“By the end of the next decade, there will be a split in Asian football from east to west.” This was the stark statement made back in January 2015. The Asian Cup was being hosted in Canberra in Australia, and the forecaster was a leading figure in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Specifically, the commentator was from the Western side of the continent. Almost eight years on, we are roughly halfway through the period of his prediction and while there has yet been no formal divide, 2022 could become a turning point for the future of Asian football. The reasons can be partly attributed to …