AFC World Cup Qualifiers smash landmark digital engagement records

Avatar

The AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Final Round was the most engaging in history, surpassing all previous editions of Asia’s FIFA World Cup qualifying tournaments with more than 788 million impressions observed on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s digital channels.

Held across 10 Match Days from September 2, 2021, to March 29, 2022, as well as last week’s AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Playoff between eventual winners Australia and the United Arab Emirates, Asia’s top 12 sides battled across 61 matches with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia eventually clinching the Continent’s four automatic places, before the Socceroos claimed a record sixth AFC spot to join hosts Qatar.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the lead up to the qualifiers to be postponed on several occasions, but the necessary interruptions did little to dampen the appetite for and consumption of Asian football as passionate fans from across the globe continued to engage in record numbers.

Further underlining the fervour for the Asian game, the 788 million impressions was an astonishing 2,108% increase from the 2016-2017 campaign. At the same time, engagements on the AFC’s social media channels rose immensely across the two editions surging by 2,350% from 2.8 million to 70 million.

The AFC’s YouTube and Instagram platforms led the way in galvanising football fans from all corners of the globe, with 290.9 million and 212.3 million impressions, while Twitter received impressions of 46.3 million and Facebook gathered 142 million.

There was also a stunning 12,530% increase in video views on YouTube, as viewership rose from 1 million in 2016-2017 to 134.6 million in the recently concluded campaign, where nearly 2 million hours of watch time was recorded.

The introduction of several language platforms also contributed to the staggering increase with the newly introduced Mandarin-based channels attaining close to 100 million impressions as the AFC’s Weibo, Toutiao, and Douyin channels garnered 42.6 million, 18.2 million and 35.4 million impressions respectively.

Meanwhile, the world’s most reliable information and coverage hub of Asian football – the-AFC.com – witnessed a notable 155% increase in page views and a 136% increase in users.

Previous ArticleNext Article

FIFPRO demands governance reform after FIFA’s FFE failure

Avatar
Image credit: BBC Sport

While FIFA cancelled plans to move forward with FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), FIFPRO are demanding change at the top of football’s global governing body.

‘Abuse of power’

The plan to sell minority stakes in future FIFA competitions to private investors brought intense criticism from fans across the world.

Governing bodies including UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia) rallied against FFE and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, leading to a crisis meeting in Morocco to determine Infantino’s seemingly untenable position at the head of world football governance.

The meeting, however, confirmed Infantino will remain as FIFA President going forward – a decision which has since prompted FIFPRO to make their stance clear: governance reform is a must.

“The withdrawal of FFE was inevitable. But withdrawing the proposal does not erase what it revealed,” the organisation said via an official statement on the FIFPRO website.

“A plan capable of permanently altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup, and commercialising the competitions built by generations of players, was conceived in secrecy, negotiated behind closed doors and brought to the brink of agreement before the FIFA Council, the Member Associations, players and football’s recognised stakeholders even knew it existed.”

“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power.”

 

How to navigate governance post-FFE

As reiterated by FIFPRO, the FFE controversy arrived a mere few weeks after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIFA and the player’s union marked an optimistic step to a more collaborative future.

But what was previously a step in the right direction, now seems an insufficient policy to protect players – and the wider landscape of world football – from future unilateral decisions at the top.

FIFPRO’s demands – agreed upon by the Presidents of all FIFPRO regional divisions across Africa, Asia/Oceania, Europe, South America and Central & North America – include measures such as:

  • Using the Global Social Dialogue Platform as fundamental part of FIFA’s governance
  • Engagement with stakeholders over future decisions affecting the professional game
  • Voting rights for professional football’s stakeholders on the FIFA Council
  • Structural reforms to prevent future unilateral decisions

The message from FIFPRO is therefore clear. Now is not the time to rest on criticism; stakeholders in the professional game must encourage action and reform.

“These reforms are now indespensable. But they are the responsibility of the future, not an absolution of the past,” FIFPRO continued via their official statement.

“The players did not create this crisis. They will insist that football emerges from it with stronger institutions, stronger safeguards and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands.”

Why the A-League’s collective bargaining negotiations matter

Avatar
Image Credit: A-Leagues

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) remain at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with players recently rejecting the league’s latest proposal ahead of the new A-League season.

The APL has made financial sustainability its priority in CBA negotiations. After several challenging years, the league is looking to keep club costs under control while still offering a slight increase to salary caps and minimum wages. It’s a cautious approach designed to give clubs greater financial certainty.

The PFA believes caution alone won’t grow the game.

The PFA has rejected the proposal, arguing it does not go far enough to support the long-term growth of the game. The players’ union says greater investment is needed if the A-Leagues are to remain competitive, retain talent and increase their commercial value.

These negotiations are taking place at an important time for Australian football.

Australian football has become increasingly successful at producing players for Europe and Asia, but that success comes with a trade-off. Clubs often lose their best talent, with the A-Leagues providing an ideal platform for players to showcase their ability. However, rather than being the final destination, it has increasingly become a stepping stone to bigger opportunities abroad.

While this pathway has produced a large share of the next generation of Socceroos and Matildas, it has also left A-League clubs in a constant cycle of rebuilding, with success on the pitch often followed by the departure of their brightest stars. As a result, player recruitment and retention have become central issues in discussions about the long-term growth of the domestic game.

The issue of player retention was also highlighted this week by Matildas captain Sam Kerr.

Kerr said many Australian players would consider returning to the A-League Women if the league offered stronger professional conditions and salaries. While her comments weren’t directly about the CBA, they highlighted the same issue confronting the men’s and women’s competitions alike.

With negotiations stalling, the outcome of the CBA is likely to shape not only player conditions, but also the financial framework and competitive direction of the A-Leagues for years to come.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend