1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament

The 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament was the fourth edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation.[1] Eight clubs from eight countries competed in the tournament, with Jardine Hong Kong withdrawing before the draw. The tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 March to 2 April; it was originally scheduled to be held in Kuwait, but the AFC moved the tournament as Kuwaiti immigration laws would have seen the delegation of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv refused entry into the country.

1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament
Maccabi Tel Aviv players with the trophy
Tournament details
Host countryThailand
Dates21 March – 2 April 1971
Teams8
Venue(s)Bangkok
Final positions
ChampionsIsrael Maccabi Tel Aviv (2nd title)
Runners-upIraq Aliyat Al-Shorta
Third placeIran Taj Tehran
Fourth placeSouth Korea ROK Army
Tournament statistics
Top scorer(s)Iraq Sabah Hatem
Israel Shlomo Gerbi
Kuwait Ali Al-Mulla
(4 goals each)
Best goalkeeperIraq Sattar Khalaf
1970
1972

The eight clubs were split in two groups of four, based on the results of a preliminary round, with the group winners and the runners-up advancing to the semifinals.

The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded their second Asian title after Iraqi club Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play them for political reasons. During the award ceremony, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, [2] while the AFC and Thai FA arranged a match between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team that was played in lieu of the final.

Participants

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Participants
Team Qualifying method
  Punjab Police[3] Selected by All India Football Federation
  Taj Tehran 1970–71 Local League champions
  Aliyat Al-Shorta 1969–70 Iraq Central FA Premier League champions
  Maccabi Tel Aviv 1969–70 Liga Leumit champions
  Al-Arabi 1969–70 Kuwaiti Premier League champions
  Perak FA 1970 Malaysia Cup champions
  ROK Army 1970 Korean National Football Championship champions
  Bangkok Bank Selected by Football Association of Thailand

Teams location

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Location of the 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament teams
  Red: Group A;   Blue: Group B

Results

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Preliminary round

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These were the group allocation matches: each group consisted of two winners and two losers from this round.

Following the original draw, Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play their scheduled opponent Maccabi Tel Aviv: subsequently, a second draw was conducted.

Bangkok Bank  1–2  ROK Army
Muankasem   79'
Attendance: 8000
Aliyat Al-Shorta  3–2  Taj Tehran
Mazloumi   23', 81'

Al-Arabi  8–1  Punjab Police
Surjeet Singh   17'
Attendance: 3000

Group stage

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Group A

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Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
  Taj Tehran 5 3 2 1 0 5 1 4
  ROK Army 4 3 2 0 1 5 2 3
  Al-Arabi 3 3 1 1 1 3 1 2
  Perak FA 0 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9
Al-Arabi  3–0  Perak FA
Attendance: 10,000
Taj Tehran  2–1  ROK Army
Hajghasem   43', 67' Lim Tae-Joo   46'

ROK Army  3–0  Perak FA
Attendance: 9000

Taj Tehran  3–0  Perak FA
Attendance: 8000

Group B

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Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
  Maccabi Tel Aviv 6 3 3 0 0 11 2 9
  Aliyat Al-Shorta 4 3 2 0 1 8 4 4
  Bangkok Bank 2 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3
  Punjab Police 0 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10

Maccabi Tel Aviv  4–1  Punjab Police
Surjeet Singh   83' (pen.)
Attendance: 9000

Aliyat Al-Shorta  6–1  Punjab Police
Sukhwinder Singh   78'
Bangkok Bank  1–4  Maccabi Tel Aviv
Suvanthada   65'

1 Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play for political reasons: the match was awarded to Maccabi 3–0.[4]

Knockout stage

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Semi-finals

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Maccabi Tel Aviv  2–0  ROK Army
Gerbi   29', 63'

Aliyat Al-Shorta  2–0  Taj Tehran
Attendance: 12,000

Third-place match

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Taj Tehran  3–2  ROK Army
Attendance: 3000

Final

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1 The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded the championship after Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play for political reasons.

Exhibition match

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This match was arranged by the AFC and the Thai FA, and was played in lieu of the final.

Combined Bangkok  1–2  Maccabi Tel Aviv
Sondhikan   6' Bar-Nur   2', 61'

References

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  1. ^ "History of the Asian Club Championship". Asian Football. 9 April 1997. Archived from the original on 9 April 1997. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ Arabic Post - The History of Stars on Football Shirts
  3. ^ Mukherjee, Soham (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ^ Maccabi to the semi-finals in Bangkok; beat Punjab 4:1 Davar, 28 March 1971, Page 12, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
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