In recent weeks, we have witnessed the exhilarating joy of football in both the Asian and African championships. These tournaments showcased significant progress among several smaller teams, enabling them to compete evenly with larger counterparts in terms of technical abilities.
This equilibrium led to surprising results, knocking out early on some historic teams with illustrious records. Comparing the technical and organizational levels between the two continents, we observe distinct characteristics.
African football relies heavily on skillful players and immense physical conditioning.
Conversely, Asian football largely depends on manufactured players who, when combined, form cohesive teams playing collective football.
However, there remains a deficiency in players capable of individual solutions and timely game-changing contributions, except for Jordan.
This disparity can be traced back to the historical period that shaped the game, providing unique experiences for both continents.
Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that teams such as Palestine, Jordan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan have shown significant improvement.
Regarding organization, Asia outperformed Africa, perhaps due to the vast financial resources allocated by the host nation, Qatar, for the current tournament.
The Asian Cup achieved unprecedented success, thanks to Qatar’s extensive capabilities in organizing sporting events, proven by its successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup.
Hosting 24 teams from arrival at the airport, providing facilities for training, accommodation, catering, medical supervision, and transportation for around 1500 participants, accompanied by comprehensive media coverage, and ensuring easy access for passionate sports fans to the stadium stands, was no easy feat.
On the other hand, the African continent, despite support from the African Union, faced different challenges compared to the Asian tournament.
In conclusion, the Jordanian and Qatari national teams reached the final match after Jordan defeated the favored South Korean team 2-0, and Qatar defeated Iran 3-2, demonstrating complete dominance in both matches.
Jordan’s victory, acknowledged by the opponent, is a notable achievement for the Jordan Football Association.
It’s hoped that the Jordanian football association will capitalize on this success, leveraging the experience gained.
Jordan’s football association, under Prince Ali’s leadership for eight years, has improved its ranking from 152 to 37.
This tournament has turned the dream into reality.
Despite success stories from African and Asian teams, our football federation has failed to learn from these experiences.
It continues to stagnate, exhibiting the same technical level, negative results, and frequent coach changes.
In essence, these tournaments epitomized fair sporting competition and good refereeing standards.
The football fans in the stands were the main drivers of the success of both championships.
We hope to witness the organization of a championship in our country, despite lacking stadiums, and even friendly matches are held abroad.
