The Top Fifty

The first announcement to come out of the football federation since Prak Sovannara returned to coach the Cambodian national team, is a list of 50 players who the coach has selected to get together as a preliminary squad, so he can whittle it down to a more manageable squad of around 22 players, which he will take to Philippines for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in early March. The idea is to have training sessions and then some friendly matches ahead of the Philippines trip. The problem as I see it, is that this late in the day decision to send a team to the Challenge Cup will now have a serious impact on the upcoming Cambodian League and Hun Sen Cup programme of matches. Initially, the federation announced that Cambodia would not be involved and they then brought forward the start of the season by two months to 1 January, with the cup matches beginning ten days before that and lasting through to mid-February. Now they have changed their mind with no consultation with the clubs, again, appointed a new coach and appear to have given him carte blanche to select players and insist they attend training sessions and play matches for the national team. Which quite simply rides roughshod over the plans and commitments of the club teams, with whom the players are contracted, and who have a very busy midweek and weekend series of matches throughout January and February. This lack of planning ahead is a constant problem within the federation and brings the national team into conflict with the clubs at every turn. How can club coaches prepare their teams for a busy schedule when the likelihood is that Sovannara will call his fifty players for training and matches up to four times a week. It simply doesn't add up. There has so far been no mention of postponing C-League matches before and during the AFC Challenge Cup, but this simply must happen or all hell will let loose. Everyone in Cambodia wants a successful national team but there has to be consultation with the clubs, give and take to ensure the domestic competitions don't suffer. But at the moment, it appears pretty much all one-sided in favour of the federation.

Back to the squad of fifty that Prak Sovannara wants to have a good look at. It includes six players from Phnom Penh Crown, most notably the two recent arrivals from France, Bin Thierry and Kok Boris. Crown keeper Samrith Seiha, Sos Suhana, Khim Borey and the injured Kouch Sokumpheak have also been listed. The latter will not likely play for at least two months so his chances of going to the Philippines is extremely slim. The same might be said for Khuon Laboravy of Preah Khan who is also included. Both players had cruciate ligament operations, which are serious injuries, and whilst there may be a desire to rush them back in time, that could be counter-productive to their long term careers. PKR have eight players in the fifty, as do Sovannara's former club Naga, champions Boeung Ket have seven and the National Police and Army have six. All the usual names are in the frame except PKR's Tum Saray, whilst one name has been added though it remains to be seen if Chhunly Pagenburg, who plays his football in Germany with Eintracht Trier 05, will be tempted to join up with the squad.