Showing posts with label ASEAN U-17 football championship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASEAN U-17 football championship. Show all posts

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Roundup: Cambodia proud to host ASEAN U17 football championship

September 02, 2007

Cambodia was very proud to organize the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Football Federation (AFF) U17 Championship Tournament 2007, which went smoothly until the end, said Kek Ravy, vice-president of the Football Federation of Cambodia, here on Saturday.

He made these remarks after Thailand won Laos 3-2 in the final match in Saturday afternoon to become the champion and Vietnam beat Indonesia 4-3 to took the third place in the morning.

The tournament aimed at developing young players in ASEAN countries with professional skills in the football field. "I hope that someday in the future Asia will win the World Cup of FIFA," he said.

"We attracted thousands of spectators and it was a historical event here," he said.

There will be another match of AFF U16 in October 2007 in Indonesia, he said, adding that six teams, namely Cambodia, Hong Kong of China, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan will join it.

During the final match, Thailand scored all its three goals in the first half of the match, while Laos had two in the second half of the match.

Laotian Coach Soulivanh Xeunvilay said his team was happy to be the runner-up.

"In the second half of the match, my boys presented dominant performance in the field," he said at the press conference held after the match.

Thai coach Prayoung Khunan told reporters that in the second half of the match, as his players were exhausted and had weak power, the Laotian team mounted up its pressure.

"We are very happy and lucky to win the Laotian team for the final match," he said.

The Thai team received the cup from Thong Khon, Cambodian Tourism Minister and president of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia.

All the matches of the tournament were done in order, despite of heavy rain now and then.

The only stain was the small-scale riot on Aug. 25, after Cambodia won Brunei 2-0 but the angry fans thought the team should have been able to score more goals.

During the violence, some 200 spectators smashed windows on four vehicles with wooden sticks and threw rocks at the military police guarding the Olympic Stadium.

Except Philippines, all ASEAN countries sent teams to the match.

The first ASEAN U17 football championship was held in 2005 in Thailand, with Myanmar being the winner, and the second in 2006 in Vietnam, with Vietnam the winner.

Source: Xinhua

Saturday, September 01, 2007

The Rising [Football] Star of Cambodia: Keo Sokngon

ASEAN Football

Lethal with both feet, Keo Sokngon is the captain of the Cambodian national Under-17 team where his hard work has proven to be inspiration to his team.

And while the goals might not have been free-flowing as he would have liked, there is no doubt that striker Sokngon is the rising star of Cambodian football.

Q: Tell us a little bit about where you are from?
A: I was born in Kratie province which is located some 300km away from the capital city of Phnom Penh. And from there I started to play football first with the schools before I was spotted to play here in the city.

Q: How old were you when you first started playing football?
A: I was six-years-old then and the reason why I chose football was because of all the games which I've played, I love football the most.

Q: How many of you are there in the family?
A: Apart from my parents, there are five of us altogether - three boys and two girls. I'm the fourth kid.

Q: What do your parents do?
A: They are in sales.

Q: Does any of your siblings play football?
A: Only my youngest brother Sokpheng plays football while my older brother Sokphan is into volleyball.

Q: Your first team?
A: Roka Kandal School. I've never played for the national age-group teams for Cambodia before. This Under-17 team is my first national team assignment in an international competition.

Q: Who do you play for at the moment?
A: Previously, I played for the Kratie Province Football club – before they changed the name to Moha Garuda FC - I've been with them since I was 15-years-old. The team is currently playing in the Cambodian Second League where we are all looking forward to playing in the higher Cambodian Premier League in 2008.

Q: How many goals have you scored for Moha Garuda FC?
A: I've scored 18 goals from 13 matches.

Q: Have you always played as a striker?
A: Always – I like to score goals and of course, I've been told that it is my natural position.

Q: Who do you fashioned your playing style after?
A: Thierry Henry. I feel that we have a similar built and I like the way he moves forward.

