The big test

Less than a couple of hours to go until Cambodia face their sternest test in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) when they meet Thailand at 3.30pm at the Olympic Stadium. Cambodia will have to put out their best line-up and play out of their skins if they are to beat the competition favourites who've already thrashed the Chinese club side and beaten Vietnam in their two games so far. Coming into this tournament fresh from winning the AFF U-19 championship, Thailand have the bit between their teeth and should win, though a big crowd might just act as Cambodia's extra man, if they shout loud enough. We shall see. PPCFC's Sok Pheng has recovered from his leg injury but will most likely sit on the bench, though Sok Sovan should get the nod again to link up with Sok Rithy at the heart of the home defence. The winners will go onto meet the team that comes out on top from the Vietnam v Myanmar clash that takes place at 5.30pm. The Final of the cup will be at 4pm this coming Sunday. If Cambodia can make it through, as they did in 2009 when they won the first edition of the cup, then the locals will be over the moon. You'd think that such an important game would merit a few lines, or even half a page in the Phnom Penh Post today. But you'd be wrong. Not a peep.

855 Sports Mag

I had a sneak preview today at Cambodia's first-ever sports magazine which is currently under development and looks likely to hit the news-stands around the middle of next month. Sport gets limited coverage in the Khmer newspapers and online but a glossy magazine, published twice a month and devoted entirely to local and international sport, is something very new. The intention of the 855 Sports Magazine is to promote local sport from football to kick-boxing to tennis to swimming and many more sports, as well as introduce some of the country's sporting stars to the public and generally raise the profile of sport in the Kingdom, whilst also providing a window on the most popular sports worldwide. The magazine producers are looking to publish a 48-page edition every two weeks in the Khmer language and available wherever you currently buy your newspaper. They will then look to provide some of the content on their website. It's certainly an ambitious move to promote and publicize sport and one which I hope the sports-mad fans in the country will support.

Parmpak's the man

Thailand are looking a good bet for the BIDC Cup

The fancied team in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) is definitely Thailand. They have a swagger about them and in Pakorn Parmpak, they have the makings of a top striker, with two goals in each of the two matches he's played in the competition. The Thai team are fresh from capturing the AFF U-19 championship, played in Myanmar, and inflicted another defeat on Vietnam earlier today, just a couple of weeks after beating them in that AFF U-19 Final. Vietnam must be sick of the sight of them. The 3-0 success that Thailand pulled off this afternoon was pretty straightforward, they passed the ball better despite the crappy playing surface, made boggy by the heavy downpour just fifteen minutes into the match. They were quicker to the ball and once the initial cagey thirty minutes was up, there was only going to be one winner. Parmpak opened the scoring from the penalty spot with the last kick of the first-half. Narakorn Kana went down in stages and the Japanese referee pointed to the spot, to the horror of the Vietnamese defenders. It was a soft penalty award. Parmpak didn't care and sent the keeper the wrong way. With little in the way of goalmouth action, mainly due to the awful conditions, it was Parmpak who stepped up to ignite the game with a stunning individual goal eight minutes from time. Skating over the otherwise clammy surface, he slalomed around three defenders before planting his shot into the corner of the net, his talent oozing from every pore. Just to rub it in, in the 2nd minute of injury time the nippy Nitipong Selanon arrived at the far post in the nick of time to make it 3-0 and send Thailand through as group A winners. They now meet the 2nd placed team in group B, and that's Cambodia, at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon. Vietnam meanwhile, get to play Myanmar in the 5.30pm start the same afternoon.

The Thai starting line-up, fresh from their AFF U-19 success, win againVietnam were 2nd best to everything against Thailand

Cambodia draw 2-2

The Cambodian starting XI. Back Row LtoR: Udom, Pheng, Vichet, Rady, Rithy, Sovan. Front Row: Chhoeurn, Souhana, Veasna, Sothearath (capt), Dalin

