Those criteria include the sustainable provision of:

• Player and staff Health and Safety threshold requirements
• State and Federal border restrictions being lifted
• Large gathering restrictions allowing for the required squads and support staff to gather
• Social distancing protocols being agreed with governments to allow the holding of professional games

Only one player has scored a hat-trick in the Premier continental final since the first Asian club champions were crowned more than 50 years ago.

That remarkable feat occurred on April 22, 2000 – 20 years ago today – when Al Hilal’s on-loan Brazilian striker Sergio Ricardo scored a third-minute free-kick, a last-gasp equaliser and a decisive 103rd-minute golden goal to bring the Asian crown back to Riyadh for the second time in history.

Al Hilal’s 3-2 win over a Jubilo Iwata side featuring the likes of Masashi Nakayama and Naohiro Takahara sent a vibrant King Fahd Stadium into euphoria and gave the Saudi giants a title they would need to wait 19 years to replicate.

In the second part of our interview with Cardiff City and Philippines star Etheridge, the goalkeeper talks about the Azkals’ rise over the last decade and his hopes for the country when Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 resume.

The Japanese women’s national team of 2011 became Asia’s world champions at the senior level, overcoming tournament hosts and defending champions Germany in the quarter-final before outlasting the United States in a classic final and providing a boost to a nation still reeling from a painful natural disaster.

That remarkable win in Germany represented the peak of their success, but it was far from the Nadeshiko’s only breakthrough success, with first-time titles in the Asian Games and AFC Women’s Asian Cup and a FIFA World Player of the Year title for team leader Homare Sawa all materialising in an unprecedented four-year period.

Also Try:

The Asian Football Quiz - Round 1
The Asian Football Quiz - Round 2
The Asian Football Quiz - Round 3
The Asian Football Quiz - Round 4
The Asian Football Quiz - Round 5

Korea Republic endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic outside China PR, but appears to have brought it under control thanks to its extensive "trace, test and treat" programme.

The outbreak had prompted sports leagues to suspend or delay their seasons across the country.

Vote in the poll at the foot of the article to choose your favourite all-time Indonesian legend

You could travel the length and breadth of the Earth but struggle to find a place more impassioned by football than the Southeast Asian country, where the finest players are idolised and expectation remains heaped on the national team.

The Garuda qualified automatically for the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, but the team had to wait almost six decades until they advanced to another major tournament, when they reached the 1996 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

While the side of the late 30s deserve their place in history, we look a little closer to modern times to highlight five players who have helped shape the beautiful game in a football-mad nation.