1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament

1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament
Maccabi Tel Aviv players with the trophy
Tournament details
Host countryThailand
Dates21 March – 2 April 1971
Teams8
Venue(s)Bangkok
Final positions
ChampionsMaccabi Tel Aviv (2nd title)
Runners-upAliyat Al-Shorta
Third placeTaj Tehran
Fourth placeROK Army
Tournament statistics
Top scorer(s)Sabah Hatem
Shlomo Gerbi
Ali Al-Mulla
(4 goals each)
Best goalkeeperSattar Khalaf
1970
1972

The 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament was the fourth edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation.[1] Eight clubs from eight countries competed in the tournament, with Jardine Hong Kong withdrawing before the draw. The tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 March to 2 April; it was originally scheduled to be held in Kuwait, but the AFC moved the tournament as Kuwaiti immigration laws would have seen the delegation of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv refused entry into the country.

The eight clubs were split in two groups of four, based on the results of a preliminary round, with the group winners and the runners-up advancing to the semifinals.

The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded their second Asian title after Iraqi club Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play them for political reasons. During the award ceremony, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, [2] while the AFC and Thai FA arranged a match between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team that was played in lieu of the final.

Participants

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Participants
Team Qualifying method
India Punjab Police[3] Selected by All India Football Federation
Iran Taj Tehran 1970–71 Local League champions
Iraq Aliyat Al-Shorta 1969–70 Iraq Central FA Premier League champions
Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 1969–70 Liga Leumit champions
Kuwait Al-Arabi 1969–70 Kuwaiti Premier League champions
Malaysia Perak FA 1970 Malaysia Cup champions
South Korea ROK Army 1970 Korean National Football Championship champions
Thailand Bangkok Bank Selected by Football Association of Thailand

Teams location

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Location of the 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament teams
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B

Results

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Preliminary round

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These were the group allocation matches: each group consisted of two winners and two losers from this round.

Following the original draw, Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play their scheduled opponent Maccabi Tel Aviv: subsequently, a second draw was conducted.

Bangkok Bank Thailand1–2South Korea ROK Army
Muankasem 79'
Attendance: 8000

Al-Arabi Kuwait8–1India Punjab Police
Surjeet Singh 17'
Attendance: 3000

Group stage

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Group A

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Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
Iran Taj Tehran 5 3 2 1 0 5 1 4
South Korea ROK Army 4 3 2 0 1 5 2 3
Kuwait Al-Arabi 3 3 1 1 1 3 1 2
Malaysia Perak FA 0 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9
Al-Arabi Kuwait3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Attendance: 10,000

ROK Army South Korea3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Attendance: 9000

Taj Tehran Iran3–0Malaysia Perak FA
Attendance: 8000

Group B

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Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 6 3 3 0 0 11 2 9
Iraq Aliyat Al-Shorta 4 3 2 0 1 8 4 4
Thailand Bangkok Bank 2 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3
India Punjab Police 0 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10

Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel4–1India Punjab Police
Surjeet Singh 83' (pen.)
Attendance: 9000

Aliyat Al-Shorta Iraq6–1India Punjab Police
Sukhwinder Singh 78'

1 Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play for political reasons: the match was awarded to Maccabi 3–0.[4]

Knockout stage

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Semi-finals

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Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel2–0South Korea ROK Army
Gerbi 29', 63'

Aliyat Al-Shorta Iraq2–0Iran Taj Tehran
Attendance: 12,000

Third-place match

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Taj Tehran Iran3–2South Korea ROK Army
Attendance: 3000

Final

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1 The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded the championship after Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play for political reasons.

Exhibition match

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This match was arranged by the AFC and the Thai FA, and was played in lieu of the final.

Combined Bangkok Thailand1–2Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
Sondhikan 6' Bar-Nur 2', 61'

References

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  1. ^ "History of the Asian Club Championship". Asian Football. 9 April 1997. Archived from the original on 9 April 1997. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ Arabic Post - The History of Stars on Football Shirts
  3. ^ Mukherjee, Soham (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ^ Maccabi to the semi-finals in Bangkok; beat Punjab 4:1 Davar, 28 March 1971, Page 12, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
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