Confusion reigns in Champions League

Liverpool hammer Real Madrid. Barcelona thrash Lyon. Sporting Lisbon capitulate at Bayern Munich, while Chelsea sneak through against Juventus. Arsenal's win on penalties over Roma makes for grim viewing in Italy, as the English Premier League begins to assert its dominance over the struggling Italian game.

None of these things would probably matter in Asia, if it weren't for the fact that the Asian Football Confederation is trying to emulate the success of the UEFA Champions League with a revamped AFC Champions League of its own.

Yet in an opening round in which a crowd of 500 turned out to watch Qatar's Al Gharafa lose 3-1 to Saudi side Al Shabab - and this in a Qatar that one day hopes to host a World Cup - about the closest Asian fans came to the glamour of the European version was when the TV cameras zoomed in on former Tokyo Verdy striker Hulk as he went around for Portugese outfit Porto in their UEFA Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid.

Therein lies the problem. With so many fans in Asia absorbed in the drama that is the UEFA Champions League, it's little wonder that attendances such as the 3,156 that turned out at the 44,466-capacity Big Crown Stadium to witness South Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i lose 3-1 to Toyota-backed Nagoya Grampus, are the norm.

And that's only to scratch at the surface of the problem. Despite a vast increase in prize-money, it still piffles into insignificance compared to the riches on offer in Japan. So it is any wonder to see reigning J. League champions Kashima Antlers sleep-walk through a 4-1 hammering at the hands of recently-crowned K-League champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings? 

A decent crowd of 14,126 turned out for the Suwon - Kashima clash - not a bad effort on a cold, midweek evening, especially since many Asian fans turn in long hours at the office. But a crowd of 23,168 fans turned out just four days earlier to watch Suwon lose to Pohang Steelers on the opening day of the K. League season. And that brings up another vexing issue.

It's a delicate one - and one that probably requires an element of the dreaded political correctness in terms of discussion - but many Asian cultures retain centuries-old superiority complexes when it comes to dealing with their neighbours. Far from viewing their teams as "underdogs" and wanting to see them do battle with regional heavyweight rivals, some Asian fans would rather pretend that their regional rivals simply didn't exist.

Gamba Osaka's 3-0 win over Chinese side Shandong Luneng might have prompted a solemn cry of "we suspected as much!" from some of the 10,312 fans on hand at Banpaku in midweek - and that in itself was a larger crowd than defending champions Gamba usually draw in Asia - but there will be many more fans in attendance when the Osakans host Jubilo Iwata in the J. League on Saturday afternoon. Best to slay a familiar foe than potentially lose face against a regional rival, it seems - and if necessary, test yourself against the best of the world at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Nevertheless, the AFC look set to persist with their "if you build it, they will come" approach. I, for one, am happy to see them do so. Speaking as an Australian, there is much for A-League sides to learn from our Asian counterparts, and the Champions League has the potential to chip away at some of the barriers that still stand tall in Asian culture - even if it is only for ninety minutes.

But clearly, popularising the AFC Champions League is going to take some time. And given the toll it takes on clubs - Kawasaki Frontale, for example, play games on March 7, 11, 14, 18 and 22 in both the J. League and Champions League in what is the opening month of their season - it's not difficult to understand why some sides might prefer to concentrate on domestic duties.

Urawa Reds must be laughing at all of this. Reaching the Champions League might be their goal, but it's the fact that they are not playing in it this season that will probably help them reach it.