My way or the highway

The Cambodia U-23s receiving pre-match instructions

Anyone who has read Kingdom of Football before will likely be aware of my dissent with the current occupant of the hottest seat in Khmer football, the Cambodian national football team. I don't think he's the right man for the job. Plain and simple. But I seem to be a lone voice in the football wilderness on that one. He's currently responsible for the U-23 squad who are preparing for the BIDC Cup competition, in Phnom Penh early next month, and more importantly, the SEA Games in December over in Myanmar. The squad have been together, training twice each day, for a month and a half and will be in training camp lock-down at the Tonle Bati center from Monday. That has meant that each of those 25 players has not been available to their domestic clubs for that period of time and will not be released back to their clubs until after the SEA Games is over. So for the whole of the pre-season preparation, build-up and practice matches, clubs have had to manage without their best players. If they are lucky, they may get them back for a few days before the Hun Sen Cup competition begins on 17 December. Those are the facts. To me that stinks. How the heck can clubs prepare their teams properly, both tactically, mentally and physically, if their best players are absent for what will be more than three months? It's simply not possible. For purely selfish reasons the federation and the national coach decided they had complete control over the players, ignoring the fact that they are on contracts with their domestic teams. I don't believe there was any attempt to find a reasonable compromise, for example say two days a week with their own clubs, the rest of the time with the national set-up. It was their way or the highway, so to speak. Of course, everyone wants the national team to succeed but not at the expense of teams in the domestic competitions. It should be a partnership, not a them or us situation. Another area of the game where massive improvements need to be made.
The 25-man U-23 squad currently squirreled away is:
Phnom Penh Crown: Sou Yaty, Sos Suhana, Bin Thierry.
National Police: Say Piseth, Srey Oudom.
Army: Sou Yaty, Chhin Chhoeun, Phoung Soksana, Khek Khemarin, Ke Vannak, Ung Dara.
Svay Rieng: Aim Sovannarath, Sar Sophea, Prak Mony Udom, Tum Saray, Nen Sothearoth.
Boeung Ket: Chan Vathanaka, Keo Sokngon, Sok Pheng, Touch Pancharong, Khiev Vibol, Chhun Sothearath, Sok Sovan, Ros Samoeun.
Naga: Samrith Seiha, Sok Rithy.

Time to gel

Will Kouch Sokumpheak (10) feature in the national team? Pic: Bunsak But/NagaCorp

The Cambodian national team have been in squad training a few times each week for a while now and get to strut their stuff in a friendly match on Wednesday 6 March at the Olympic Stadium, when they take on the Malaysian U-23s, with a 4pm kick-off. The Malaysians have been offering their services for match practice with other national teams and in the past week have drawn 0-0 with Myanmar and 3-3 with Laos. With the Cambodians gearing up for the AFC Challenge Cup qualification games to be held in the Philippines between 22-26 March, matches like these are vital for coach Prak Sovannara to gel a starting line-up from his squad. Now that Kouch Sokumpheak and Khuon Laboravy have returned to league action with their respective clubs, the pressure will be on Sovannara to include them in his plans. A training squad of 30 players will have to be reduced soon enough. Cambodia take on Turkmenistan (22 Mar), host country Philippines (24 Mar) and Brunei (26 Mar).

News leaked out today that Cambodia looks certain to host the SEA Games in 2023, exactly ten years from now. This will be a massive undertaking by the country to get their sports facilities up to scratch as well as their human resources, but they have a decade to do it and will need considerable input and finance from the government and outside sources. Myanmar are hosting the SEA Games this year - they are held every two years - with Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei to follow. And now it looks like Cambodia will be doing the honours in 2023. I went to the SEA Games in Laos and I know how big a job it is to get it right.

Eye eye

Peter Olajide experiencing the doctor's sewing skills at 1st hand. Pic: nicksellsphotography

This picture by Nick Sells of Khemara defender Peter Olajide receiving treatment for a cut above his eye in Sunday's Metfone C-League clash, had me reminiscing about my own war wound sustained whilst on SEA Games duty in Laos at the back-end of last year. For Olajide it was three stitches in a small gash, for me it was five stitches and a scar that will forever remind me of following Cambodia's footballers to Vientiane for the SEA Games.

What memories are made of - forever etched onto my face