It's undeniable. The money season is upon Asian soccer like never before. Here they come on the run to the rattle and the hum; Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona.
Sweat drips like a waterfall on the drenched players of the world's most famous clubs as they strive to endure the oppressive tropical summer heat.
Cash registers sing and legions of fans echo the hum. United pitch up in Macau and the following night Liverpool visit Hong Kong. In the firmament of today's international football there are four teams who have premium cachet; United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Put their names on any banner in Asia and wallets fly open regardless of who they play.
No marketing needed, they sell themselves. Just a notch below are clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Inter Milan. They can fill most joints out here but it might take some prodding.
Around the Pearl River Delta this summer, we have been afforded the opportunity of watching three of these teams, United, Liverpool and Bayern, with a fourth, Barcelona, on their way. The people who run the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) despise the fact that these super clubs of Europe use the region as a way to substantially pad their revenues.