As expected the rain didn't stay away from the Olympic Stadium this afternoon and made the pitch a quagmire by the time Cambodia faced Myanmar in the 5.30pm kick-off. The outcome of this MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) match looked to be heading Myanmar's way once Lee Tae-Hoon announced his starting line-up. Making seven changes from the team that beat Laos 2-0 on Saturday, it looked like the South Korean coach had handed the initiative to his German opponent Gerd Zeise, the Myanmar coach, by fielding what anyone would call a second string team. But that wasn't taking into account the battling qualities of the Cambodians nor the man-mountain performances put in by the central defensive partnership of Sok Rithy and Sok Sovan and the non-stop engine of Chhun Sothearath. The trio were absolutely outstanding throughout. The final score of 2-2 was perhaps fair enough though Zeise was shouting at the Vietnamese referee at the end of the game, claiming he'd deliberately avoided giving two late penalties and in his aftermatch tv interview, he suggested; "we played against 13 tonight, including 11 Cambodians, 1 referee and 1 linesman. We deserved better." The result now pairs Cambodia against the hot favourites Thailand in Friday's semi-final, with Myanmar facing Vietnam in the other one. Chin Chhoeurn's free-kick was punched out to kick-start the action early on, before Sok Rithy made the first of his goal-saving clearances after Um Vichet had missed his kick in the clogging mud. Sos Souhana missed his header just after before Chhun Sothearath's 25-yard range-finder was tipped over the top by Myanmar keeper Pyaye Phyo Aung. Myanmar drew first blood on 24 minutes when Samuth Dalin's attempted clearance allowed Thet Naing to sprint into the box and cross to the far post where Thiha Zaw got the jump on Sok Sovan to slot inside the post. PPCFC's Sok Pheng limped out of the game just after the half-hour, to be replaced by Tum Saray and it was his surge through the mud, with the ball, that put Souhana in on goal, only for Hein Thiha Zaw to bring him down and set up Cambodia's equaliser from the penalty spot. Prak Mony Udom kept his nerve to complete the task with five minutes of the 1st half left on the clock. In the last minute a Sovan header looked destined for the net until Aung clawed it away and the teams went in all square at the break.

Seven minutes after the restart and Cambodia got their noses in front. Sothearath and Chin Chhoeurn combined on the right flank to set up Saray but Aung blocked his close-range effort, only for less than thirty seconds to elapse before Sothearath's cross found an unmarked Saray three yards from goal and he nodded in with glee. The large crowd erupted in unison. Both teams made changes and it was one of Myanmar's that worked a treat. Yan Naing Htwe had been on the pitch for just a minute when he took advantage of the ball sticking in the mud, held off Rithy and whacked the ball into the net on 66 minutes for the leveller. The game petered out until the Myanmar bench were up in arms over two claims for penalties that had merit from the touchline but were waved away by the match officials in the final minute. Home keeper Vichet came up for a corner in injury time to try and grab a late winner but it was Myanmar who broke and looked set to score until Sok Rithy performed another of his miraculous last-ditch saving tackles.
Cambodia line-up: Vichet, Rady, Dalin, Sovan, Rithy, Veasna, Sothearath, Chhoeurn (Laboravy 57), PM Udom (Phearith 69), Souhana, Pheng (Saray 32). Subs not used: Yaty, Raksmey, Daravorn, Pancharong, Soksana, Sokngorn. Bookings: Sovan, Veasna.

The Phnom Penh Crown duo, Sok Pheng (left) and Sok Sovan

Waiting for the national anthem. LtoR: Dalin, Udom, Pheng, Sovan, Rithy

The Cambodian bench with coach Lee Tae-Hoon on the far right

The Myanmar starting line-up with a captain already on the move

PKR on the road

Preah Khan Reach - off on their travels to Malaysia?

If the Borneo Post newspaper is to be believed, C-League team Preah Khan Reach will be putting a team in the Malaysian M-League next season or maybe just their FA Cup competition - it's unclear from the newspaper's article - which would be a massive surprise to all, as well as a remarkably ambitious step forward for the Cambodian club, who've had an affinity with the country in the last few years. The Malaysian FA vice president Datuk Amin confirmed that an official announcement would come during the Asean Football Federation (AFF) meeting in Vientiane, Laos next week, after both FA's meet to finalise the details. The other foreign team to take part in the M-League and cup next season will be the Young Lions (effectively their country's U-23 team) from Singapore. Depending on whether PKR will be involved in the league or just the cup, and the effect that will have on the Metfone C-League remains very much up in the air as the news seems to have leaked out before anyone was ready for it, and the Borneo Post wasn't particularly clear on the details. The M-League ran from January to July this season, so that would impact big-time if PKR were to join their league competition. We'll await more details of this proposed move in the coming days.

Later today

If you are going to the two MRYUIFTBIDC Cup matches this afternoon, take a raincoat, umbrella and wellies. It's guaranteed to rain. The sloshing around on the Olympic pitch will begin at 3.30pm when Thailand meet Vietnam, in what should be a closely-fought encounter, if the teams are allowed to play their normal game, unrestricted by the conditions. Both teams will play their U-19 line-ups, which recently clashed in the final of the AFF U-19 championships played in Myanmar, a game which Thailand won on penalties, so with that as the latest form guide, this match could be a close call as well. Thailand thrashed the Chinese club side 7-2 in their last match, after Vietnam had drawn 1-1 with them, in a match ruined by the weather and on-field antics by the Hongxiang players and coaching staff. So the Thais seem to have the edge but never write off the Vietnamese.
In the second game at 5.30pm, the Cambodian U-21 team, with over-age players included, will meet the U-19s from Myanmar, who looked well in control when they eased to a 4-0 win over Laos a couple of days ago. Cambodia beat Laos 2-0 on the opening day of the competition and have had a good rest since then, so might just have the fresh legs to give the Burmese team a run for their money. With a victory under their belts already, the two teams have guaranteed qualification for the semi-finals, so this match will determine who tops the group. Both teams have foreign coaches, German-born Gerd Zeise (pictured) is in charge of Myanmar having previously worked in Germany, Belgium, Vietnam and the Maldives, whilst Lee-Tae-Hoon from South Korea is the man with the task of overseeing Cambodia through this competition and into next month's SEA Games. Lee's previous experience was as assistant coach to the South Korean national women's team.

