Ly at the finals

Referee Kuong Ly in red, really loving his work

A man in the middle who obviously enjoys his football, judging by the picture above, is Cambodian referee Kuong Ly. His enjoyment will have been enhanced in the last week or two by his inclusion amongst the competition's match officials for two of the recent AFF Suzuki Cup group matches in Vietnam, and again tonight, this time in Jakarta, for the semi-final first leg between Philippines and Indonesia, which the latter won 1-0. Kuong Ly was seen both in the middle and on the line, as assistant referee, in quite a few C-League matches last term, so he's no stranger to running the line. In fact he ran the line in last season's C-League play-off final between Phnom Penh Crown and Preah Khan Reach. He was also the main man when he allowed a match to play to a conclusion between PKR and Kirivong in June, when any right-minded match official would've called the game off. It was more a water-polo match than a football game after an incessant downpour left the Olympic pitch completely waterlogged. Nevertheless, he has been recognized for his flag-waving capabilities and included in the match officials pool for this prestigious tournament.