Juventus and AC Milan Saudi Arabia Supercoppa overshadows Asian Cup while highlighting sportwashing, regional strife
- Juventus win controversial final in Jeddah thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal
- Many had called for the game to be moved after recent incidents
Last night Asia’s biggest football tournament, its equivalent of the European Championships or the Copa America, was not the biggest deal in the region.
This was despite the arrival of the continent’s best player, Son Heung-min, and his South Korea side taking on China for East Asian supremacy in group C, or the scenario where either one of the tournament new boys facing each other in the group’s other game, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines, could make history and go through to the knockout stages.
It was also in spite of the other group where Iran faced Iraq in what might be Asia’s biggest derby game to decide top spot, or 2019’s other tournament new boys Yemen taking on the rising dragons of Vietnam for their own chance to stay in the UAE.
Instead it was Saudi Arabia where the world’s media were watching the staging of the Supercoppa Italiana on the pitch of King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Juventus against AC Milan is always a big deal. It is Italy’s most successful club taking on the side that has won the league for the last seven seasons; a Uefa Champions League contender – Juve have reached the final twice in the last four seasons – against a team that has etched itself onto the history of the trophy by lifting it seven times.