In training

The AFC A license coaching course has come to Phnom Penh. With 26 participants and overseen by an AFC instructor alongwith Naga coach Prak Sovannara, the course will last from today until 7 March at Cheng Meng. And it's pretty intensive according to Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth, who successfully completed the same course in November in Manila. For him it was a 27-day straight through course and with just 4 successful passes out of 18 participants, the bar is raised high. So the coaches taking the current course will have their work cut out to pass. The participants include goalkeeping coach Prak Sovanny and player Hok Sochivorn from Phnom Penh Crown, Sochivorn's brother Hok Sochetra, a smattering of coaches from C-League teams including the Army, Police, Boeung Ket and BBU, Meas Channa, the Cambodian national team number 2, as well as Sam Schweingruber of the SALT Academy in Battambang.

A little bird has told me that some good news is imminent regarding the absence of one of Phnom Penh Crown's best players, sidelined through a ban that simply should've never been implemented. Too late to help Crown in their bid for the Hun Sen Cup but at least sense has prevailed at last, if the little bird is to be believed. I won't believe it until I see it typed up and signed by every member of the FFC executive committee.

The Hun Sen Cup semi-finals were held at Olympic today. I didn't go, as I had to work. Having the semi-finals of the country's top cup competition in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday stinks. In fact this whole competition stinks. The FFC have completely lost the plot in condensing it into a matter of days. For the record, the two obvious teams won through to Sunday's final, namely Preah Khan and Naga Corp. PKR beat National Police 4-0 with that man Laboravy getting two more goals to add to his growing tally. In the other semi, Naga, with Chhim Sambo netting twice, overcame Chhlam Smuth 4-0 as well. Just to make you laugh out loud, the 3rd place play-off is tomorrow, so the Police and Chhlam Samuth have to play again, 24 hours after their hard-fought semis. The FFC really are taking the piss.