Can Laos recover?

Two more matches in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup this afternoon, with Laos needing a good win over Myanmar at 3.30pm to have a chance of progressing from Group B. They lost the opening match to Cambodia on Saturday 2-0 and the Laos coach was worried that his team would find it hard to recover in time, especially as the wet conditions would've drained his young team, which he said were mostly 16 and 17 year olds. Both the participating national teams from Laos and Myanmar competed in the very recent AFF U-19 tournament held in Myanmar, where the hosts finished 4th and Laos failed to qualify from their group. Cambodia will meet Myanmar in the remaining group B match on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium, with a 5.30pm start. The later game today will see the Chinese club team, Wuhan Hongxiang meet Thailand in their Group A encounter. Thailand won that AFF U-19 championship a couple of weeks ago and bring the same squad to this competition. The Chinese team will be without two of their team, who were red carded on Saturday.
Update: I didn't go to the matches this afternoon but at half-time in the opening game there was another thunderstorm that would've deluged the pitch once more, after someone watching it live on MYTV said it already resembled a bog. Doesn't look good for the remaining six games to be played on the Olympic Stadium pitch during the rest of this week. As for the results, the Myanmar team proved far too strong for the Laos youngsters in the opening game, winning 4-0 and booking their place in the semis. In the second game, the Chinese club side Wuhan Hongxiang came badly unstuck against a rampant Thailand team who ran out 7-2 winners and meet Vietnam on Wednesday to decide who'll win Group A. I did manage to watch the 2nd game on television and am really scratching my head to understand the advertising slogan of the competition's main sponsors, BIDC, whose advert implores, BIDC - Be Your Side, By Your Hand. What the heck does that mean?

The big kick-off

Cambodia Lining up for the handshakes. LtoR: Tum Saray, Chin Chhoeurn, Sou Yaty, Khuon Laboravy

LtoR: Sok Sovan, Lay Raksmey, Touch Pancharong, Phuong Soksana, Tum Saray

LtoR: Chhun Sothearath, Sok Rithy, Pov Phearith, Sok Sovan

The MRYUIFTBIDC Cup got underway yesterday - isn't that the most ridiculously long acronym you've come across for a football tournament, a simple Mekong BIDC Cup would suffice - and the locals will be cockahoop with their 2-0 win over Laos in the opening game, although those watching it won't be so happy that they got soaked to the skin. Admittedly, it's an U-21 competition and a 23 year old, Khuon Laboravy, dominated the match, whilst Laos fielded their teenage side that has just competed, unsuccessfully, in the AFF U-19 championship. The winners of that competition, Thailand, have also sent their U-19 team along to compete in the BIDC Cup, as have beaten finalists Vietnam. Myanmar, who were fourth in the tournament that they hosted two weeks ago, have likely done the same. The Chinese provincial club Hongxiang team didn't exactly win any fans with some of their intimidating behaviour at the end of their 1-1 draw with Vietnam in the second match. The Cambodian referee, Tuy Vichhika, came in for some considerable stick from the Chinese players and coaches and needed a police escort into his changing room.
Cambodian fans will be disappointed not to have seen their former darling Keo Sokngorn get any game time yesterday. He's been wowing the local fans of Samut Sakhon in Thailand this season and was brought back for this competition and to take part in the SEA Games. However, an ankle injury ruled him out yesterday and the coach Lee Tae-Hoon didn't want to risk aggravating it. Lee also told the after-match press conference of myself and two Khmer cameramen that despite Sou Yaty playing well against Laos, that Um Vichet would get the nod for Wednesday's game against Myanmar. Both players are used to this type of rotation, as it replicates what happens for their Army club side. For Phnom Penh Crown followers, Sok Sovan got his first taste of more senior national team action, he'd previously played for the U-16s, alongside the dependable Sok Rithy, and performed well making some crucial interceptions and blocks when Laos got into dangerous positions. Sok Pheng got a run up-front for the last 16 minutes and made his presence felt, winning the free-kick from which Laboravy netted Cambodia's second goal. However, the water on the pitch surface meant any meaningful football went out of the window after an hour of the game. The Laos coach compared it to a "swimming pool and the game should've been stopped by the referee," and complained that the match official had sought the advice of the captains instead of the respective coaches, about whether to continue the game or not. In truth, Cambodia already had their noses in front by the time the rains came, though I must admit the surface water made a mockery of the game and I agree that the game should've been postponed.
The guest of honour at yesterday's games was deputy prime minister Sok An, who gave an address to the massed ranks of schoolchildren and boy scouts sat in the grandstand and in the open areas of the ground (which they came to regret midway through the Cambodia match when the rains came with a vengeance). Attendance estimates were between 30,000 and 35,000. It's a no-brainer to invite schoolkids to these big events, you get the bums on seats, you get the noise (albeit mostly high-pitched screaming) and it makes the players feel good too. And to cap it all, Cambodia won.

