Scheduling debacle is an own goal for the Asean Football Federation

SINGAPORE – Deadly Thai striker Teerasil Dangda will not be adding to his record Asean Championship tally of 25 goals when the tournament kicks off on Dec 8. He will not feature this time, and neither will teammate and twinkle-toed playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin.

Most of the stars who were part of the Indonesia team who upset Saudi Arabia 2-0 during their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign – goalkeeper Maarten Paes, defenders Sandy Walsh, Rizky Ridho, Jay Idzes, Calvin Verdonk, midfielder Thom Haye, and forward Ragnar Oratmangoen – will also be missing.

Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore will also not be at full strength.

Thai clubs BG Pathum United and Muangthong United will not be releasing their players for the biennial tournament, which rules out Singapore’s top attackers Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi, as well as Filipino defensive duo Scott Woods and John-Patrick Strauss.

The reason behind the absence of stars? The competition, also known as the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup, is not played during a Fifa international window, and hence clubs are not obliged to release their players for the various national teams.

This could have been avoided if the Asean Football Federation (AFF), which organises the tournament, had listened to its members and planned the dates better.

Instead, it will be hosting what is billed as South-east Asian football’s premier national team competition without some of its best players.

With rumours that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) could follow the lead of Uefa and start a Nations League, the Asean Championship could further lose relevance.

Since its inception in 1996 as the Tiger Cup, the tournament has been played in August, September, November, December, and occasionally spilled over to the following January. Once, it was played in February.

With Asian domestic leagues gradually changing their schedule to mirror the European football calendar – which starts in autumn and ends in spring – it beggars belief that the AFF has yet to align itself.

The 2024 Championship was originally scheduled for Nov 23-Dec 21, which clashes with the AFC Champions League Elite from Nov 25-27 and Dec 2-4, as well as ACL2 (Nov 26-28 and Dec 3-5).

While the competition was rescheduled, it remains in conflict with leagues in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while Singapore and Vietnam have decided to pause their leagues for the national teams to prepare for the tournament.

In response to The Sunday Times’ queries, an AFF spokesman said earlier it had settled on the tournament dates after consultation with its member associations and considered “the congested schedule of domestic and international competitions”.

However, then Football Association of Singapore general secretary Yazeen Buhari shared that “the AFF Championship tournament dates are ultimately decided at AFF’s sole discretion and have always been held during a non-Fifa window”.

Sources told ST they would prefer the event to be held in July after the domestic leagues have concluded, and the differing accounts suggest that the AFF did not listen to its member federations.

Interestingly, despite concerns over fixture congestion, the AFF kicked off its Asean Club Championship in August 2024 and managed to work around the AFC club competitions, although Malaysian champions Johor Darul Takzim declined to participate.

The AFF also stated its hopes for the event to be a pathway to the expanded 32-team Fifa Club World Cup.

So, shouldn’t it be equally far-sighted and work with Fifa to settle on a fixed month – perhaps July – for the Asean Championship and make it a qualifier for the expanded 48-team World Cup once every four years?

With a sound plan and compliance with its international windows, there is every chance Fifa may consider giving South-east Asia – with its population of over 680 million – a spot in the Final, rather than via the Asian qualifiers.

Playing the tournament in a dedicated month once every two years will also help member federations plan for their leagues and national teams.

The championship has brought much joy and excitement to fans in the region and catapulted many players to greater opportunities. But like football teams, the AFF has to keep up with the times, quickly, or risk the lights going out on its showpiece event.