Q: What do you think of Cambodian football at the moment?
A: Cambodian football is developing. The level is higher than before. So there is a lot of excitement for the future. The football management currently (in the Football Federation of Cambodia) is working very hard for the game to grow further and in the right direction.

Q: Do you harbour any thoughts of playing abroad some day?
A: Of course – it is the ambition of any footballer to hone their skills to the highest level. I would like to change clubs to get more experience and high level competition. But more that importantly, I would like to join clubs with good coaches.

Q: Where do you think you would like to go?
A: Vietnam for the V-League. The standard is higher than it is in Cambodia. Perhaps given the opportunity, I hope to play for Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) some day.

Q: Now that you part of the Cambodian national Under-17 team, do you have any intention of playing for the senior Cambodian national team?
A: Of course, I would like to be part of the Cambodian national team for the Asean Football Championship qualifiers next year. I don't think that it will be hard to fit in though because the older players in the team will guide me through.

Q: What do you think of Cambodia's chances for the qualifiers of the Asean Football Championship next year?
A: It will not be easy for sure but I believe that we can be competitive.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Cambodian police step up security after football riot

Fans of the Cambodian team hold signs reading the score they expect: 10 for Cambodian, 0 for Brunei. However, the final score was only a 2-0 win by Cambodia (Photo: Sam-Aun, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Aug 27, 2007
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities said Monday they have stepped up security ahead of Monday's scheduled football match against Malaysia's Under-17 side, after a brief outbreak of violence following Cambodia's victory over Brunei.

Cambodia is hosting the Association of South-east Asian Nations Football Federation's Under-17 championship, which features teams including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Cambodian team scored a strong 2-0 victory over Brunei on Saturday night, but a small section of the crowd who had apparently bet on a wider winning margin were not satisfied and police estimate that up to 200 people rioted, smashing bus and car windows and throwing bottles.

The rowdy crowd was quickly subdued after at least one shot was fired in the air by police deployed as security for the game.

Cambodian football authorities denied allegations that they deliberately held back the winning margin, admitting that the team had saved itself for the match against Malaysia but that goal-scoring attempts were kept to a minimum by the defensive tactics of the Brunei side.

'We will have extra men on alert at the game tonight to ensure the same problem does not happen again,' a police source who declined to be named said Monday.

Football betting is legal in Cambodia, although a massive illegal bookmaking network also continues to operate. The practice is so widespread it has been blamed on skyrocketing crime rates after major tournaments such as the World Cup, when losers turn to desperate measures to try to recoup sometimes huge losses.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Fans accuse football players of accepting bribe

25 August 2007
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Cambodian football fans smashed the windshield of the car transporting young Cambodian football players, accusing them of accepting bribe from a company which told the young players not to play the match against the Brunei team to their fullest.

During the 2007 ASEAN U-17 football championship, Cambodian players scored 2 goals against Brunei during the first half of the game, however, during the second half, the Cambodia team did not score anything.

Angry fans, as well as a group of other spectators who claimed to be witnesses, said that it was because the Cambodian players accepted bribes from an external betting company which prevented these players from scoring over Brunei by more than 2 goals. They said that was the reason why the score became to be. Several hundreds of angry fans attempted to beat up the Cambodian team, but the police was able to stop them on time.

Based on preliminary report, the anger caused the fans to smash two police vehicles, one car transporting the players, and one motorcycle.

Football fans go on rampage in Cambodia

Aug 26, 2007
AFP

PHNOM PENH - ABOUT 200 Cambodian football fans rioted after the kingdom's youth team failed to score in the second half of an Asian championship match, smashing cars and throwing bottles, officials said on Sunday.

The riot broke out late Saturday at the stadium in Phnom Penh, but ended quickly after police fired a warning shot into the air, said Sao Sokha, president of the Football Federation of Cambodia.

While Cambodia beat Brunei 2-0, local fans got angry when their players were shut out in the second half, said Sao Sokha.

