Asian Soccer

By Alejandro Guevara Onofre
for SoccerMyLife.com

Published: August 10, 2011

Burma

Did you know- In the mid-1960s, the team of Burma won the regional title at the V Asian Games in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Iran took silver medal, and Japan was third. Four years later, Burma won the silver medal in the Asian Games, behind South Korea.

Cambodia

Did you know- Because of its civil war, Cambodia did not participate in the FIFA World Cup Qualification in 1977.

Japan

Did you know- Japan won the Asian Championship in the early 1990s. It had also won in 2000; in the final, the national team dethroned title holders Saudi Arabia by beating them 1-0. On the other hand, Tokyo (Japan’s capital) hosted the Olympic Soccer Tournament in 1964. This event had served to put it on the world map of great nations. Only 14 teams competed in the international event. The champions was Hungary, followed in order by Czechoslovakia (silver medal), Germany (bronze medal), Egypt (4th), Romania (5th), Yugoslavia (6th), Ghana (7th), Japan (8th), Brazil (9th), Argentina (10th), Mexico (11th), Iran (12th), Morocco (13th), and South Korea (14th). During that event, North Korea and Italy did not participate. At the onset, Brazil -twice world champion (1958 and 1962)– was the heavy-favorite, but they failed to make the semi-finals.

India

Did you know- At the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in Britain, India -a cricketing country– placed ninth, behind Sweden (gold medal), Yugoslavia (silver medal), Denmark (bronze medal), Great Britain (4th), France (5th), Italy (6th), Turkey (7th), and South Korea (8th). In the United Kingdom, India lost 2-1 to France in the first round.

Malaysia

Did you know- By the early 1970s, Malaysia -a mineral rich nation– finished ninth in the men’s soccer in the Summer Games in the Federal Republic of Germany. In West Germany, the team of Malaysia made their Olympic debut. In 1974, the national squad earned a bronze medal in the Asian Games in Tehran (Iran). Subsequently, Malaysia won the right to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but it boycotted the Games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Football is one of the most popular sports in the Asian country.

The People’s Republic of China

Did you know- The People’s Republic of China, one of the youngest members of the FIFA, was runner-up at the Asian Cup in 1984. Subsequently, China hosted the Under-16 World Championship.

South Korea

Did you know- South Korea has won the Asian title twice, in 1956 and 1960.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women’s rights, among them “History of the Women in America” and “Famous Americans.”

Author: Alejandro Guevara Onofre
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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