Skipper Khuon Laboravy leads out his Cambodian teammates in red

Sok Sovan (4) steps out with Sok Rithy and Chhun Sothearath for his U-21 debut

PPCFC's Sok Pheng, on the sub's bench, before the game begins

The Cambodian team listen to the national anthem before the match begins

Swapping pennants with the captains prior to the toss-up

A look at the sizeable crowd in the main grandstand

Ref takes center-stage

Nguyen Thanh Hien's 2nd penalty kick in injury time gave his team the 1-1 draw

In the second match of the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup, played on a very wet surface that gave neither team scope to play attractive football, Cambodian referee Tuy Vichhika took center-stage and needed a police escort as he left the pitch after the 1-1 draw between Vietnam's U-19 team and provincial Chinese club side Wuhan Hongxiang. Relations between the two nations are notoriously fraught and so it proved on the football pitch at Olympic Stadium tonight. I lost count of the yellow cards brandished by the Cambodian match official, it was at least 9, as he clamped down on the Vietnamese penchant for heavy tackling early in the game. The first-half was a washout as both teams struggled manfully with so much water on the pitch surface. It improved after the break and Hongxiang looked to have an early penalty when Chen Hao was scythed down in the box, only for Vichhika to flash a yellow card at the player for simulation. On 76 minutes Hao was again fouled and this time, the referee pointed to the spot, with Huang Lei lashing home a twice-taken penalty with venom. A moment of handbags at five paces saw players and officials from both teams squaring off against each other until the police moved in to quell the fracas, before the the match ended in more controversy. In the second minute of time added on, with Vietnam pressing for an equaliser, Nguyen Xuan Nam went down in the penalty area, all too easily I have to say, and referee Vichhika pointed to the spot. Despite Chinese protestations, keeper Xia Yong saved Nguyen Thanh Hien's poorly-struck kick, only to drag the same player down as they both went for the rebound. Vichhika initially saw it as a dive, but changed his mind after consultation with his linesman, and awarded another spot-kick. The Chinese protests continued with two assistant coaches being dismissed from the pitch. After a two-minute delay, Hien lashed the ball home to make it 1-1. The final flashpoint of the match came as Hongxiang's Zhang Xian saw a straight red for an off-the-ball incident that allegedly involved strangling his opponent. That brought the curtain down on this fiery encounter with points shared.
Postscript: The official match report shows Tuy Vichhika flashed no less than 13 yellow cards (6 for Vietnam and 7 for Hongxiang), with the Chinese team also losing a 2nd player to a red card, Chai Lei, for a second booking, though I didn't even see that in all the commotion.

Wuhan Hongxiang won few fans with their intimidating tactics at the end of the game

Vietnam's U-19 team came from behind to grab a late equaliser

Cambodia off to winning start

Cambodia began with a 2-0 over Laos. Back Row LtoR: Raksmey, Sovan, Yaty, Soksana, Rithy, Laboravy. Front Row: Chhoeurn, Phearith, Sothearath, Pancharong, Saray

Man of the moment Khuon Laboravy gets himself focused before leading the team out

