Sports Asia (with Asian Football)

Sports Asia (incorporating Asian Football Business Review) highlights and profiles peak commercial sports and grassroots development in Asia. Ed: Geoff Gold

[Geoffrey Gold @DrGeoffreyGold]

Australian Rules Football fans are used to monster crowds at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where their sport began in 1858. In last year’s @AFL Grand Final a crowd of 100,022 watched two non-Melburnian teams play off for the Australian Football Leavue premiership, while this year four mid-table local clubs have already attracted 81,036 and 91,733 for their respective ‘wildcard’ finals.

Will the US National Football League attract a near 100,000 crowd at the (officially) 100,024-capacity @MCG when the San Fransisco @49ers and Los Angeles Rams play the @NFL’s first regular season game in Australia?

The experience of other football codes is encouraging.

For soccer, the 2006 international friendly between Australia’s @Socceroos and the Greek national team (Euro champs) attracted 95,103 while the 2013 club friendly between England’s Liverpool @LFC and Melbourne Victory @gomvfc drew 95,446.

In 2026, one game of the National Rugby League’s peak series, the @NRL State of Origin between NSW and Queensland, attracted 91,671 and, in 2025, 90,307 attended the international Rugby Union clash between Australia’s @Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions.

Melburnians - Victorians - Australians love their sports! And the ‘G’ is their premier venue.

[Sports Asia (with Asian Football) @Asian_Football]

English football’s stunning third division world class training facilities:

[Matt Hughes @MattHughesMedia]

Oceania Football Confederation declares backing for Gianni Infantino, but New Zealand break ranks and withdraw support | The Guardian https://t.co/tKbYg4xH5w

[Sports Asia (with Asian Football) @Asian_Football]

End of a Thai era.

[GOAL @goal]

🚨 Leicester City put up for sale by King Power for £200m+ following disastrous fall to League One 🤯😱

Read the full details 🔗 https://t.co/V0VwT2eHNV

[ESPN Asia @ESPNAsia]

🇻🇳 Vietnam have benefited from having some naturalised stars in recent times.

But, as the #ASEANChampionship's current top scorer Nguyen Dinh Bac is showing, their homegrown talent are still shining bright. #ASEANHyundaiCup #ASEANUtdFC

https://t.co/xDY60OkB2i

[Ben Mabley（ベン・メイブリー） @BenMabley]

Delighted to again be narrating the J.League’s official English-language highlights show for 2026/27.

From this season, the programme is now available in Japan - free to watch on YouTube.

Available internationally on YouTube or rights holders’ channels.
https://t.co/TfaBkqEa0i

[Gary Koh @GaryKLH]

@AyhanRMCF The ASEAN Championship, also known presently as the AFF Hyundai Cup, has a rich, storied 30-year history. Imperfect but at least @AFFPresse and its partners have kept building on it over the years.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup remains a mystery, with many unanswered basic questions.

[Football360.com.au @football360au]

Ange and Cristiano Ronaldo have been united at Al Nassr for the first time 🙌

The Portuguese superstar has returned from his World Cup break, with the Aussie coach even taking a moment to congratulate him on his marriage 👏

[Ken Bensinger @kenbensinger]

In a new filing, the DoJ opposes reversing the convictions of 5 men convicted in the FIFA corruption case, even though it previously moved to drop convictions against 2 others

They are:

Juan Ángel Napout 🇵🇾
José Maria Marin 🇧🇷
Eduardo Li 🇨🇷
Alfredo Hawit 🇭🇳
Reynaldo Vásquez 🇸🇻

[Ashish Negi @7negiashish]

🚨 Breaking: Tata Steel transfer ownership of Jamshedpur FC to Churchill Brothers FC for Rs100

Tata Steel has agreed to transfer its equity shares in Jamshedpur Football & Sporting Pvt. Ltd. (JFSL) to Churchill Brothers Football Club for a token consideration, subject to AIFF regulations.

The deal includes the transfer of Jamshedpur FC’s Indian Super League sporting licence, along with 12 players and two coaches.

Churchill Brothers will take over the contracts of JFC players and coaching staff from September 2026, allowing them to continue their professional careers in the ISL.

