Paul Williams

Adelaide

Freelance Asian Football Writer at Freelance

Producer and Co-Host at The Asian Game

Freelance writer - Asian football. Producer and co-host of @TheAsianGame podcast.

Articles

The A-League's alarming 'Melbourne Problem'

1 week ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

The season was 2014/15 and the game was between two of the league’s biggest rivals, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, just as it will be this Saturday night when the first ever Melbourne Derby Grand Final is contested in the A-League. The A-League was flying high on the back of Alessandro del Piero’s stint with Sydney FC and the arrival of Western Sydney Wanderers into the league.
Sailors eye Asian glory after changing the game in Singapore

3 weeks ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

Back then it was a pseudo national team, Singapore FA, playing in the Malaysia Cup that stirred the passions of the locals, with some 50,000 reported to have travelled north across the border into Malaysia for the final against Pahang at the old Shah Alam Stadium. Singapore won 4-0 that day in a game that is still spoken about and revered within Singaporean football circles over 30 years later.
Legal Considerations for Lethal Autonomous Weap" by Paul R. Williams and Ryan Jane Westlake

1 month ago | scholarlycommons.law.case.edu | Paul Williams

Recommended CitationPaul R. Williams and Ryan Jane Westlake, A Taste of Armageddon: Legal Considerations for Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems,57 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 187 (2025)Available at:https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol57/iss1/9
Al Ahli emerge from the shadows on a famous Jeddah night

1 month ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

On that occasion it was a drought-breaking title triumph, their first in 32 years; on this it was passage through to a first continental final in 13 years. The two came almost exactly nine years apart – nine years and four days to be precise – and both came against Al Hilal, and both with a 3-1 scoreline. While the job is not done yet as they chase their first ever continental title, it is a night of celebration for the green half of Jeddah for this was a seismic victory in more ways than one.
Kawasaki the last hope for the East amidst a sea change in Asia

1 month ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

Kawasaki Frontale’s AFC Champions League Elite semi-final against Al Nassr on Wednesday will tell us by how much it has changed. The opening days of what is being called the AFC Champions League Elite Finals 2025, held for the first time (outside of COVID) in a centralised location, have laid bare the degree to which Asian club football is now dominated by Saudi Arabia. The victories by Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr were as brutal and ruthless as they were instructive.
Al Hilal put Gwangju to the sword in statement win

1 month ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

In among the diehard Al Hilal fans were flags adorned with the words ‘Asia’s Leader’, the bold and perhaps provocative title that club has given itself; providing a glimpse into the mindset of a club that has made Asia their playground for the better part of the past decade. Four times since 2017 have they made the final of the AFC Champions League, twice they have won it.
What we learned as Asian Qualifiers near thrilling conclusion

2 months ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

After eight thrilling matchdays across this vast continent, only Japan and Iran have secured their spot at football’s global showpiece in the USA, Canada and Mexico next year, meaning the final four teams to book their automatic spot will be decided in the final 18 matches played in June.
Van Dijk's concern with Indonesia's naturalisation push

2 months ago | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

The 42-year-old striker has long since retired after a career that took him from his native Netherlands, all the way down under to Australia, before stops in Iran, Indonesia and Thailand. With ten clubs on his resume, some might call him a journeyman. Whatever you label him, at his peak he was a fearsome striker that was crowned leading scorer in the A-League in Australia in his first season with Adelaide United.
Queensland January to June 2024

Oct 26, 2024 | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Paul Williams

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A new era awaits for Australian football

Oct 9, 2024 | theasiangame.net | Paul Williams

A revered and respected defender in his playing days, the 51-year-old becomes the first member of Australia’s ‘Golden Generation’ of 2006 to take charge of the national team, and he does so at a critical juncture with their World Cup qualifying campaign teetering on the edge after a disastrous start against Bahrain and Indonesia last month.