Khuon Laboravy was the difference between the two teams as Cambodia's U-23's put their Laos opponents to the sword in the opening game of the Mekong BIDC Cup, or the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup as it's now affectionately called. Cambodia won 2-0 and Laboravy stood pretty much head and shoulders above everyone else, both in stature, age and ability to create chances, as the Laos coach, Veunsavanah Sivisay, acknowledged after the match. "Cambodia were stronger than my team, especially number 11 (Laboravy). He was the difference, he was fast and simply too strong for my boys to cope. Most of my team are just 16 or 17 years old." So what was hyped as an U-21 tournament, started with a young Laos national team, who'd just competed in the AFF U-19 championships, being whipped by a 23 year old striker with bags of international and domestic experience and the home side's captain for the day. To Cambodia's credit, they harried and buzzed around in the early stages, full of enthusiasm and egged on by a crowd of thousands of schoolchildren invited to give the match an atmosphere. It worked, as every positive move by the home side was greeted with mass cheering and clapping from the students. The first real action of the game came on nine minutes as Tum Saray was booked for going down too easily in the Laos penalty box. With Laboravy looking dangerous on the left, it was one of his characteristic shimmies that took him to the bye-line on 22 minutes, and his low cross was touched in by Phoung Soksana at the near post, we think with his knee, to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Around the half-hour mark, two incisive Saray passes inside both full-backs gave Cambodia two more opportunities, as the home side began to dominate the exchanges. For the first, Laboravy's bye-line cross looked to have given Soksana his second goal until Laos skipper Sousadakone Liepvisay got in a blocking tackle at the last moment. For the second, Chin Chhoeurn got his shot away only to see Laos keeper Soukthavy Soundala save the day, with Soksana blasting the rebound over the bar from 15 yards out. With five minutes of the first-half remaining, it was Laboravy again, with Saray the supplier, who should've reacted quicker when set free but allowed Phoutthasay Khochhalern to get in a last-ditch tackle. A minute later, Laboravy weaved and dazzled his way past two players but found keeper Soundala in fine form. The final action of the half, in time added on, saw Sou Yaty, in the home goal, produce his second save of the afternoon, fisting a 25-yard effort from Tokty Khounthoumphone from under the cross-bar. Yaty had stood firm to a Lembo Saysana rising drive ten minutes earlier with Laos' first real goalscoring chance.

The start of the second period was greeted with a rain shower that turned progressively worse and spoiled the game as a spectacle from the hour mark onwards. With water lying on the pitch surface, both teams found it impossible to play any type of passing game, with the Laos coach bemoaning afterwards that it was a "swimming pool and the game should've been stopped by the referee." In fact the referee did call the two captains together before deciding to continue. Just after the break, Saray had a low drive blocked by Soundala but it Laboravy who again grabbed the limelight when his 69th minute free-kick took a deflection off the wall and thundered against the crossbar. Soksana wasted yet another good opportunity a couple of minutes later before Yaty came to Cambodia's rescue with his best save of the game. As both teams found the going tough, Laos striker Xaisongkham Champathong conjured up some magic to send a shot that looked destined for the top corner, before Yaty pulled out a fingertip save to deny him. Cambodia adapted better to the conditions and it was only a matter of time before they increased their lead. With ten minutes to go, a goalmouth scramble saw Laboravy and then substitute Sok Pheng denied by desperate defensive blocks and then Saray was denied a goal for a challenge by Laboravy on Soundala. The killer second goal finally arrived six minutes from the final whistle. Pheng was brought down 20 yards out and Laboravy returned from some touchline treatment to find his range and accuracy from a free-kick that evaded the wall and also Soundala to send his teammates, and the wet crowd, into raptures. He was substituted moments later to a standing ovation. Cambodia saw out the final minutes to begin their defense of the BIDC Cup with a near-perfect 2-0 success, that sets them up nicely for their next game against Myanmar on Wednesday in pole position. The national team coach, South Korean Lee Tae-Hoon was a happy man after the game. "Laboravy is a very special player, he played ever so well, but so did Soksana, Chhoeurn and Saray, they all played well today. I was also very pleased with Yaty, he made a few good saves, though I will play Vichet in the next game. It's a good start."
Cambodia line-up: Yaty, Raksmey, Pancharong, Sovan, Rithy, Phearith, Sothearath, Saray, Chhoeurn (PM Udom 60), Soksana (Pheng 74), Laboravy (Dalin 86). Subs not used: Vichet, Rady, Daravorn, Sokngorn, Souhana, Veasna. Bookings: Saray, Rithy.

The youthful Laos team that went down 2-0

Lee Tae-Hoon describing his happiness with the 2-0 victory

From the Coach

Crown coach David Booth talking to his players

Over coffee during Phnom Penh Crown's ten-night stay in Kaohsiung for the AFC President's Cup competition, I asked English-born head coach David Booth for his take on what he found when he arrived in Phnom Penh at the end of June and how he saw events leading up to Crown collecting their second successive Metfone C-League championship. Under David's leadership, Crown went through the second half of the league campaign unbeaten, winning eight of the nine games they played.

"At first I saw a load of faces that needed some help and who were looking to me for hope. I watched them play two-touch in training but it wasn't natural for them. Straightaway I realised how much work was needed. For me, two-touch is very important, the basic concept of football, it encourages passing and movement. What I saw was way below the standard I expected. So until my first game, we concentrated on passing and moving and improving our teamwork. To be fair, they knew I was no-nonsense and instead of making sweeping changes, I kept giving them small challenges, kept them moving in the right direction, kept them learning. And I was pleased with how they responded. Everything we did was working with the ball - they seemed to enjoy it and tried to do what I asked them to do.

