Urawa unrest as AFC shelve plans for Women’s Club Championship final

An array of banners protesting the AFC’s surprise decision to cancel next month’s AFC Women’s Club Championship final were unveiled by the Urawa Reds Ladies support during their home fixture at Komaba Stadium this past weekend.

Urawa, along with fellow finalists, Korea Republic’s Hyundai Steel Red Angels, secured passage to the final by clean sweeping their respective group stages back in November of last year.

This was the fourth edition of what was an invitational tournament, acting almost as a pilot for the planned AFC Women’s Champions League tournament, which will commence later this year.

These matches were held in centralised locations in November of last year, one group in Thailand and the other in Uzbekistan, and played in pre-season in Reds’ case.

Urawa made light work of their group, also featuring India’s Gokulam Kerala, Thailand’s Bangkok WFC and Taiwan’s Hualien, winning all three games at a canter, scoring 20 goals and conceding just once.

In the other group, traditional WK League powerhouse Hyundai Red Steel Angels, also won all three games, although by smaller margins, against Australia’s Sydney FC, Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf and Iranian side Bam Khatoon FC.

AFC initially announced the winners of the respective groups would meet in a final “to determine the best women’s club side in Asia.”

However, with details scant on where and when the said final would be played, it was left to Japan’s WE League to explain that the proposed finale had in fact been cancelled.

“The AFC (Asian Football Confederation) has decided not to hold the final of the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2023 – Invitational Tournament, which was held as a pre-competition for the AFC Women’s Champions League 2024 to determine Asia’s No. 1 women’s club. We would like to inform you that this event has been cancelled,” read a statement from the WE League, who left no doubt as to their frustration and disappointment, not only at the decision but the way it was communicated.

“We deeply regret this decision and the method of notification, and together with the JFA, WE League will request that AFC explain the circumstances behind the cancellation of the finals and why the notification was made at this timing.”

Almost a month after that announcement, however, no further clarification from AFC has been forthcoming. The Asian Game sought comment and clarification from AFC but did not receive a response as at time of publication.

Cancellation effectively expunges the competition from record without an eventual champion determined. With the AFC offering no reason for the sudden, and seemingly bewildering, decision there is little wonder as to why the Reds support are eager to have their questions answered.

“Why did you take away our passion for No 1 in Asia?” one banner reads in English.

Speaking with The Asian Game, one devoted Urawa Reds Ladies fan summarised the shared feeling among the fanbase:

“As fans of Urawa Reds Ladies and women’s football on the whole, we appreciate the collective effort of both the players and supporters in progressing this far in the competition. I can only feel angry that all of this has been put to waste without explanation or justification.”

While they are yet to explain their decision, the AFC did recently announce further details around its inaugural Women’s Champions League, which is scheduled to begin with a Preliminary Stage in August this year, before a 12-team group stage in October.

This will be followed in March 2025 by single-leg quarter-finals, and then in May the semi-finals and final will be held at a centralised venue to be announced at a later date.

A little inferring suggests that, perhaps, the imminent launch of a larger, more ambitions competition is the reason why this comparatively low-scale endeavour has been abandoned.

It would be rash, and mostly unwarranted, to lament the AFC’s welching on its commitment to the women’s game, especially in a year after what is widely regarded as the most successful edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup was co-hosted in the region, and in which AFC announced measures to grow the women’s game at both club and international level.

What is clear, however, is that this is a major communication blunder on their part. Ultimately, it is the complete lack of reasoning and expectation management that has led to this bout of fan activism seen from the Urawa faithful.

At face value, the plans set forth by the AFC are commendable. But without the appropriate packaging and promotion, the AFC run the risk of alienating the very fanbase they seek to cultivate, with many reaching the most cynical of conclusions.

Moreover, a further opportunity may have gone amiss here.

As a sporting entity Urawa Reds have long treasured continental competition with the men’s side playing host to some of the most memorable evenings of AFC Champions League football. Had the Women’s Club Championship final gone ahead the AFC could have used the fixture has a high-profile springboard to assist the launch of the superseding Women’s Champions League competition.

From here the onus is on the AFC to alleviate concerns that their ambitions for women’s continental club football are more than a facade. As with the launch of any competition the cultivation and nurturing of an audience is paramount for its longevity and continued success.

Here the AFC appear to have missed an all-important step on what ought to be an exciting road ahead for Asian football.

Listen to Episode 219 of The Asian Game Podcast as we discuss the AFC U23 Asian Cup and AFC Champions League semi-finals