Articles by Martin Lowe

About Martin Lowe

Martin Lowe is a freelance football writer who has been covering Asian football for the best part of the last decade. He appeared on Al Jazeera English television and Football Nation Radio during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, whilst writing for Sandals for Goalposts and other Asian football focused platforms. He has been a senior contributor to The Asian Game website since our launch in 2019.

OPINION: AFC charts new path forward for club competitions – but are they on the right track?

October 28, 2022 Martin Lowe

Back in April, the AFC commissioned an innocuous looking taskforce, that was instructed by Sheikh Salman himself to “transform (Asia’s) Elite Club Football into a more attractive stage to improve technical performance, drive commercial value […]

OPINION: Asian Cup announcement magnifies divide in Asian football

October 17, 2022 Martin Lowe

Five months on from the withdrawal of China’s as host of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the AFC announced today that the 18th AFC Asian Cup, previously due to take place in less than nine […]

Katanec steers Uzbekistan back on track as they eye World Cup debut in 2026

October 4, 2022 Martin Lowe

Uzbekistan were last week a mere stoppage time away from making it eight wins from eight in 2022. Having beaten the likes of Thailand and Cameroon since March, it’s been a devastating turnaround for the […]

World Cup and Asian Cup preparations step up in crucial international window

September 19, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. With World Cup and Asian Cup qualification all wrapped up, September greets us to the beginning of the end […]

Road to Qatar 2022: True test still to come for Korea

September 16, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. South Korea head to Qatar for a tenth successive World Cup following an almost blight-free qualification campaign. Already a […]

Road to Qatar 2022: Saudi Arabia seek redemption after Moscow mauling

September 12, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. Four years on from their now infamous 0-5 defeat to Russia that opened the FIFA World Cup in 2018, […]

Road to Qatar 2022: Iran take steps forward…and then back again

September 8, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. In what will be their third successive World Cup appearance, Iran’s journey along the Road to Qatar from continental […]

Road to Qatar 2022: The culmination of a dream

September 2, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. The starting pistol on Qatar’s road to 2022 was fired nearly 12 years ago, setting off the longest ever […]

Pakhtakor face challenge to retain Uzbek title

August 19, 2022 Martin Lowe

Back in March, I posed the eternal plea – could Uzbek football finally present a competitive Super League season? I floated the question more in hope than expectancy, but as we are soon to be […]

Saudi’s future shines for historic U23 triumph

June 21, 2022 Martin Lowe

Saudi Arabia were crowned U23 AFC Asian Cup champions for the first time this weekend, following an ultimately comprehensive 2-0 victory over hosts Uzbekistan at Milliy Stadium in Tashkent, following 32 matches squeezed into under […]