"Technically, I looked at the team - they were top of the table but had an indifferent end to the first half of the season - and with two or three fast players, I felt we could play a 4-3-3 system with two slightly withdrawn wide players. With Narong and Narith in the center that would release Sopanha to go forward to link with the central striker and the two wide players. We needed to tighten up our two central defenders as they weren't marking tight enough for my liking. We worked hard at keeping a clean sheet, and stopping crosses into our box, stopping the supply to the strikers, block all shots outside the box, essentially cutting out the percentages. I didn't see anyone counteract our tactics in any game we played. Naga played a similar formation to ours, but they didn't have the speed we had. However, they had a good goalscorer who we should've marked better.

"If someone has slightly above average ability, he can look a good player at this standard. Throughout the second half of the campaign, we gave the ball away too cheaply, just gave it to the opposition too many times, due to our inability to keep hold of it. We must cut out the sloppiness, and stop giving the ball away in the wrong areas of the pitch. I have a picture in my mind of how I want this team to play. The level I'd like us to get to. Manchester United represents that picture. I'm never satisfied with the work I get from what I've got. I always want more. Take the Chhlam Samuth game as an example. We worked for three days the week before with our defenders, and yet we gave away such silly goals that we could've lost. I was very disappointed we conceded three goals as we'd worked at defending the 18-yard line, closing down the opposition, to deny then chances inside the box. It was a shock to the system and defies all logic. It made me ask myself questions. So after that I decided we had to work as a whole team on defending.

"After I arrived, I quickly looked at all the other teams, and I judged that if we were well-organised and well-balanced, we could counteract all the other teams, with our speed, pace and ability to create openings, and we could win every game. After the opening two wins and then beating Chhlam Samuth, we met BBU. Actually, we battered them after everyone told me it would be a tough game. Against the National Police, it was a complete waste of time. We were two-nil up after 20 minutes. It was a good decision for them to stay off the park as we would've hammered them. They saved themselves a disaster. The Army match was a tough game, though at that time, the result mattered more than the performance, as we were within striking distance of the title. Against Preah Khan, I don't recall them having a chance. My instructions to the team were: keep everything together, don't concede, get in front and close down the game. No need to panic. And we did exactly that. In the final game against Naga, we'd already won the league. At 3-1 ahead they must've felt it was all over - but we fought back, we showed a real fighting spirit and we could've won the game at the end. I thought a draw was a fair enough result.

"As the season continued, our players attitude got better and better, they showed togetherness and good fighting qualities. They were capable of winning and closing the game out. They worked so hard to do what I'd asked them to do. By the end, they were showing their increased confidence and ability. They were stronger mentally than anyone else. I believe mental toughness is as important as physical strength. They showed their ability to fight their way out of a corner, as well as the ability to beat teams convincingly. They improved their own confidence in doing the right things at the right times in games. And in training they worked very hard.

"The Narong situation was a disappointment. It was out of character for the boy, he showed a lack of control, and at that time he was an integral part of my team. I felt sorry for him - he missed out on winning the championship, the chance to play against the national team and the rest of our history-making President's cup run. Of course there is room for improvement. The players quickly forget what they have to do - it's still too easy for them to drop their standards. I need to keep reminding them and encouraging them to play at the highest level they possibly can. Their concentration is better but can still be improved. The players are stronger and whilst their fitness could be better, they are definitely mentally stronger. I've not had time to work too much with individuals as were were usually getting over one game and then preparing for the next one. So that's another area to work on, though I'm a team man, 100%, rather than picking out individuals, it's the team that matters the most to me."

Finally, here's the squad

The Cambodian national team line-up from one of their pre-tournament warm-up games against Phnom Penh Crown

Unofficially, the 25 names in the Cambodian national team squad for the forthcoming Mekong BIDC Cup matches, which begin this coming Saturday, are as follows. This isn't the senior national team, but players selected to represent the country who qualify for this Under-21 competition.
Goalkeepers: Um Vichet, Sou Yaty (both Army), Sar Sophea (Preah Khan Reach).
Defenders; Pheak Rady, Keo Vannak (both Army), Sok Rithy, Lay Raksmey, Moul Daravoan (all PKR), Sok Sovan (Phnom Penh Crown), Chhin Meng Seang, Touch Pancharong (both Nat Police).
Midfielders: Oum Kumpheak, Pov Phearith, Chhin Chhoeurn (all Army), Prak Mony Udom, Soun Veasna, Tum Saray (all PKR), Chhun Sothearath (BBU), Sos Souhana (Prek Pra Keila), Tith Dina (Nat Police).
Forwards: Sok Pheng (Phnom Penh Crown), Khuon Laboravy (PKR), Keo Sokngorn (Samuth Sakhon), Phuong Soksana (Army), Samuth Dalin (Nat Police).

