Saudi club Al-Ahli Saudi FC from Jeddah was crowned Champions of Asia for the second year in a row, winning the AFC Champions League Elite over Japanese club Machida Zelvia, with a goal by Feras Albrikan in the first part of extra time of the final on Saturday, April 25, ending 1-0, despite the Japanese team playing with number superiority after Al-Ahli defender Al Hawsawi saw a direct red card for a head-butt to a rival in the 68th minute.
But as The Guardian points out, this outcome reflected the flawed format of the competition, which since last season plays all final stages, from quarter-finals to the final, in Jeddah, which gives Saudi clubs an edge as they are always supported by local crowds, eliminating the away-match factors, and with crowds ranging from 60,000 in the final, to 395 people during a match between Machida and Shabab Al-Ahli from Dubai.
The AFC Champions League was rebranded to AFC Champions League Elite in 2023, and it was decided to host all final stages in a single-leg ties in Saudi Arabia. Many see this as an unfair concession to Saudi Arabia, whose football industry, partly funded by the government, is growing to attract more players, investors and interest from abroad, in a form of "sportwashing" that disregards the rest of Asian nations.
The presence of Machida in the final was also interesting, as this Japanese club has only been playing in the top-tier of Japanese football for two seasons and has developed a more physical playing style that is uncharacteristic to the Japanese tradition of football, more free-flowing, and is trained by a former high-school teacher.
Next season, the AFC Champions League Elite will expand from 24 to 32 clubs, and the hosting rights to Saudi Arabia of the final stages was initially said to be reviewed.