Indonesia have won the inaugural Fifa Asean Cup, defeating Thailand 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes in Jakarta, in front of 70,000 fans. The hosts had never been champions of south-east Asia, and the result handed Gianni Infantino a notable victory at the end of a tour through several Asian member associations.
The tournament was very much Infantino’s brainchild. Last October, the Fifa president arrived in Kuala Lumpur for a regional Asean meeting and announced a new competition for the region. Minutes after his speech, Fifa’s media office sent out what looked like hastily assembled emails promising that details would follow. The Asian Football Confederation was less than impressed by the world body entering its backyard and announcing new tournaments.
The Asean Cup is separate from the long-standing biennial regional competition, currently known as the Hyundai Asean Cup, which has existed since 1996. Vietnam won the final of its 16th edition in August, and few in the region thought another tournament was necessary. The new event also struggled for information and buy-in. China and India were invited in an attempt to tap into 2.8 billion potential viewers, but both declined. India chose glamorous friendlies against Brazil, Panama and Uruguay, while China lost 5-0 at home to Palestine. Broadcasters were not especially enthusiastic, and most of the region took time to sign up. Thailand did not, meaning fans there watched the final on Fifa channels.
The inaugural event featured two finals. Hong Kong beat Cambodia 2-0 to win the second-tier Asean Challenge Cup, a six-nation tournament. Infantino was greeted with chants of “Fifa Mafia” at that final in Hong Kong. Two days later in Indonesia, the reception for the 56-year-old was warmer. Jakarta is already onside with Infantino, and Indonesia did him a significant favour by winning the main event.
On the pitch, the eight-team Asean Cup produced a dramatic group stage. Indonesia, hosting one group, had to beat Bangladesh—India’s replacement—by one goal more than Malaysia beat Singapore in order to reach the final. Malaysia won 6-0, and Indonesia were 7-2 up against Bangladesh heading into added time, with only two extra minutes signalled. That was almost certainly an error given the earlier goals and VAR reviews, and Indonesia scored in the 96th and 97th minutes to win 9-2 and squeeze through. In the other group, hosted in Bandung, about 70 miles south-east of Jakarta, Thailand finished first with a match to spare.
Attendance figures were not released, but empty seats were a defining image of many matches. The final itself was memorable, finishing 2-2 after extra time before Indonesia won the shootout 4-2. In a contest between English coaches, John Herdman triumphed over Anthony Hudson. Whether that makes Indonesia champions of south-east Asia, given Vietnam’s success in the Hyundai Asean Cup, probably depends on who you ask.
The wider significance may lie in Fifa politics. Infantino’s Asian trip included attending a ceremony in Macau to inaugurate new headquarters, signing an agreement in Mongolia to build a new national stadium and opening a Fifa Arena mini-pitch in Uzbekistan. Asia remains divided over the coming Fifa presidential election: some associations have expressed support for the incumbent, others have openly opposed him, some will decide after seeing the other candidate, some will follow AFC leadership and vote against Infantino, and others will wait. Infantino may judge the Asean Cup’s real success on whether it has improved his chances of staying in office. If it has, both he and the tournament could return to south-east Asia. If not, the competition is likely to go the same way as its creator.