This proves the saying:"What goes around, comes around"!! Both these teams qualified against Zob Ahan and Sepahan... Ref in ZA game gave an unfair penalty to Suwon which resulted in their qualification, Sepahan on the other hand won both its games against Al Sadd but we all know the story... AFC's refrees are so incompetent... they let the match get out of control... screw AFC!
What a garbage bunch of officials. Two players go down in the box and the cunt doesn't stop the game. Then when the game does stop he fails to prevent the other team from restarting it on their own. Then a goal gets scored and he foolishly accepts it. Then a fight breaks out and he stands there looking like a baby who has lost his mom.
This is sad for Asia… it makes the region look bad…
It started with bad officiating…. The referee should have stopped the game when the Korean player got injured.
The first fault goes to Korean player who saw that their own player was injured but tried to take advantage of the situation and score a goal. When he couldn’t he kicked the ball out.
There is no rule for fair play. However, if the referee had stopped the game, it would be accepted. The coach also was at fault, even the club, the blame does not fall on player(s) only.
The Korean’s were not fair when they played against our team when one of our players was injured.
Al-Sad has many non-Arab players so one should not say Arab this or Arab that. Two of their best players received red cards who are not Arab, they will have a difficult time in return game.
It started with bad officiating…. The referee should have stopped the game when the Korean player got injured.
The first fault goes to Korean player who saw that their own player was injured but tried to take advantage of the situation and score a goal. When he couldn’t he kicked the ball out.
There is no rule for fair play. However, if the referee had stopped the game, it would be accepted. The coach also was at fault, even the club, the blame does not fall on player(s) only.
The Korean’s were not fair when they played against our team when one of our players was injured.
Al-Sad has many non-Arab players so one should not say Arab this or Arab that. Two of their best players received red cards who are not Arab, they will have a difficult time in return game.
Why are people blaming the Arabs in this?
It was the Korean team that started the idiocy by continuing to play while their own player was down screaming in pain.
The Arab team took advantage of the ref's stupidity and lack of authority.
In the physical fights the Koreans seemed to be the aggressor in most scenes. Why are we blaming the Arab team?
It was the Korean team that started the idiocy by continuing to play while their own player was down screaming in pain.
The Arab team took advantage of the ref's stupidity and lack of authority.
In the physical fights the Koreans seemed to be the aggressor in most scenes. Why are we blaming the Arab team?
the Al Saad players who ignored "Fair Play", are not Arabs. I think they are African. The Ref made a huge mistake not stopping the game when the two players were down in the box and the Korean players were pushing forward on the right side. Right there and then he should have stopped the play, but I don't blame him for not getting in the middle of the fighting. I think once a fight breaks out, they ref is supposed to protect himself and move aside. But that's probably the only thing this ref did right.
Isn't there a return game? I like to watch that game. lol
Isn't there a return game? I like to watch that game. lol
great article about this by John Duerden..worth the long read..
Asia shamed by showpiece brawl
October 20, 2011
It was, as the international headlines screamed, something of a shameful night for Asian football but there was more. As Al Sadd celebrated a hugely controversial second goal in the first leg of their 2011 Asian Champions League semi-final at Suwon Bluewings on Wednesday evening, along with the punches, the flying kicks and players trying to strangle each other with towels, there was, in the chilly evening air, a feeling that this may be the club's year.
Al Sadd and Suwon's mass brawl
Fate beats form every time. The Qatari powerhouse only entered this year's competition thanks to the disqualification of Vietnamese teams due to the non-submission of documents. They then came through the qualifying stage, topped their group despite only winning two out of six games. Even better was to come in the quarter-final against Sepahan. Despite losing the first leg 1-0 at home, the AFC gave the game to Al Sadd with a 3-0 scoreline after the Iranians had fielded an ineligible player. The Doha outfit can hardly be blamed for taking advantage of the administrative incompetence of others but Wednesday was a little different.
Suwon were clear favourites after knocking out Japanese champions Nagoya Grampus in the second round and then eliminating last year's finalists Zob Ahan to move into the last four. It had already been a frustrating night for the hosts, unable to turn pressure and possession into penetration and goals. Midway through the second half Mamadou Niang's deflected shot gave Al Sadd the lead. As you would expect with the second leg to come in Doha next week, the visitors were happy to protect what they had for the rest of the match. Suwon were pushing forward, encouraged by a similar situation in the last round. Then, too, they had fallen behind at home before coming back to draw and then win away.
With nine minutes left, Suwon were encamped in the Qatari half. In the penalty area, Choi Sung-Hwan got a kick to the head. The Bluewings, continental champions in 2001 and 2002, continued to press forward and crossed into the danger area. When that was cleared, Yeom Ki-Hoon eventually let the ball go out for a throw-in almost in line with the edge of the Al Sadd area.
