1971 Asian Club Championship
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Thailand |
| Dates | 21 March – 2 April 1971 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | Bangkok |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 |
| Runners-up |
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| Third place |
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| Fourth place |
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| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 67 (3.35 per match) |
The 1971 Asian Club Championship was the fourth edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation. Eight clubs from eight countries competed in the tournament. The tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 March to 2 April. Eight clubs were split in two groups of four and the group winners and the runners-up advanced to semifinals.
Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. (ISR) recorded their second Asian title after Al-Shorta (IRQ) refused to play against them in protest at the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Al-Shorta players instead waved the Palestinian flag and the Iraqi flag around the field.
Al-Shorta were regarded as the winners of the tournament in the Iraqi and Arab media (the Al-Mal'ab newspaper headline the following day read: "The Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad") and were greeted with a heroes' reception upon their return to the country. Israel were expelled from the AFC three years later (Maccabi now compete in UEFA competitions), and Al-Shorta consider themselves to be the winner of the tournament.[1]
Participants
| Participants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Qualifying method | |
 |
Selected by All India Football Federation | |
|
1970 Local League champions | |
|
1969–70 Iraqi Central Premier League champions | |
|
1969–70 Liga Leumit champions | |
 |
1969–70 Kuwaiti Premier League champions | |
 |
1970 Malaysia Cup champions | |
|
1970 Korean National Football Championship champions | |
 |
Selected by Football Association of Thailand | |
Result
Preliminary Round
These are the group allocation matches. Each group will consist of two winners and two losers from this round.
| ROK Army |
2–1 | | ||
| Al-Shorta |
3–2 | | ||
| Al Arabi |
8–1 | | ||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv |
1–0 | |
Group Stage
Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | −9 |
| Match 1 | Al Arabi | 3–0 | Perak | |
| Match 2 | Taj Tehran | 2–1 | ROK Army | |
| Match 3 | ROK Army | 3–0 | Perak | |
| Match 4 | Taj Tehran | 0–0 | Al Arabi | |
| Match 5 | Taj Tehran | 3–0 | Perak | |
| Match 6 | ROK Army | 1–0 | Al Arabi |
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −10 |
| Match 1 | Bangkok Bank | 2–0 | Punjab | |
| Match 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–01 | Al-Shorta | |
| Match 3 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4–1 | Punjab | |
| Match 4 | Al-Shorta | 2–0 | Bangkok Bank | |
| Match 5 | Al-Shorta | 6–1 | Punjab | |
| Match 6 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4–1 | Bangkok Bank |
1: Al-Shorta withdrew from this match, awarded to Maccabi.
Knockout Stage
Semi-finals
Third Place Match
Final
1 The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded the championship after Al-Shorta players entered the field waving Iraqi and Palestinian flags around the pitch, refusing to play the Israeli side for political reasons.
Champions
| 1971 Asian Club Championship Maccabi Tel Aviv Second Title |
References
- Asian Club Competitions 1971 at RSSSF.com