1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament

1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament
Maccabi Tel Aviv players with the trophy
Tournament details
Host countryThailand
Dates21 March – 2 April 1971
Teams8
Venue1 (in 1 host city)
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)Sabah Hatem
Shlomo Gerbi
Ali Al-Mulla
(4 goals each)
Best goalkeeperSattar Khalaf
← 1970
1972 →

The 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament was the fourth edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation. Initially, nine clubs from nine countries competed in the tournament, but Jardine Hong Kong withdrew before the draw, leaving eight clubs to compete. The tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 March to 2 April: the tournament 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.

The eight clubs were split into 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 out of solidarity with Palestine.The AFC and the Thai FA subsequently arranged a match between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team that was played in lieu of the final.

Participants

Participants
Team Qualifying method
India Punjab 1970–71 Santosh Trophy champions
Iran Taj Tehran 1970–71 Local League champions
Iraq Aliyat Al-Shorta 1969–70 Iraq Central FA Premier League champions
Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 1969–70 Liga Leumit champions
Kuwait Al-Arabi 1969–70 Kuwaiti Premier League champions
Malaysia Perak FA 1970 Malaysia Cup champions
South Korea ROK Army 1970 Korean National Football Championship champions
Thailand Bangkok Bank Selected by Football Association of Thailand

Withdrawals

Teams location

1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament is located in Asian Football Confederation
Location of the 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament teams
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B

Preliminary round

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 Thailand1–2South Korea ROK Army
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 8,000
Aliyat Al-Shorta Iraq3–2Iran Taj Tehran

Al-Arabi Kuwait8–1India Punjab
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 3,000
Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel1–0Malaysia Perak FA

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Iran Taj 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 5 Advance to knockout stage
2 South Korea ROK Army 3 1 2 0 5 2 +3 4
3 Kuwait Al-Arabi 3 1 1 1 3 1 +2 3
4 Malaysia Perak FA 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0
Source: [citation needed]
Al-Arabi Kuwait3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 10,000

ROK Army South Korea3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 9,000

Taj Tehran Iran3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 8,000

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 3 3 0 0 11 2 +9 6 Advance to knockout stage
2 Iraq Aliyat Al-Shorta 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 4
3 Thailand Bangkok Bank 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 2
4 India Punjab 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10 0
Source: [citation needed]

Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel4–1India Punjab
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 9,000

Aliyat Al-Shorta Iraq6–1India Punjab

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

Knockout stage

Semi-finals


Aliyat Al-Shorta Iraq2–0Iran Taj Tehran
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 12,000

Third-place match

Taj Tehran Iran3–2South Korea ROK Army
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 3,000

Final

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

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

Combined Bangkok Thailand1–2Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
Sondhikan 6' Bar-Nur 2', 61'

References

  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. ↑ Maccabi to the semi-finals in Bangkok; beat Punjab 4:1 Archived 7 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Davar, 28 March 1971, Page 12, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)