'Fans accused Cambodian players of not trying hard enough in the second half,' he said, adding no one was either arrested or injured.

Cambodia was hosting the Asian Football Federation's under-17 youth championship.

Nine football teams from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were competing in the tournament.

Cambodia beats Brunei 2-0 in ASEAN U-17 football championship

Ek Vanak of Cambodia (R) challenges for the ball with Mohammad Rackin Ramli of Brunei during their Asean Football Federation (AFF) U17 Youth Championship 2007 soccer match at Olympic National stadium in Phnom Penh August 25, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

August 26, 2007

Cambodia here on Saturday beat Brunei 2-0 in a match of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Football Federation (AFF) U17 Championship Tournament 2007.

In the first half, Cambodian player Oum Kumpheak scored a goal at the 18th minute and Soun Makara made it 2-0 for Cambodia at the 23rd minute.

After the match, Bruneian coach Kwan Soon Oh said that in the second half they concentrated on defending because the Cambodian team had a two-goal advantage.

"In the second half, we could not score a goal because the Bruneian side protected well," Cambodian coach Prak Sovanara told reporters, adding that they also should save power to play with Malaysia.

"If we lose to Malaysia, we could not qualify for the semi-final of the tournament," he added.

Source: Xinhua

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Cambodia, Indonesia make tie in ASEAN U-17 football championship

August 22, 2007

Cambodia on Tuesday made a tie of 0-0 with Indonesia during the fourth match of the ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asia Nations) Football Federation (AFF) U17 Championship Tournament 2007.

"We changed our strategies and techniques while we played with Indonesia, because we had experiences after matching with Thailand yesterday," said Cambodian coach Prak Sovanara. Thailand beat Cambodia 3-2 on Sunday.

"My team were exhausted and had weak power, because yesterday we played with Thailand and today we played with Indonesia," he said.

Indonesian coach Urias said that the Cambodian team protected itself well for this match and therefore his team could not find opportunity for a goal.

"My boys also lost spirit a bit because here is Cambodia and it has many Cambodian fans," he said. Indonesia beat Brunei 3-0 on Monday.

On Monday, Vietnam won Singapore 2-0.

Except the Philippines, all ASEAN countries sent teams to the tournament.

The first ASEAN U-17 football championship was held in Thailand in 2005, with Burma being the winner, and the second in Vietnam in 2006, with Vietnam the winner.

Source: Xinhua

Monday, August 20, 2007

Thailand beats Cambodia 3-2 in ASEAN U-17 football championship

Cambodia fans wave national flags at their soccer match against Thailand in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U17 Youth Championship 2007 in Phnom Penh August 19, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thailand's goalkeeper Peaphat Yorkrai (yellow shirt) catches the ball from Cambodia's Phou Kimse (front) during their match of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U17 Youth Championship 2007 in Phnom Penh August 20, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

August 20, 2007

Thailand on Monday won Cambodia 3-2 during the second match of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Football Federation (AFF) U17 Championship Tournament 2007.

In the first half of the match, Thailand scored two goals and Cambodia one. Thai player Rakpong Chumueang won a score at minute 13 and Sarach Yooyen the second one at minute 42. Cambodian captain Keo Sok Ngon accomplished a winning shoot at the minute 30.

During second half of the match, Thai player Narakorn Kana scored his team's third goal at minute 70, Cambodian player Hou Sambo secured his team's second goal at the minute 71.

Cambodian coach Prak Sovannara said that the Thai team is strongest in ASEAN and Cambodia is weaker than Thai in power and technique.

The match was postponed to Monday morning from Sunday afternoon due to heavy rain.

During the opening match held on Sunday afternoon, Indonesia defeated Brunei 3-0.

Except the Philippines, all ASEAN countries sent teams to the tournament.

The first ASEAN U-17 football championship was held in 2005 in Thailand, with Myanmar being the winner, and the second in 2006 in Vietnam, with Vietnam the winner.

Source: Xinhua