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| HRH Prince Ali at the press conference |
I MC'd the press conference for Prince Ali at Raffles Hotel Le Royal
this morning. It was the last day of the Prince's three-day visit to
Cambodia. As Vice President of FIFA responsible for Asia, but moreso, in
his role as Chairman of the Asian Football Development project, an
initiative he started himself, the Prince was here to promote and
support the fabulous work being done by the Salt Academy and the Mighty
Girls programs in Battambang. The AFDP provides sponsorship to the
Mighty Girls, who effectively form the Cambodian women's national team.
And he was glowing in his comments during his speech at the press
conference about the potential he saw in Battambang on Monday, as an
example of the empowerment of women through football that he advocates
so strongly. He also expressed his admiration for the work Rithy Samnang
is doing with grassroots football at Phnom Penh Crown. The common
thread is of course Sam Schweingruber who began the Salt Academy and
Mighty Girls programs in northwest Cambodia and has now brought that
grassroots thrust with him since he joined PPCFC as head coach a few
months ago. The Prince remarked that both Samnang and he were of similar
ages, with similar dreams and aspirations for the betterment of
football, whilst Samnang felt the presence of the Prince at the opening
of the new youth league on Sunday morning was a big encouragement for
the youngsters to see someone of his world stature at their new
competition. Prince Ali also commended the Football Federation of
Cambodia, whom he will give 500 footballs to for their grassroots
endeavours, with vice president Khiev Sameth confirming that the FFC
will begin its own youth academy at the end of this year. Commenting on
the problems that FIFA have been experiencing in some quarters, the
Prince felt it was healthy that problems are aired and dealt with in a
transparent way and that a world body should have no secrets. He spoke
positively and passionately about Asian football, emphasizing the
importance of focusing on grassroots, infrastructure and developing
coaches to uncover the massive potential that exists within the
continent. The Prince was seen off at the airport by a contingent of
PPCFC staff and players as he headed for his next destination, a
grassroots tournament in Bhutan. His time here was brief but memorable
for the impact on so many, helping to put Cambodia on the football map
on the international stage.
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| LtoR: Khiev Sameth (FFC VP), Prince Ali and Rithy Samnang (PPCFC President) |
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| Prince Ali with the PPCFC contingent this morning: LtoR: Sam, Andy. Heang, Prince Ali, Samnang, Andrew, Chhi |
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| Prince Ali and his team are seen off by players and officials from PPCFC |
