associations.

Football Federation of Cambodia vice-president, Major-General Khiev Sameth, said: "On our part, we want to participate.

"We are now looking for resources to put the team together."

The Philippines men's national football team manager Dan Palami said he had not heard about the ASL's start date.

However, he is supportive, saying: "It's an interesting tournament, a lot of our clubs are looking at it, and the Philippine Football Federation are keen.

"The more competitions there are, the better it is for our development. A lot of clubs are looking at it, we are sure they will be interested, and we are exploring if we should send a club or maybe the Under-23s."

It is believed that Singapore's representatives could be the LionsXII who now play in the Malaysian Super League.

S-League powerhouses Tampines Rovers are also keen to play in the ASL.

The FAS could not be reached for comment.

http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/asean-super-league-to-kick-off-in-august-2016

Send the NPL champion.

It should run like the Gulf Champions League, which is for clubs that miss out on either the AFC Champions League or AFC Cup. So for Australia that would be the teams finishing 4th and/or 5th. Ignoring Wellington.

Definitely this, seems like the most sensible solution.

Perhaps an exception can be made for seriously under developed countries who can just elect a team for it.

Edited by paladisious: 3/8/2015 01:54:25 PM

My question is this: will it be ACL/World Cup style? Or would it be a traditional league with 22 rounds? I think in the past they were leaning toward the latter, which would mean the 12 teams would be committed to the ASL full time.

Guess we'll have to wait and see... :-k

Perth Glory or a team from Darwin or Cairns should play in this.

Soccer-More delays for Super League in troubled ASEAN region
Reuters Aug 5, 2015 3:25 AM
SINGAPORE, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The long-discussed Southeast Asian Super League has been given another revised launch date but with soccer administration in the 11-nation bloc in a fraught state, questions remain whether it is still too soon or even wanted.

The 12-team league featuring a side from each of the region's members, and possibly Australia, is now due to kickoff in August 2016, after initially being slated for this year and then pushed back again because of "administrative delays."

Azzuddin Ahmad, general secretary of the Asean Football Federation (AFF), told the Straits Times last week, the ASL has been given the green light by FIFA but there remain many red flags among the participating members.

Arguably the biggest market, Indonesia, is banned from all football by FIFA after government interference in the running of the sport, with local media reporting on Tuesday that the football association had ruled out playing in the inaugural edition.

The most talented country in the region, Thailand, have other issues, with their Football Association President Worawi Makudi found guilty of forgery last month and facing a battle for power.

Both Thailand and Indonesia have previously questioned the merits of the new tournament.

Meanwhile, Malaysian football continues to flounder amid public outcry at the running of the game following humbling results for the national team and fixture congestion in the domestic league. A new tournament seems an unlikely solution.

The paper said Malaysia had planned to enter an under-18 side into the tournament, suggesting a lack of enthusiasm.

SORRY STATE

Elsewhere, the region's eternal problem of match-fixing struck Vietnam again last year, while developing Myanmar battle to resolve continued crowd trouble that has led to them being banned from playing home World Cup qualifiers.

And in Laos, the BBC reported last month that young African players were being "trafficked" to the communist country and forced to sign contracts with clubs.

The sorry state of the game in the densely populated, soccer obsessed region suggests work needs to be done before taking on board another project. The issues are unlikely to help convince Asian champions Australia to get involved.

Despite the problems, Singapore are understood to be the ones pushing hard for the new league's introduction and will host the organisers headquarters, but the local FA has come under fire regarding the struggling domestic S.League.

With falling attendances, clubs dropping out of the league citing rising costs, and local media reports of the whole competition possibly being disbanded, Singaporean clubs were already edgy before the proposition of a new eight-month league.

"If they are going to launch an ASL, then at least let us know early," Geylang International coach Jorg Steinebrunner told the Straits Times.

"At this time, most clubs are already planning for the next season."

However, there is no guarantee the ASL will start in 2016.

World Sports Group, the Singapore-based marketing partners of the Asian Football Confederation, who are involved in the project, hinted at another delay when vice-president Malcolm Thorpe said the start date represented a "tight timeline". (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by John O'Brien)

LionsXII in Asean super league


It may have suffered doubters from many quarters, even in other nations, but the seeds of the ASEAN Super League (ASL) have long been sown, and the formation of the new regional football competition has now entered its final furlong.


Organisers told The New Paper that the final hurdle left to cross is for world football governing body Fifa to finalise regulations for a framework for proposed regional leagues around the world - not just the ASL.

The ASL is formalising its own structure - both of its organisation and the format of the league, which is set for an introduction next year and a likely 2017 kick-off.

TNP understands that if the preferred Aug 2016 kick-off is not possible, the ASL will launch in January the following year, with each member association - excluding Australia - represented by at least one team.

They will all be new franchises and will feature the best local players from each country along with four foreign signings.

The August kick-off is preferred because ASL teams can then look to sign quality foreign players during the long European summer transfer window.

Step up

For the Republic, the LionsXII squad participating in Malaysian domestic football competitions will make the step up to the ASL. They will be provisionally named Singapore Lions.

Top local players could earn $30,000 or more a month, depending on whether there is a salary cap. Younger ones would start from $5,000 a month.

The Courts Young Lions, who are plying their trade in the Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League, will step up and play in the Malaysian Super League (MSL), boosted by four foreign players who have been short-listed under the Foreign Sports Talent programme.

It is believed Timor Leste will sit out the first year of the ASL, which will feature a league competition and at least one cup tournament.

The aim is for the inaugural ASL champions to play in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League - the most prestigious club competition on the continent - the following year.

In response to TNP queries, ASL organisers said recently: "The ASL Company has been incorporated (in waiting) and we are working to get the approval for ASL from Fifa within this year. We are also awaiting the approval of the framework of regulations for existence of regional leagues that would be applicable worldwide."

An ASL workshop was held at the Amara Hotel last month, with the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Congress later in the month also witnessing discussions on the proposed new competition, which is seen as a game-changer for the region.

"The objective of the workshop and meeting was for the ASL committee to provide the AFF council members the update and progress of the ASL project and also the next course of action.

"It includes the approval of the action plan for implementation (subject to Fifa's approval) as well as the procurement of clubs into the professional league. We were encouraged to note that we have the complete support from the AFF members for this project," said organisers.

"We have also updated the ASL format and details to the members at last month's workshop, which include the league and knock-out competitions."

Down the road, there is also a possibility of a team from India and even Australia being invited to participate in the ASL.

Weekday matches

ASL matches will feature on weekdays to prevent clashes with domestic leagues, which are mostly held on weekends.

ASL organisers are looking at one cup tournament, where the champions of the respective leagues will be in the mix with the teams from the regional competition.

It is believed the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will soon announce a revamped version of the S.League that will adopt a younger demographic and be a feeder for the Singapore side in the ASL.

There has been much debate about the future of the S.League, with some touting a return to semi-professional days.

However, TNP understands that some clubs have been informed how the new competition will look like and are making moves to sign players and officials for next season.

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/sports/lionsxii-asean-super-league#sthash.ByYtxwDV.dpuf

Let's hope not.

I'm quietly optimistic that it might be entertaining.

I doubt A-League teams will participate.