So that's eight players from Preah Khan Reach, another eight from the Army and four from the National Police team. The C-League champions Phnom Penh Crown supply just two names, Sok Sovan, a late addition to the squad, and Sok Pheng. There are some noticeable names missing from recent line-ups put out by the South Korean national coach Lee Tae-Hoon in warm-up matches. These include central defender Say Piseth, who is working in Vietnam, and Sophal Udom, who was injured in a motorbike accident last week. There's also no place for the C-League's player of the season, the impish Chea Samnang of Preah Khan Reach. I also noticed that the competition is pitched at U-21 age level yet Khuon Laboravy is 23 years old, Lay Raksmey and Pheak Rady are both 22, and Sok Rithy seems to have been around forever but is still only 20. Though to be honest I take the birthdates of Cambodian footballers with a pinch of salt. Five other players have been named on standby including Crown's keeper Peng Bunchhay and striker Khim Borey and PKR's Phany Y Ratha. Cambodia begin their defense of the BIDC Cup at 4pm on Saturday 8 October against the U-21 team of Laos. As for Cambodia's opponents, Laos have just re-appointed the experienced Austrian coach Alfred Riedl as their new national team technical director, and he will take over the reins as head coach of the Laos senior and U-23 national teams in January.
Postscript: The coach of Cambodia has cut his squad to just 20 players on the eve of the BIDC Cup. Out of the frame are keeper Sar Sophea, defenders Chhin Meng Seang and Keo Vannak and midfielders Tith Dina and Oum Kumpheak. The last name is a bad move.

Anyone know the squad?

The Mekong BIDC Cup (aka MRYUIFTBIDC Cup) begins this coming Saturday - with Cambodia meeting Laos at 4pm at Olympic Stadium - and the Cambodian national team squad has yet to be publicly announced. Not sure why it's being left to the last minute. Maybe none of the footy journo's have yet asked the South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon for the names. The squad, which will most likely be a 21 or 22-man group, have not been helped by a moto crash involving three of the players, the result of which is striker Sophal Udom will be unavailable for the tournament with a foot injury. The other two players on the moto, Sok Pheng and Samuth Dalin, should be okay to join the squad. All I know for certain is that two Phnom Penh Crown players, defender Sok Sovan and striker Sok Pheng have been called up. I await the rest of the squad listing with interest. Though it's a warm-up for next month's SEA Games, which is played at U-23 level, the BIDC Cup is aimed at the U-21 age group, and more confusingly, at least two of the countries involved are sending their U-19 squads. The draw for the SEA Games football competition has just been made and Cambodia have been handed the toughest group possible. The draw for Group B of the competition has paired them with Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines. In the 2009 SEA Games, Vietnam were the beaten finalists (losing 1-0 to Malaysia) whilst Singapore finished third. Cambodia beat Timor Leste (4-1) in the 2009 version but lost to Thailand (4-0), Malaysia (4-0) and Vietnam (6-1). Postscript; I've just been informed that this SEA Games draw isn't official, so ignore it for the time being.

Sovan gets call up

Two Phnom Penh Crown players have made it into Lee Tae-Hoon's Cambodian national squad for the Mekong Region BIDC Cup (aka MRYUIFTBIDC Cup) that kicks-off next Saturday, 8 October. In Sok Sovan (pictured), the South Korean coach has decided to select one of the C-League champions most promising youngsters, who got a few chances in the team at the end of the season and in the AFC President's Cup. The 21-year old is certainly one for the future and has impressed club coach David Booth over the last few weeks. Sovan joined Khmer Empire in 2006 before their merger with Phnom Penh Empire and represented his country in tournaments abroad at both U-14 and U-16 levels. He was loaned out to Kompong Cham side Neak Khiev at the start of the season, as they made an unsuccessful attempt to gain promotion into the C-league last term. The other Crown player to make the national squad for the U-21 BIDC tournament is striker Sok Pheng, another who impressed his Crown coach when he was given his chance just after the half-way mark in the C-League campaign. With 7 goals under his belt, he more than repaid the faith shown in him by David Booth and looks set for a good future with the league champions. Sok Pheng was in the full national team squad earlier in the year for the matches against Macau and the Maldives. The striker, who turned 21 today, previously played for the Navy, the Army and Khemara Keila before joining Crown in 2010.

