On another planet

Is it me or do the football authorities in Cambodia exist on another planet. Yesterday afternoon at 3pm they held a press conference and draw for the forthcoming BIDC Cup. It took place at Naga World. That was the same time as the C-League game between Naga and the Army was kicking off the 2nd half at the Olympic Stadium. So two football events at exactly the same time but in different locations. Presumably they were expecting only non-football media to be there, for what is essentially a football event. As if they were the football media, worthy of the name, they'd have been at the match. Anyway, they went ahead with their razzmatazz draw at Naga World for a competition that still has me scratching my head to understand the reasoning behind it. It's called the Mekong Region Youth U21 International Football Tournament BIDC Cup 2011, so that's MRYUIFTBIDCC for short. It's for six teams, who will be playing players in the under-21 age group with the games to take pace between 8-16 October. Essentially it's a warm-up competition for the SEA games which takes place in Indonesia in November. However, the SEA Games football tournament is pitched at U-23 level, so to hold an U-21 competition seems a little strange to say the least. I've also heard that at least two of the participants are sending their U-19 squads along. The draw set up two groups, with all the games due to be played at the Olympic Stadium with 3pm and 5.30pm kick-offs. Group A will host the teams from China (which could be a club side), Thailand and Vietnam, whilst Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar make up Group B. The winners will get $20,000 in prize money, with the matches being screened on local channel, My TV. Is it something I'm looking forward to? Not really. The thought of watching Cambodia's U-21 team play the U-19s from Vietnam doesn't exactly get my juices flowing. And it definitely doesn't capture the imagination as the BIDC Cup in 2009 did, when Cambodia under coach Scott O'Donell swept to success in the competition in front of tens of thousands of captivated fans before they headed off to the SEA Games that year.