Taking issue

Keo Sokngorn receives his Best Player cheque

I find it increasingly difficult to agree with virtually every decision emanating from the football federation in Cambodia. The big one for me was the decision to reintroduce the play-off system to decide who would be the league champions. That simply stinks for a football traditionalist like me. Have your play-offs to decide minor relegation or promotion places or cup competitions but never to decide the destination of the country's championship title. It's wrong whichever way you look at it. That said, the FFC are also responsible for choosing the other end of season awards such as the season's best player. Last time around they bamboozled everyone, including the player himself, by choosing Chea Samnang from Preah Khan Reach. No-one saw that coming, as the officials completely overlooked a long list of players with far more pressing credentials. Blow me down, if they don't go and do the same again this season. You'd think that the captain of the title-winning team, Boeung Ket, might have a shout at the award, but again there have been players who've performed to a higher standard and with more consistency this campaign. The prize was picked up by Keo Sokngorn yesterday. The player had one of his best games too but over the course of the season, he has not shone, either for club and country, certainly not as much as he did when he picked up the same award two years ago. In his own team, Friday Nwakuna, who has looked twice the player he was in his previous spells in the C-League, and combative, shoot-on-sight Sumaila Momoh have been far more outstanding. For Naga, Chuon Chum changed his name and changed his game, and was in rampant form throughout the season, whilst two more Preah Khan youngsters, Moul Daravorn and Nen Sothearoth, have come on leaps and bounds this year. Injuries to two of the country's best players, Khuon Laboravy and Kouch Sokumpheak, have allowed others to shine in their absence such as Sos Suhana, Sokngorn's younger brother Keo Sokpheng and Ek Sopheap from Kirivong. There's no argument when it comes to Boeung Ket collecting the top scorer (Friday Nwakuna), best coach (Prak Vuthy) and best goalkeeper (Penh Bunchhay) awards but I've watched most of the C-League matches this season and must take issue with the FFC's choice of best player.
PS. I forgot that the FFC also awarded the best referee award to Thong Chankethya, another decision I completely disagree with. Chankethya is a referee I've written about many times, he's card happy and definitely doesn't follow the old adage that a good referee is one we don't see when we watch a match. He appears to love making decisions that impact on games and yesterday's dismissal of Sin Dalin was another case in point. If I took a poll amongst the C-League players as to which referees they least want to be in the middle; I reckon Chankethya will be right up there, alongside Khuon Virak and Yien Kivatanak.

Familiar faces

Keo Sokngorn nailing his colours to the mast of his new Thai club side

A few familiar faces were spotted at the Hun Sen Cup matches at Olympic Stadium yesterday including teenage national team striker Keo Sokngorn, who came along to watch his former club Phnom Penh Crown sail through to the next round. Sokngorn netted 15 goals for Crown last season before deciding to try his luck in pastures new for the coming season, recently signing for Thai Regional Division 2 team Samut Sakhon FC. He met up with the Cambodian national team coach Lee Tae-Hoon at the ground though it's unlikely that Sokngorn will feature in the forthcoming AFC Challenge Cup matches against Macau as they clash with the start of the Thai league season in the 2nd week of February. Two more former Crown players from last season, Sani Saidu and Friday Nwakuna, will also be plying their trade in Thailand, for Division 1 team Songkhla FC and were at the game as well, alongwith former Crown manager Makara Be. Two players who I didn't see were Prince Justine and Julius Ononiwu, who have signed up with Thai Division 1 team Chula United, who have just this minute changed their name to, wait for it...Big Bang Chulalongkorn University. Yes, BB-CU FC. Don't ask.

Prince Justine (middle) and Julius Ononiwu (right) join BB-CU FC

Back in action

Phnom Penh Crown are back on the cup trail tomorrow at 4.30pm when they meet Chhlam Samuth (aka Phuchung Neak) in the last sixteen round of the Hun Sen Cup at Olympic Stadium. Coach Bojan Hodak has a full squad to select from with no injury worries and three players returning from suspension, Tieng Tiny, Sun Sopanha and Chan Chaya. The football federation ban on Khim Borey and Suong Virak is still in force. Their former team, the Army, weren't happy when they lost a glut of their best players in the off-season and the federation have bowed to their demands to suspend the players. There is no legal reason for the players to be missing games as they were free agents when they moved clubs and the sooner this situation is resolved the better. In the cup ties this weekend, Battambang may spring a surprise on Prek Pra whilst BBU should be too strong for Rithy Sen. Tomorrow, Preah Khan Reach will put out Neak Khiev and Crown face the boys from the Navy. The remaining 4 ties will take place next weekend.

