OFFICIAL GUIDE 2016 Participating Clubs GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Al Nassr Pakhtakor Al Ain )IRN( )KSA( )UZB( )UAE( Zobahan logo - IRN ESFAHAN ZOBAHAN CULTURAL & SPORT CLUB Al Nasr Zobahan Al Hilal Nasaf )UAE( )IRN( )KSA( )UZB( Lokomotiv Lekhwiya Tractorsazi Tabriz Al Ahli )UZB( )QAT( )IRN( )KSA( Al Ittihad Bunyodkor Al Jazira El Jaish )KSA( )UZB( )UAE( )QAT( Melbourne Victory logo - AUS GROUP E Sanfrecce HiroshimaGROUP logo - JPN F GROUP G GROUP H Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Sanfrecce Hiroshima Melbourne Victory Guangzhou Evergrande )KOR( )JPN( )AUS( )CHN( Jiangsu FC FC Seoul Gamba Osaka Sydney FC )CHN( )KOR( )JPN( )AUS( Becamex Binh Duong Buriram United Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC Urawa Red Diamonds )VIE( )THA( )KOR( )JPN( FC Tokyo Shandong Luneng FC Shanghai SIPG Pohang Steelers )JPN( )CHN( )CHN( )KOR( OFFICIAL GUIDE 2016 Contents Introduction Group H AFC Message 5 Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) 70 Competition Format 7 Sydney FC (AUS) 71 Group Stage Schedule 8 Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 72 Preliminary and Playoff Stages 10 Pohang Steelers (KOR) 73 Group A Knockout Stage Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan (IRN) 14 Schedule 77 Al Nasr (UAE) 15 AFC Champions League 2015 Lokomotiv (UZB) 16 Results 81 Al Ittihad (KSA) 17 AFC Champions League 2014 Group B Results 87 Al Nassr (KSA) 22 AFC Champions League 2013 Zobahan (IRN) 23 Results 93 Lekhwiya (QAT) 24 AFC Champions League 2012 Bunyodkor (UZB) 25 Results 99 Group C AFC Champions League 2011 Results Pakhtakor (UZB) 30 105 AFC Champions League 2010 Al Hilal (KSA) 31 Results 111 Tractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) 32 AFC Champions League 2009 Al Jazira (UAE) 33 Results 117 Group D AFC Champions League 2008 Al Ain (UAE) 38 Results 123 Nasaf (UZB) 39 AFC Champions League 2007 Al Ahli (KSA) 40 Results 129 El Jaish (QAT) 41 AFC Champions League 2006 Group E Results 135 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) 46 AFC Champions League 2005 Jiangsu FC (CHN) 47 Results 141 Becamex Binh Duong (VIE) 48 AFC Champions League 2004 FC Tokyo (JPN) 49 Results 147 Group F AFC Champions League 2002-03 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN) 54 Results 153 FC Seoul (KOR) 55 Roll of Honour 159 Buriram United (THA) 56 Media Information 163 Shandong Luneng FC (CHN) 57 Useful Contacts 171 Group G The information contained in this Official Guide was correct at the time of publication. Melbourne Victory (AUS) 62 Gamba Osaka (JPN) Abbreviations 63 The following competition abbreviations are used in this book: Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC (KOR) ACL AFC Champions League 64 ACC Asian Club Championship Shanghai SIPG (CHN) 65 ACWC Asian Cup Winners’ Cup ASC Asian Super Cup 2 www.the-afc.com INTRODUCTION WELCOME Message from the AFC President Dear friends, It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2016 season of the AFC Champions League and introduce you to this Media Guide. A new AFC Champions League season is upon us and again we can look forward to a fantastic nine months of top quality football. The AFC Champions League provides an unrivalled stage for Asian football stars and clubs to showcase their talent. Drive, stamina and skill will be defining factors in this season’s competition as clubs, some familiar and some new names, look to emulate the success of Guangzhou Evergrande last year. The winners lifting the continent’s most prestigious club competition trophy in November will also be Asia’s representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup. This is a very exciting time for Asian football. The AFC competitions are getting bigger every year and in the AFC’s recently launched Vision and Mission the continued improvement of our competitions was a key objective. The AFC Champions League is a prime example of Asia’s growing strength in club competitions as it sets new records every season. We have already witnessed record-breaking attendances from the qualifying stages of this year’s competition and as Asia continues to draws more global talent, the AFC Champions League is also attracting significant global media interest. In addition, the national leagues in Asia continue to grow stronger, through incentives such as the AFC’s club licensing regulations. The media play a key role in growing the game in Asia, together with sponsors and other football stakeholders, and I would like to thank you all for your continuous support. Plenty of thought and effort has gone into producing this Media Guide. Its various features will help guide media representatives in all aspects of the competition and I know you will find this publication useful and informative. The AFC is committed to setting new standards of excellence in all areas, including servicing the media in the best possible way we can, through standardising media facilities and by offering assistance with dedicated media