As football's World Cup enters its final leg, Asians are agog at how South Korea's string of sensational victories has helped lift the reputation of the game in a region known as having football's also-rans.

Following South Korea's triumph over the much-fancied Spanish team last Saturday, winning 5-3 on penalties, the region has been celebrating an achievement that had for years been the stuff of dreams  the gap is narrowing between superpowers and smaller nations. And I don't see why other Asian teams can't aspire to reach South Korea's level," says Alan Parkhouse, an editor on the sports desk of The Nation , an English-language daily in Bangkok.

"It has lifted the quality of Asian football," he adds. "The challenge for the region is to set up the proper football structure that can produce a good team."

South Korea's domestic football programme has acquired a reputation in Bangkok for the money pumped into the sport and the efforts to identify and train young players with potential.

Japan's J-League, likewise, ranks as another model for Asian countries to emulate in their quest for football's glory. Launched in May 1993 with 10 teams, its has evolved to 28 teams playing in two divisions.

There is little wonder at the calls being made from Asia's football circles that the lessons of this World Cup should inspire the region to work at putting away for good the also-ran tag in world football.

"The achievement of Korea will be an example to other Asian countries and they will go forward from here," writes AFC's Velappan. — IPS