Snippets

The Cambodia U-19 national team are in Indonesia right now, taking part in the AFF U-19 Championships. Two Phnom Penh Crown players, Chhom Pisa and Ly Morslim were in the final training squad but only Pisa made it into the twenty-strong squad that actually travelled. They lost their first match the other day, 3-1 to Laos and Pisa was on the bench.

Sam Schweingruber, assisted by Bouy Dary, is currently running a ten-day D-License coaching course for wannabe coaches, to give them a basic grounding on grassroots development. Sam is a FIFA instructor and will soon be off to Australia to conduct a course. For the time being, he's putting 38 potentials through their paces and that includes 20 Phnom Penh Crown players, who are taking the course as part of their personal development plan. It's never too early to think about what to do once playing football for a living is no longer an option. Crown are keen for their players to do a lot more than simply training and playing, and this includes community work, visiting schools and much more.

Two Phnom Penh Crown staff, Academy assistant coach Kao Kiry and general secretary Ly Heang, recently completed an intensive three-week B-License coaching course at the national football center. Kiry is a former national team player who has been with the Crown Academy since it opened its doors in 2011. Heang joined Crown last season after half a dozen years in grassroots development in Battambang. Both should hear the outcome of their hard work in a few months time.

Last but not least, an update on the clubs vying to gain entry into the Metfone C-League for the 2014 season. The A1 Division championship is the avenue that clubs take and a series of matches in Takeo in the last week or so have been sorting the wheat from the chaff. TriAsia, the club that plays hyped-up cup matches instead of friendlies and who have Japanese coffee money backing them up, won the final earlier today, beating Takeo after extra time. The two teams will now meet AEU and Senate in a play-off to decide who fills spots 9 and 10 in next season's MCL. The semi-final between TriAsia and Battambang Rice Bank certainly caused a stir when the province team accused the referee of cheating and walked off the pitch with ten minutes left of extra time. Tri-Asia were leading 3-2 at the time. Battambang felt the match official was biased after disallowing a goal of theirs, allowing an offside goal for TriAsia's 93rd minute leveller, and showing a red card to two of their players. Spectators at the game were vociferous in their support of Battambang's complaints. They were so pissed off they didn't even bother turning up for the 3rd place play-off. TriAsia's Japanese coach put it down to divine intervention. "Invisible something is in the field when the important match is held... I felt a god is equally watching us." Cue the God Cup next time TriAsia play a friendly.