The Cambodian national squad for the upcoming AFC Challenge Cup qualification matches against Macau has been announced. 7 Phnom Penh Crown players are included in the 24-man training group, which will be reduced to 18 before they meet Macau at the Olympic Stadium on 9 February. No real surprises as the national coach Lee Tae-Hoon has had his squad playing friendly matches in the last couple of months, though a few faces that should be included are still missing. There is also talk about inviting three Khmer players currently plying their trade in Thailand, to join the squad. They are Keo Sokngorn, Srey Veasna and Chan Rithy. The 24-man squad is (Crown players are in bold): Mic, Bunchhay, Simay; Raksmey, Veasna, Rithy, Rady, T Udom, Narith, Tiny, Pancharong, Chhoeun, Sopanha, PM Udom, Sothearath, Sovanratha, Soksana; Borey, Sokumpheak, Pheng, Laboravy, El Nasa, Vichheka.

The long-running saga of where former Crown starlet Keo Sokngorn will be playing his football this season has finally been resolved, with the teenager joining Thai Regional Division 2 Central & Eastern team Samut Sakhon FC in the third tier of Thai football. In recent weeks a handful of players who left Crown after the end of last season, have signed up with Thai teams. Prince Justine has joined Chula United, whilst Sani Saidu and Friday Nwakuna have thrown their lot in with Songkhla FC and Srey Veasna is now with Loei City.

Destination Chula

Keo Sokngorn (blue) and Sani Saidu (red) are led by Kiatisuk Senamuang (white) at Chula United

This photo caught my eye as it's a picture of Chula United getting in some training before the Thailand football season gets underway in February. Chula are based at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and they play in the Thai First Division. Why did it get my attention, because the player in the blue jersey is former Phnom Penh Crown teenager Keo Sokngorn and his teammate in the red is the ex-Crown centre-half, Sani Saidu. The reason why two former Crown players are trying their luck at Chula United for the new season, is that their old Crown manager Makara Be has taken up a position of advisor to the new Chula manager Kiatisuk 'Zico' Senamuang. The new man in charge is something of a legend in Thailand, having played 130 international matches and scored 65 goals for his country whilst displaying his skills for clubs in Malaysia, England, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2006 he retired from playing and took over the reins at Vietnam's richest club Hoang Anh Gia Lai before moving back to Thailand and Chula only last month. Don't be too surprised if Sokngorn, Saidu and one or two more familiar names including Crown's former top scorer Prince Justine and Naga's Joseph Oyewole turn out for Chula this season. As for Crown's Thai coach last term, Apisit Im Ampahi, he's linked up with TPL team Bangkok Glass.

Sokngorn's success

Keo Sokngorn, 2 goals in the final and the best player of the season award

One young man will certainly remember yesterday's championship-deciding play-off final at Olympic Stadium, even though he's already enjoyed considerable success as a teenager. Keo Sokngorn is the wonder-kid of Cambodian football. He has a great talent and can display his skills for Phnom Penh Crown and the Cambodia national team in midfield or up front with equal prowess. Yesterday he scored two of Crown's goals in their 4-3 success over Preah Khan Reach, including a tap-in two minutes from full-time that turned out to be the winner. His first was a cool-as-you-like penalty with a two-step run up to level the game after Preah Khan had taken an early lead. Sokngorn not only collected his winners medal but the best player of the season award, and 2 million riels, to cement his stature as the best of the homegrown talent on display in the Metfone C-League. Add the fact that he's a likeable 18-year-old with his head screwed on and you just about have the perfect package. Fresh from this season's successes, he's sure to play a key part in the national team's important Suzuki Cup matches in Laos in October under new South Korean coach Seijin Yeo.

Keo Sokngorn receiving his 2 million riel award as the season's best player

Keo Sokngorn holds a shirt saying Samnang = Lucky as he steps up to the podium

FFC President Sao Sokha adorns Keo Sokngorn (10) with his championship medal

Keo Sokngorn and the championship trophy, with his strike partner, Prince Justine looking on

The television cameras catch up with the teenager at the end of the presentations