The 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament was the fourth edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation.[1] Eight clubs from eight countries competed in the tournament, with Jardine Hong Kong withdrawing before the draw. The tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 March to 2 April; it was originally scheduled to be held in Kuwait, but the AFC moved the tournament as Kuwaiti immigration laws would have seen the delegation of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv refused entry into the country.
The eight clubs were split in two groups of four, based on the results of a preliminary round, with the group winners and the runners-up advancing to the semifinals.
The final was scratched and Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded their second Asian title after Iraqi club Aliyat Al-Shorta refused to play them for political reasons. During the award ceremony, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, [2] while the AFC and Thai FA arranged a match between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team that was played in lieu of the final.
^"History of the Asian Club Championship". Asian Football. 9 April 1997. Archived from the original on 9 April 1997. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
^Arabic Post - The History of Stars on Football Shirts
^Mukherjee, Soham (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
^Maccabi to the semi-finals in Bangkok; beat Punjab 4:1 Davar, 28 March 1971, Page 12, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)