The Koreans, waiting for the bleeding Choi to be patched up, expected the ball back and so kept their attacking positions, wandering back a few yards in anticipation of the throw-in or, at worst, perhaps a long kick through to their goalkeeper and then the long kick back.
If Choi looked a little dazed as he stood up, it was nothing to how the rest of his team-mates were feeling. All watched in horror as Kader Keita quickly knocked the ball forward to Niang who sprinted into the empty Suwon half to run past goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong and score into an empty Suwon net.
As far as adjectives go, if all goalmouth scrambles in football are 'almighty' then most brawls are 'unseemly' and what followed was certainly that. Korean anger at the manner of the goal was ratcheted up a notch at Al Sadd's celebrations with substitutes and staff joining in to salute a goal that has taken the visitors to within touching distance of the final.
The hapless referee, surely wishing that he had stopped the game when the initial head injury had occurred, looked like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights. A semblance of order was starting to be restored when a Suwon fan made it onto the pitch to square up to the visiting goalkeeper. That took the brawl from the 'unseemly' into the almost 'unseen' category and fans in the West Stand were treated to something out of a Wild West movie. Players and staff were trading punches with a few Taekwondo kicks thrown in for good measure.
And this was, don't forget, the Asian Champions League semi-final. It was not the kind of advert that the AFC had in mind for its showpiece event. Those clutching at straws pointed out, perhaps in jest, that it is not as bad as first thought as the two culprits for Al Sadd were from the Ivory Coast and Senegal and that the most vociferous of the Suwon pack were Croatian and Macedonian.
Keita was sent off for his actions in the brawl as was Suwon's Stevica Ristic. Niang, who "lost his head" according to Al Sadd's Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati (not that any around him were keeping theirs) didn't last much longer before seeing red, and neither did a member of each team's coaching staff. If that wasn't enough, at some point in the ten minutes stoppage time, Al Sadd's Korean defender, and former Suwon player, Lee Jung-Soo left the pitch to be subbed after arguing with his team-mates that they should let Suwon score. After the game, Lee told reporters that Niang and Keita had apologised for the goal and admitted it was wrong. He admitted that he may never play for the club again. Many Koreans are hoping that he does not.
There are precedents in Europe as well as closer to home. When Kanu set up Marc Overmars to give Arsenal a similar goal against Sheffield United in the 1999 FA Cup, Arsene Wenger offered a replay. In 2008 in Korea, Seongnam Ilhwa, defending Asian champions, scored in such a fashion in the K-League and immediately allowed Ahn Jung-Hwan to score an equaliser for Busan.
Despite Lee's wishes, any thought of allowing Suwon to score was lost within seconds as the fight broke out and rendered such gestures impossible and anyway, given the fact that it was an away goal for Al Sadd, it may not have seemed like a fair trade.
The Qataris made much (both during and after the match) of Suwon's initial reluctance to put the ball out of play and they had a point. Only when Suwon's attack broke down was the ball allowed to go out. Regardless, it was unsportsmanlike from the visitors. Ten blue shirts in the Al Sadd half were clearly waiting to get the ball back. If Keita felt that Suwon didn't deserve repossession, the midfielder should have made it clear well before trying to send Niang clear.
Fossati has seen much in his career and looked embarrassed at the goal and shaken at the aftermath, saying. ''Of course, I don't want to defend the second goal.'' The post-match comments from Fossati and his opposite number Yoon Sung-Hyo were perhaps the only bright point of the evening with both being restrained as much as possible and trying not to add to the controversy.
What happens next is down to the AFC. Suwon will be rightly punished for the fan entering the pitch and their part in the brawl, as will Al Sadd. The goal stands. It was against the spirit if not the law of the beautiful game. In the future it should be down to referees to decide what happens when a player is down injured.
For the moment however, the best way to restore some class and dignity to what is one of the biggest games in the Asian season would be for Al Sadd to allow Suwon to score from the kick-off next week. It would be a class act and would ensure that the next time Asian football makes international headlines; it is for the right reasons.
Asia shamed by showpiece brawl
October 20, 2011
It was, as the international headlines screamed, something of a shameful night for Asian football but there was more. As Al Sadd celebrated a hugely controversial second goal in the first leg of their 2011 Asian Champions League semi-final at Suwon Bluewings on Wednesday evening, along with the punches, the flying kicks and players trying to strangle each other with towels, there was, in the chilly evening air, a feeling that this may be the club's year.
Al Sadd and Suwon's mass brawl
Fate beats form every time. The Qatari powerhouse only entered this year's competition thanks to the disqualification of Vietnamese teams due to the non-submission of documents. They then came through the qualifying stage, topped their group despite only winning two out of six games. Even better was to come in the quarter-final against Sepahan. Despite losing the first leg 1-0 at home, the AFC gave the game to Al Sadd with a 3-0 scoreline after the Iranians had fielded an ineligible player. The Doha outfit can hardly be blamed for taking advantage of the administrative incompetence of others but Wednesday was a little different.
