Soccer in Asia
The game of soccer is very popular in
many Asian countries. Numerous Asian
countries have been able to qualify and also perform exceedingly well in
the World
Cup.
The Asian Football Federation had a prime role in taking the sport of
football to the
Asian masses. The Asian countries had a major influence in the way the
present
game of soccer is being played. The Asians players are not as tall as
their European
and African counterparts. But they manage to utilize their own style of
playing which
is very distinct from the European style. That is what adds the spice to
the sport of
soccer; the competition between 2 teams with different styles of playing
the game.
Some of the more prominent soccer nations
in Asia include: South Korea, Japan, Iran,
Saudi Arabia. Those teams have taken part in World Cup matches as well as
Asiatic
soccer tournaments and many of them are covered by the world media. Below
is a
description of some major soccer nations from Asia:
Soccer in Japan is
formally governed by the J. League and the Japan Football
Association. The history of soccer in
Japan, dates back to the Meiji period. The Far
Eastern Championship Games ushered Japan's emergence as one of the major
football
powers in Asia after a 3-3 draw with China to win their first ever
official championship
title. Japan also gained their first Olympic victory in the 1936 Berlin
Olympic where
they won against Sweden by 3-2. Their next success in the Olympics came in
the
1968 games where the national team secured third place and won a bronze
medal.
With the introduction of the J.
League the craze for soccer in Japan had increased
dramatically. The quick transformation allowed Japan to co-host the 2002
World Cup
along with Korea after making it to the finals for the first time in 1998.
The
Japanese national team put up an inspiring performance by progressing to
the Round
of 16.
Soccer in Japan has also made its way into
popular fiction. The character of Captain
Tsubasa became extremely popular especially among youngsters.
Soccer
in Saudi Arabia is worth mentioning when it comes to
tracing the story of
progress in Asian football. The Asian Cup, the most sought after of
football
tournaments in Asia, was won by Saudi Arabia three times.
Football is by far the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia.
Football in Saudi Arabia
is
officially under the charge of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation. The
sport received
a tremendous boost after thenational team qualified for the World Cup in
the 1994. New
stadiums were built and sponsors rushed in with lucrative contracts.
Football in Saudi Arabia
has a unique record in its repertoire. The team's goalkeeper,
Mohamed Al-Deayea, is the world record holder for most international
appearances by a
male footballer.
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