Asian Cup runneth over: Are you hawkin' to me?

The World Game continues with the column designed to get to the heart of the AFC Asian Cup, or, failing that, any other part of its anatomy that we can reach. Throughout this festival of international football we'll feature the good, the bad and the ugly - and the occasional interesting tweet.

Palestine has a varied style of haircuts at the 2015 Asian Cup. (AAP)

The beauty of football is always in its artistry and skill - and often in its haircuts as well.

Usually, haircuts are about fashion. Sometimes, it's more than that. ACRO recalls talking to a former Australian under-19 representative who said he had dyed his dark hair a very bright blond - practically white - to try to stand out more when he was trialling for an overseas contract.

Asian Cup watchers will have noticed many players visited their hairdressers ahead of the tournament kicking off, with a view to getting something special in place.

A few have tried the mohawk, which is always worth a shot but which players must accept has to be judged for quality against the greatest mohawk of all-time - the one adopted by the Travis Bickle character, played by Robert De Niro, in the 1976 move Taxi Driver.

ACRO decrees that De Niro's mohawk is a 10 out of 10 and judges the efforts by Palestinian players Abdullah Jaber (number 14) and Addelatif Al-Bahdari (15) to be worth a six and seven respectively.

Reasonable efforts, but room for improvement.

Serial pest-watch

No sign of the serial pest, Peter Hore, at any Asian Cup game so far - not even the first one played in his home city of Newcastle on Monday, between Japan and Palestine.

But ACRO warns that doesn't mean Asian Cup organisers should get complacent about the possibility of Hore appearing at a match venue in an attempt to disrupt a game.

ACRO kindly reminded everyone ahead of the tournament kicking off about that fateful night when Hore invaded the pitch during the 1997 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Australia and Iran at the MCG, with the Socceroos leading 2-0.

He cut the net down in the Iranian goal and the ensuing delay allowed the visitors to regroup and fight back to draw 2-2 and qualify for the finals on away goals.

Hore was still active in the "art" of disruption as recently as last year and as far as ACRO knows he hasn't retired from serial pest-like activities.

The following video provides a compelling example of what Hore is capable of getting up to when he puts his mind to it.

Watch the 1997 Melbourne Cup field as it reaches the clock tower halfway down the straight at Flemington. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a figure running on to the track. It's Hore.

Fortunately, he somehow didn't manage to spook any horses and bring half the field down before it had passed him. Might And Power, ridden by Jimmy Cassidy, went on to score one of the great cup wins.

Hore was jailed for a month over the incident, but unfortunately he didn't serve that term until after the World Cup qualifier several weeks later.

What do you love most about the Asian Cup?

It's a question ACRO will put to a few prominent types between now and the end of the tournament.

We started with SBS's own Lucy Zelic, who said the opportunity for Australians to go along to games and not only enjoy the football but learn more about other cultures was priceless.

"I look at Palestine as a great example," Zelic said. "When you know everything they're going through as a country, the turmoil they're experiencing against Israel, they've come here because they just want to play football.

"They may not necessarily have the best strength and conditioning coach in the world, the best approach in terms of preparation, but this is about pride in the jersey and the love of the game and I think that sometimes gets lost on a lot of people

"So many people are going to be gauging the success of this tournament on how well the Socceroos do, but we have to look at it as the host nation and the duty we have to put on the best spectacle in terms of hospitality and our treatment of the visiting teams and supporters.

"We must treat them with respect and understand their cultural sensitivities and send them away with a positive view of Australia, because as it stands now so many people are lobbying to get us out of the Asian Confederation.

"That should be quite alarming to us as a footballing nation because if we fall out of that we're in big trouble. Where would that leave us? I think we have to start taking our relationship with Asia more seriously and do everything we can to nurture it.

"Hosting the Asian Cup gives us that opportunity."

Hate male

Who are we going to hate at the Asian Cup if we can't hate Nasser Al-Shamrani? (Hate in a fun sense, ACRO stresses. Remember what Lucy just said).

The Saudi Arabian star with a recent history of infamous run-ins with Western Sydney Wanderers players during the Asian Champions League was a natural to be public enemy number one for fans looking for someone to scream at.

But then he got injured in the days leading up to the tournament kicking off and was ruled out of the entire event.

How selfish of him!

ACRO invites some other player - any player - to step up and fill the gap. Even if it's not how you would normally behave, become a complete irritation with no respect for your fellow players and give us someone at whom we can aim darts. Verbal ones, I'm talking about.

Then, when the tournament is over, go back to being your regular, mild-mannered self. Thank you, in anticipation of someone putting his hand up.

The Twittersphere

You've got to love the story of the 12-year-old ball-boy, Stephan White, who, when asked by Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei which way he should dive to try to save a Saudia Arabian penalty attempt, advised him to go to his left.

Dalei took the advice, stopped the shot and China went on to win 1-0, giving the youngster mini-celebrity status in China and leading to an invitation from the Chinese team management to come and meet the team at training on Monday.