Suwon were clear favourites after knocking out Japanese champions Nagoya Grampus in the second round and then eliminating last year's finalists Zob Ahan to move into the last four. It had already been a frustrating night for the hosts, unable to turn pressure and possession into penetration and goals. Midway through the second half Mamadou Niang's deflected shot gave Al Sadd the lead. As you would expect with the second leg to come in Doha next week, the visitors were happy to protect what they had for the rest of the match. Suwon were pushing forward, encouraged by a similar situation in the last round. Then, too, they had fallen behind at home before coming back to draw and then win away.
With nine minutes left, Suwon were encamped in the Qatari half. In the penalty area, Choi Sung-Hwan got a kick to the head. The Bluewings, continental champions in 2001 and 2002, continued to press forward and crossed into the danger area. When that was cleared, Yeom Ki-Hoon eventually let the ball go out for a throw-in almost in line with the edge of the Al Sadd area.
The Koreans, waiting for the bleeding Choi to be patched up, expected the ball back and so kept their attacking positions, wandering back a few yards in anticipation of the throw-in or, at worst, perhaps a long kick through to their goalkeeper and then the long kick back.
If Choi looked a little dazed as he stood up, it was nothing to how the rest of his team-mates were feeling. All watched in horror as Kader Keita quickly knocked the ball forward to Niang who sprinted into the empty Suwon half to run past goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong and score into an empty Suwon net.
As far as adjectives go, if all goalmouth scrambles in football are 'almighty' then most brawls are 'unseemly' and what followed was certainly that. Korean anger at the manner of the goal was ratcheted up a notch at Al Sadd's celebrations with substitutes and staff joining in to salute a goal that has taken the visitors to within touching distance of the final.
The hapless referee, surely wishing that he had stopped the game when the initial head injury had occurred, looked like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights. A semblance of order was starting to be restored when a Suwon fan made it onto the pitch to square up to the visiting goalkeeper. That took the brawl from the 'unseemly' into the almost 'unseen' category and fans in the West Stand were treated to something out of a Wild West movie. Players and staff were trading punches with a few Taekwondo kicks thrown in for good measure.
And this was, don't forget, the Asian Champions League semi-final. It was not the kind of advert that the AFC had in mind for its showpiece event. Those clutching at straws pointed out, perhaps in jest, that it is not as bad as first thought as the two culprits for Al Sadd were from the Ivory Coast and Senegal and that the most vociferous of the Suwon pack were Croatian and Macedonian.
Keita was sent off for his actions in the brawl as was Suwon's Stevica Ristic. Niang, who "lost his head" according to Al Sadd's Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati (not that any around him were keeping theirs) didn't last much longer before seeing red, and neither did a member of each team's coaching staff. If that wasn't enough, at some point in the ten minutes stoppage time, Al Sadd's Korean defender, and former Suwon player, Lee Jung-Soo left the pitch to be subbed after arguing with his team-mates that they should let Suwon score. After the game, Lee told reporters that Niang and Keita had apologised for the goal and admitted it was wrong. He admitted that he may never play for the club again. Many Koreans are hoping that he does not.
There are precedents in Europe as well as closer to home. When Kanu set up Marc Overmars to give Arsenal a similar goal against Sheffield United in the 1999 FA Cup, Arsene Wenger offered a replay. In 2008 in Korea, Seongnam Ilhwa, defending Asian champions, scored in such a fashion in the K-League and immediately allowed Ahn Jung-Hwan to score an equaliser for Busan.
Despite Lee's wishes, any thought of allowing Suwon to score was lost within seconds as the fight broke out and rendered such gestures impossible and anyway, given the fact that it was an away goal for Al Sadd, it may not have seemed like a fair trade.
The Qataris made much (both during and after the match) of Suwon's initial reluctance to put the ball out of play and they had a point. Only when Suwon's attack broke down was the ball allowed to go out. Regardless, it was unsportsmanlike from the visitors. Ten blue shirts in the Al Sadd half were clearly waiting to get the ball back. If Keita felt that Suwon didn't deserve repossession, the midfielder should have made it clear well before trying to send Niang clear.
Fossati has seen much in his career and looked embarrassed at the goal and shaken at the aftermath, saying. ''Of course, I don't want to defend the second goal.'' The post-match comments from Fossati and his opposite number Yoon Sung-Hyo were perhaps the only bright point of the evening with both being restrained as much as possible and trying not to add to the controversy.
What happens next is down to the AFC. Suwon will be rightly punished for the fan entering the pitch and their part in the brawl, as will Al Sadd. The goal stands. It was against the spirit if not the law of the beautiful game. In the future it should be down to referees to decide what happens when a player is down injured.
For the moment however, the best way to restore some class and dignity to what is one of the biggest games in the Asian season would be for Al Sadd to allow Suwon to score from the kick-off next week. It would be a class act and would ensure that the next time Asian football makes international headlines; it is for the right reasons.
