Attended by FIFA President Joseph Blatter and dignitaries from AFC and Member Associations from across the continent, as well as star players and special invited guests, the 2009 ACL launch showcased a fresh brand identity for Asia’s premier club competition.

The ceremony took place at the Toyota Mega Web after a dazzling build-up, which included a fashion show and interaction between the fans and football stars.

Japan provided a fitting venue for the launch of the new ACL given the guidance and influence that Japanese football leaders, with Captain Saburo Kawabuchi at the helm, had in creating the new tournament.

Kawabuchi, the former Japan Football Association President, was asked by AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam three years ago to lead the Ad Hoc Committee for the AFC Professional League Project.

“Asian football needs a strong regional club tournament to grow, and we hope that the new ACL will help Asian clubs strengthen themselves technically and administratively so we can be a force in world football,” said Captain Kawabuchi at the launch.

“It has been a long road. Many people have put in a lot of effort and we are delighted that we have come to a stage where we can launch this exciting new project.”

The 2009 ACL will feature 32 teams in the group stages instead of the 28 in previous events. Prize money has been increased with US$1.5 million for the winners and US$750,000 for the runners-up.

However, strict entry requirements means that only clubs and leagues that are professionally run as commercial entities are eligible to take part in the competition.

For this reason, only 10 Member Associations have earned direct entry into the group stages. Clubs from four other countries, in addition to the winners and runners-up of the AFC Cup, must go through the play-offs for two berths in the opening group stage.

AFC President Hammam said: “We had to implement tough measures to ensure that the clubs and leagues they represented are truly professional in the way they are run and play football.

“This is the only way to build up the credibility of this tournament. At the end of the day, Asian football benefits and we are delighted to see that so many associations and clubs are doing their best to meet our competition criteria.

“This is an exciting time in Asian football and we are looking forward to a fantastic competition in 2009.”

FIFA President Blatter said he was looking forward to the new AFC Champions League.

"Football in Asia continues to develop at great pace, and my memories of Japan and the Korean Republic during the 2002 FIFA World Cup are still very vivid,” said Blatter.

“FIFA´s commitment to football development across the continent has been long-standing, and with the new expanded AFC Champions League, I look forward to welcoming the winners next December, for the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.”