BRASILIA: The winless World Cup showing by Asia’s four teams is a wake-up call for the region, the head of the Asian Football Confederation said yesterday, but the lacklustre showing has not deterred calls for extra places at the finals from his members.
South Korea exited on Thursday after a 1-0 loss to Belgium condemned them to last place in Group H, the same position Japan, Iran and Australia managed in their four team pools as the region managed only a collective three points in Brazil.
It was the first time since the 1990 tournament in Italy that Asia didn’t win a game at the finals, with the AFC the only Confederation competing in Brazil not to have a representative make the last 16.
“This World Cup serves as a lesson to all Asian nations,” Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.
REUTERS
