Journey to Become an Asian Football Specialist by Football Tribe Iran

by Behnam Zafarzadeh, Chief Editor of Football Tribe Iran

 Like many others, I fell in love with football with watching European leagues. 

  One of my oldest football-related memories is of the brilliant Milan of the 1990s. Watching the Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten, I became a football fan and have followed European leagues for many years since.

 But from eight or nine years ago, I found a new interest. Indeed, after I started my career as a football writer, my vision has been changed completely. Previously all that mattered was the result, but gradually I have discovered that there are many more important issues in football, from politics to philosophy. So, I focused on untold stories in football and it guided me to magic room of Asian football with its countless tales and unrecorded histories.



 It’s obvious that Asian football is not comparable with the best leagues in the world, but some of the most interesting ideas and stories can come from different cultures and countries. Yet even in this internet era, football in Asia remains local and fans of different countries are not yet significantly interested in knowing about other Asian countries.

That is why I decided to become an Asian football expert: now my dream is to create a footballing network in Asia.

I was lucky enough to find Football Tribe. Working for the Tribe is my best memory of 2017. Through Football Tribe, I've found many new friends and through them, I can improve my knowledge about Asian football, a huge step to become a real Asian football expert.

Feel the Passion
#JOINTHETRIBE

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Birth of Football Web Comic by Football Tribe Korea

Image
by Mihyun Chung, Chief Editor of Football Tribe Korea  My first boss at my first full-time job was this man - this man who is smart, clever, and confident. He never likes yes man, so is always open to challenges. He always protects his staff and presents a very clear vision and direction. He has got all the attributes that any boss would need.  Except that he supports Manchester United.  He is a big Man Utd fan. I still remember him saying "I'm very upset now because that Van Gaal sold Chicharito." It was very clear United was THE TEAM. So when asked which team I supported in Premiership, I did say "Glory Glory Manchester United," while Man Utd is the only team that I hate in England.  Not long after did I figure out he is more than happy with challenges. So I confessed that I do not support United.  Ever since then, every day at work was fun. He loves sarcastic jokes; and he absolutely adores football banter or even trash talks. That i...
Read more

The Day Malaysian Boys Made History in China by Football Tribe Malaysia

Image
by Keeshannan Sundaresan, Chief Editor of Football Tribe Malaysia Credit: AFC It was surreal. One day before a massive, massive decider against Saudi Arabia, Malaysian U-23 boss, Datuk Ong Kim Swee universally declared his intention to attack their opponents and go for a win. Best part? His statement was in response to Vietnam’s 1-0 win over Australia, which was yielded through a complete smash and grab performance. I clearly remember talking to a few friends and going: “Is he for real? Did he just say Vietnam’s win didn’t mean much because they were conservative on the pitch? Did he say that just one day before a cruncher against the mighty Saudis?” Malaysian football’s battle with inferiority complex has been ongoing for the last two decades or so, which if there are any individuals who have stood up against it, it’s Datuk Ong Kim Swee. From his mind-blowing team talk at the the 2011 SEA Games to all the young talents that have been moulded under him, Ong ha...
Read more

The Man Who Invited Me To The Football “Tribe” by Football Tribe Japan

Image
by Ippei Tsuchiya, deputy editor of Football Tribe Japan We, human beings, have some pivotal moments in our lives. And it often caused by someone who has extraordinary talent or fascinating personality or both of them. In my case, it was 1998, I was seven years old and the year that Japan achieved two very important accomplishments in Japanese sports history. Firstly, Japan hosted Winter Olympic Games in February of that year, and Japanese Olympians won 10 medals in total. Winter sports are not so popular in my home town, but I prefer Winter Olympic Games more than Summer Olympic Games since then. Secondly, Japanese football national team appeared in FIFA World Cup for the first time in Japanese football history. They lost all three group stage games, but they competed with Argentina, there were Gabriel Batistuta, Claudio Lopez and Juan Sebastian Veron, and Croatia, there were Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki and Zvonimir Boban, bravery and the most importantly they gave m...
Read more