Strong start for Korean clubs in AFC Champions League, but issues remain

Ulsan head coach Shin Tae-yong speaks during a press conference in Ulsan, Sept. 17. Yonhap

Just days after a solid international break for the South Korean national team, the country’s clubs also had a good few days in Asian club competitions. There were two wins and a draw in the opening round of games in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League elite. Ulsan HD and Gangwon FC defeated Chinese opposition in Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua respectively. FC Seoul drew with Machida Zelvia of Japan.

It is an encouraging start, especially after a disappointing time last season in Asia’s top-tier tournament. Ulsan has already matched its record from then and won a game. In the end, the Tigers and Pohang Steelers were eliminated in the group stage. Gwangju FC made it to the last eight but then lost 7-1 to Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia.

The big-spending teams from Riyadh and Jeddah dominated, supplying three of the four semifinalists and al-Ahli, who lost the 2012 final to Ulsan, ended up lifting the trophy. Saudi Arabian teams have spent around $1.5 billion on talent from around the world and it is not only K League teams that are struggling to compete.

In the first round, the top eight from the two 12-team groups, split into West and East Asia, progress to the Round of 16. So it is not just about getting to that point and taking on Saudi Arabian opposition, it is also becoming more difficult to get past Johor Darul Tazim of Malaysia and Thailand’s Buriram United. Unlike Korean teams, which are restricted to four foreign players, there are no restrictions for teams in Malaysia and Thailand.

"I absolutely think we have to loosen our foreign player quotas if we want to give any meaning to even playing at the AFC Champions League," Ulsan head coach Shin Tae-yong said. "Teams like Johor can have an entire starting lineup of foreign-born players and teams in Saudi Arabia have a separate squad of foreign players just for the AFC tournament. We get to have only four such players.”

Signing more foreign players can be a quick route to improvement, though there are no guarantees. K League teams are not known for having money to burn and significant investment is needed especially when there is competition all over Asia.

There is always the crucial point that imports have to be of a higher quality that the talent already produced locally. It is not, perhaps, a coincidence that South Korea has qualified for its 11th successive World Cup while the likes of Malaysia and Thailand have not come close. And while Saudi Arabia may currently have the strongest clubs on the continent, the national team is struggling to make it to the 2026 World Cup with national team coach Herve Renard complaining about the lack of playing time for some of his players.

So lifting the limits on foreign players could be a double-edged sword. There is no doubt that competition in Asia’s Champions League is getting more fierce, which is, in many ways, exactly what is needed. Throwing money at foreign players, assuming that there is the money, may not be the answer however.