The 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar round 16 is a wrap. Along with some surprises, the quarterfinals are set and ready.
Zion Suzuki: Japan goalkeeper battling racism at Asian Cup
Zion Suzuki has been one of the rising names in Asian football in the past few years. Asian Cup 2023 was supposed to be his first full journey with Japan, but things went out of hand. Now it’s his time to prove the critics wrong, on and off the field.
East Asia Watch: Ulsan Is Running Away, Li Im-saeng Goes Home
The East Asian region was full of action this week in K League, K League 2, J League as well as in other parts in the region such as the Taiwan Premier Football League and the Mongolian League. Jinseong Kim got you covered.
East Asia Watch: Jeonbuk break Ulsan, Open a Gap on Top
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat rivals Ulsan and expand its gap in the top of the K League’s table. Japan returns slowly to the football routine, while Vietnam’s giants take positions.
Kenichi Yatsuhashi: An Interview With a Japanese Coach Transcending Borders
He’s been coaching in central Asia, the US, Middle East and West Africa. He nurtured football culture in Kyrgyzstan, worked at the famous Aspire Academy in Qatar and guided Hearts of Oak in Ghana. The amazing career of Kenichi Yatsuhashi is indeed a fascinating one. Walid Bylka interviewed him exclusively for BabaGol: They talked African football, the best food he had in his journeys, and where he was blamed to be an engineer rather than a football coach. A must-read interview.