officers. I look forward to a productive working relationship again this season and thank you for your ongoing support and interest in Asian football. SHAIKH SALMAN BIN EBRAHIM AL KHALIFA President, Asian Football Confederation AFC Champions League: Official Media Guide 2016 Competition Format The 2016 AFC Champions League is composed of three stages: 1.Preliminary and Playoff Stage (Playoffs) shall be reapplied exclusively to the matches - Consisting of 21 clubs vying for 8 slots between the clubs in question to determine in the Group Stage of the AFC Champions their final rankings. If this procedure is League. unsuccessful, the following articles shall l 8 clubs competed for 4 slots in West apply; Region. f) superior goal difference from all group l 13 clubs competed for 4 slots in East matches played; Region. g) higher number of goals scored from all - The Preliminary Stage and Playoff Stage group matches played; are played in single-match knock-out system. h) penalty kicks if only the two clubs are both - If the score is tied after 90 minutes, extra on the field of play; time of 30 minutes is played. If score is i) the lower score calculated according to the still tied after extra time, penalty kicks shall number of yellow and red cards received in determine the winner. group matches; j) the club who belongs to the Member 2. Group Stage (Group matches) Association with the higher MA Ranking. - The Group Stage consists of 32 teams divided into eight groups of four. 3. Knockout Stage (Round of 16, Quarter- - Clubs play against the other clubs within finals, Semi-finals and Finals) their group in a home and away format, - In the round of 16, clubs that finished first receiving three points for a win, one point for in each group play one home & one away a draw and zero points for a defeat. match against a club that finished second in - Teams are ranked according to the points another group. Group runners-up host the 1st they obtain with the top two teams in each leg and group winners host the 2nd leg. group at the conclusion of the Group Stage - The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final advancing to the Knockout Stage. are played in home & away format. The - If two or more teams are equal on points teams are divided into West and Central & at the conclusion of the Group Stage, their South zones in West Region and ASEAN ranking is determined as follows: and East zones in East Region. Matches are a) higher number of points obtained in the to be determined in an official draw. group matches played among the clubs in - In the Knockout Stage, the team that question; scores the most goals in both games wins b) superior goal difference from the group the match and qualifies for the next round. matches played among the clubs in question; l The away goals rule only applies if c) higher number of goals scored in the the aggregate score is tied at the end of group matches played among the clubs in regulation time in the second leg. question; l If the away goals rule cannot decide d) higher number of goals scored away from the match, extra time shall be played after home in the group matches played among the second leg. the clubs in question; l If the score in extra time is tied, penalty e) if, after applying the above articles two or kicks shall determine the winner (Away goals more clubs still have an equal ranking, they do not apply in extra time). Prize Money Champion US$ 3,000,000 Clubs in Round of 16 US$ 80,000 Runners-up US$ 1,500,000 Each Group Stage win US$ 40,000 Clubs in Semi-finals US$ 200,000 Each Group Stage draw US$ 20,000 Clubs in Quarter-finals US$ 120,000 the-afc.com 7 Group Stage Schedule Matchday One 23/02 (Tuesday) 24/02 (Wednesday) A Sepahan (IRN) vs Al Nasr (UAE) C Pakhtakor (UZB) vs Al Hilal (KSA) A Lokomotiv (UZB) vs Al Ittihad (KSA) C Tractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) vs Al Jazira (UAE) B Al Nassr (KSA) vs Bunyodkor (UZB) D Al Ain (UAE) vs El Jaish (QAT) B Lekhwiya (QAT) vs Zobahan (IRN) D Al Ahli (KSA) vs Nasaf (UZB) E Jeonbuk Motors (KOR) vs FC Tokyo (JPN) G Melbourne Victory (AUS) vs Shanghai SIPG (CHN) E Becamex Binh Duong (VIE) vs Jiangsu FC (CHN) G Suwon Samsung FC (KOR) vs Gamba Osaka (JPN) F Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN) vs Shandong Luneng (CHN) H Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) vs Pohang Steelers (KOR) F Buriram United (THA) vs FC Seoul (KOR) H Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) vs Sydney FC (AUS) Matchday Two 01/03 (Tuesday) 02/03 (Wednesday) A Al Ittihad (KSA) vs Lokomotiv (UZB) C Al Jazira (UAE) vs Tractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) A Al Nasr (UAE) vs Sepahan (IRN) C Al Hilal (KSA) vs Pakhtakor (UZB) B Bunyodkor (UZB) vs Al Nassr (KSA) D El Jaish (QAT) vs Al Ain (UAE) B Zobahan (IRN) vs Lekhwiya (QAT) D Nasaf (UZB) vs Al Ahli (KSA) E FC Tokyo (JPN) vs Becamex Binh Duong (VIE) G Shanghai SIPG (CHN) vs Suwon Samsung FC (KOR) E Jiangsu FC (CHN) vs Jeonbuk Motors (KOR) G Gamba Osaka