SINGAPORE — The ongoing AFC Asian Cup in Qatar has been followed with much interest by football fans in Southeast Asia. Why? Because an unprecedented four national teams from the region – Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia – had qualified for the tournament, the most number of representatives in the Cup’s 18 editions.
But while the region celebrated the four teams entering Asia’s top international football competition – with Indonesia and Malaysia qualifying for the first time since 2007 – they were quickly given a dose of reality amid the team’s struggles to advance out of the…