Tata Steel says it will continue focusing on football at the grassroots and youth level, including the Tata Football Academy, which has produced more than 150 national-team players and 26 captains across age groups.

Tata Steel will also continue maintaining and enhancing its sporting infrastructure in Jamshedpur while investing in grassroots football and youth development.

#IndianFootball #JamshedpurFC #ChurchillBrothers

[South Melbourne FC @smfc]

MEDIA STATEMENT | South Melbourne FC can confirm that it has successfully met all licensing requirements and has been approved to compete in the @OFCProLeague for the 2027 season.

The club also looks forward to bringing a festival of football to Lakeside, with OFC Pro League matches set to be hosted at Lakeside Stadium early in the new year.

FULL MEDIA RELEASE
https://t.co/8umG6uOETR

[ASEAN FOOTBALL @theaseanball]

🇱🇦The Lao Football Federation (LFF) has officially requested the Lao Police Department to investigate suspected match-fixing involving members of the Laos national team during the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.

Laos lost all four of their group-stage matches:

#ASEANFootball #Laos

[Sports Asia (with Asian Football) @Asian_Football]

"Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held ... When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."

[Indonesia Australia @IndonesiaAust]

AFL Indonesia will be represented by two mens teams (Divisions 1 and 3) and one womens team (Division 2) at AFL Asia’s 2026 Asian Championships on Saturday 29 August in Chon Buri, Thailand, from 8:30 am through to the final presentations at 4:50 pm. @AFL #AussieRules

[ASEAN FOOTBALL @theaseanball]

⏳ 2 DAYS TO GO!

🇸🇬🆚🇹🇭 Just one day remains until the first leg of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 semifinal between Singapore and Thailand! 🔥

🏆 This is a clash between the two most successful nations in ASEAN Cup history:

🇹🇭 Thailand — 7 titles 👑
🇸🇬 Singapore — 4 titles 🏆

[AFC @theafcdotcom]

A fun and interactive day for delegates as AFC Professional Football Seminar 2026 successfully concludes!

[FT Football Roots @FT_IDN]

Indonesia Women’s League 2026/27 — HERE WE GO! 🔥🇮🇩

I-League resmi mengumumkan bergulirnya kompetisi sepak bola wanita Indonesia yang akan kick-off pada 17 Oktober 2026.

Sebanyak 6 klub dipastikan ambil bagian:

• Persija
• Garudayaksa
• Dewa United
• Persita
• Persikad
• Bekasi FC

Menariknya, bakal ada pemain diaspora yang ikut memperkuat klub-klub tersebut. 👀🇮🇩

Era baru sepak bola wanita Indonesia dimulai! 🔥

#FT

[#AsianCup2027 @afcasiancup]

Road towards #AsianCup2027 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia for the Continent’s elite match officials was charted today during the 4th AFC Referees Committee Meeting. https://t.co/NQlTPysZHa

[PanditFootball.com @panditfootball]

Resmi! FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 akan berlangsung di Stadion Gelora Bung Karno Jakarta dan Stadion Si Jalak Harupat Kabupaten Bandung.

Kepastian ini disampaikan langsung Menteri Pemuda dan Olahraga, Erick Thohir oleh dalam konferensi pers di Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga (Kemenpora) RI pada Senin (10/8) pagi tadi.

📷 I GBK & Wikipedia

[All Things Thai Football 🇹🇭 @ThaiFootballs]

🚨📺 FIFA REPORTEDLY ASKING $3 MILLION FOR FIFA ASEAN CUP BROADCAST RIGHTS — NO THAI BROADCASTER YET

According to Ball Thai Stand, FIFA has reportedly priced the Thai broadcast rights for the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup at around $3 million (฿99 million).

The package covers all 20 matches across the competition — 13 matches from Division 1 and seven from Division 2.

However, the reported price has so far attracted no buyer in Thailand, with no Thai broadcaster currently prepared to pay the asking price.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup will take place from 24 September to 3 October 2026, with Thailand drawn in Division 1 Group B alongside Vietnam, the Philippines and Pakistan.