Even with suspended quartet, Olyroos' Olympic qualification is a big ask

The headlines surrounding the Olyroos have understandably been focused on the ban handed out to four players due to an incident in a Phnom Penh hotel when on international duty.

Olyroos' suspended quartet Source: Getty Images

Some of the headlines saying the quartet were going to miss the Olympics were a bit presumptuous.

Even with all the best players available, booking a berth in Japan was always going to be a big ask.

When I first arrived in Asia - back at the end of the last century from England - one of the differences that quickly stood out was how seriously the top Asian countries took the Olympics. That hasn’t changed.

It is almost as big of a deal as the FIFA World Cup and when it comes to qualifying for the football part of the sporting event, all the stops are pulled out again and again. 

The same will be the case for January’s AFC U-23 Championship. 16 teams are in it and the top three go to Tokyo.

While Australia’s preparations - harder than most countries anyway as they will take place in the middle of a domestic season at a time when much of Asia is between league campaigns - have already been negatively affected, potential rivals have smooth paths planned out. 

Take tournament hosts Thailand, in the same group as Australia. The federation in Bangkok worked extremely hard to persuade the AFC to give them hosting duties simply because playing at home offers the best possible chance to make it to Japan. 

Just as Graham Arnold is in charge of Australia’s U-23 team, Akira Nishino has a dual role with the War Elephants.

The man who took Gamba Osaka to the 2008 AFC Champions League title has almost three decades of managerial experience and knows the Asian scene better than most. 

Thai preparations are going to be serious, helped by the fact that the league ended in October. There has already been a training camp and friendlies against China and Myanmar.

The real bonus is the upcoming South East Asia (SEA) Games. This regional sports tournament, hosted in the Philippines, is a big deal. 

In the coming weeks, Thailand are going to have at least five competitive games against neighbours and rivals. It is the perfect way to prepare for another competitive tournament.

Thailand have called up attacking talent such as Ekanit Panya, Supachai Chaided, Supachok Sarachat and Suphanat Mueanta, who have all already played and impressed for the national senior team. 

Also in the SEA Games, and in the running for the Olympics are Vietnam - the country that has overtaken Thailand as Southeast Asia’s best.

The Golden Stars were finalists in 2018 and can go one better in 2020. 

Nguyen Quang Hai is arguably currently the best player in the whole of Southeast Asia at senior level, and has all kinds of European clubs heading to Hanoi in an attempt to get his club to let him go. He could dominate at the U23 level.

Defender ‘Doan Van Hau’ (Doan Van Bale to his fans) has played over 20 times for the senior side and recently joined Dutch club SC Heerenveen. 

Korea Republic have appeared at every Olympics from 1988 onwards and consider their place as a given.

The country takes it extremely seriously - more so than the Asian Cup - which was partly a reason why, after 2004, the AFC moved the continental competition out of the Olympic cycle. 

The AFC U23 championships come at a great time with the K-League in the off season.

That means extended training camps, with the team leaving their freezing homeland behind to arrive in Thailand early.

Stars such as Paik Seung-ho, formerly of Barcelona, and Jeong Woo-yeong of Freiburg should be there along with FIFA U-20 World Cup MVP Lee Kang-in of Valencia, who has been playing in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

The one worry is whether European clubs will release these players but it is likely, after all, if Korea win a medal in Tokyo then military services are cancelled and the value of their players increase. 

Qatar and Uzbekistan, defending champions, will also fancy their chances though Chinese preparations, so meticulously planned, have come a little unstuck. 

So desperate was the country to go to Tokyo that they hired Guus Hiddink to do the job.

Amid poor results and accusations of a lack of energy the Dutchman was dismissed in September.

Even so, China are still busy and they will compete at the East Asian Cup in December against Korea and Japan, with January’s U23 Championship in mind. 

So even the countries who don’t really expect to reach Tokyo are investing huge amounts of time or money and sometimes both in the hope of doing so.

Qualification for the 2022 World Cup is going smoothly but the Olyroos have much to do if they are going to appear at the Olympics for the first time since 2008.