The hosts Cambodia begin their group B games against Laos on Saturday (4pm) and then meet Myanmar on Wednesday 12 October at 5.30pm. The top two teams in each group go onto the semi-finals two days later and the final takes place on Sunday 16 October at 4pm. The three teams in group A are Thailand, Vietnam and Hongxiang FC from China. The winners will get $20,000 in prize money, with the matches being screened on local channel, My TV. For Cambodia, the tournament is all about preparation for the SEA Games, which is played at U-23 age level, and will take place in November. Before that, the team have a friendly match against visiting Nepal on Friday 28 October. Counting themselves a mite unfortunate not to get into the BIDC Cup squad will be three Crown players who've all made an impact of varying degrees this season, goalkeeper Peng Bunchhay and wide-men Suong Virak and Hong Ratana, all of whom make the age qualification.

Pheak in the frame

Something we all like to see, Kouch Sokumpheak celebrating another of his goals, this time against Yadanarbon [courtesy of www.the-afc.com]

A few official AFC photographs taken at the recent AFC President's Cup final stages in Taiwan, all showing our very own number 10, Phnom Penh Crown's Kouch Sokumpheak, in action. Before this season's competition, Sokumpheak appeared twice in previous AFC President's Cup competitions, both for Khemara Keila, back in 2006 and 2007, scoring 4 goals in 7 matches.

Sokumpheak is fending off Yadanarbon's Htoo Aung during Crown's 4-0 group stage success [courtesy of www.the-afc.com]

Kouch Sokumpheak in motion in the ill-fated final against Taiwan Power with Yu-Lin Chen in hot pursuit [courtesy of www.the-afc.com]

A look over the border

Looks like Phnom Penh Crown won't be playing in the upcoming 2011 BTV Cup (Binh Duong Television Cup) in Vietnam afterall. This international friendly cup competition is held annually in the Go Dau Stadium, the home of V-League team Becamex Binh Duong. The teams for this year's competition have now been announced and the matches begin on 6 October. The teams taking part are: Group A: Becamex Binh Duong, Hai Phong, MSK Zilina (Slovakia), Villa SC (Uganda). Group B: Sai Gon Xuan Thanh, SHB Da Nang, East Bengal (India), Matsubara (Brazil). In 2003 a team under the moniker of Olympic Cambodia took part in the cup competition.
Whilst on the subject of Vietnamese football, their league championship has just come to a close with the Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) team, based in Vinh, crowned as the V-League champions, with a 3-point winning margin over Hanoi T&T. The average attendance for V-league matches during the season was just over 7,000 with Vicem Hai Phong getting the biggest crowds, averaging over 17,000 for each home game. Top scorer was Argentine striker Gaston Merlo for SHB Da Nang, for the third consecutive year, with 22 goals. Navibank Saigon beat the league champions 3-0 in the National Cup Final and now qualify for next season's AFC Cup. However, despite the rapid growth of the sport, with high transfer fees, there is dissention in the camp, with six clubs believed to be threatening a breakaway Super League, citing rampant corruption amongst referees and mis-management by the federation.

Jobsworth

The first-class national stadium at Kaohsiung

I had to choke back the vitriol when I read on the AFC website that the AFC suits had publicly praised the local organising committee for hosting the AFC President's Cup final stage so well. Yes, that's the same committee who sent Phnom Penh Crown to a training session on the eve of the final where there was no grass surface available to use, the same committee who provided us with a liaison officer who was worse than useless, they promised live online screening of the match that didn't happen, there were numerous other 'jobsworth' incidents that left a bitter taste, including their failure to provide us with a DVD of the final match before our departure, despite being asked numerous times. The first chance we had to see highlights from the final was on YouTube. That simply isn't good enough. Personally, I didn't think it was a good idea to corral all six teams in the same hotel and Taipower's late-night fleeing under armed police guard after the final reflected that. Admittedly, the stadium for the final stage was about as good as it gets and is definitely a blueprint for a national stadium that Cambodia would do well to look at. The facilities at the stadium were first-class. The AFC also announced that Myanmar look set to join the second-tier cup competition, the AFC Cup, next season after getting off their arse and doing something about meeting the qualification standards, which the Cambodian Federation failed miserably to do, whilst their replacements in the AFC President's Cup may well be Mongolia, where FC Ulaanbaatar have just won the national championships.

Completely underwhelmed

Top scorer He (7) and MVP Chen (26) wait to collect their awards last night

Taipower not only walked away with the AFC President's Cup trophy last night, they also picked up the competition awards for the Top Goalscorer and the Most Valuable Player. With 4 players on five goals each and Crown's Kingsley Njoku on 4 goals for the whole tournament, it was Taipower's Ming-Chan He, with his two goals in last night's final, that leap-frogged everyone to collect the goalscorer's trophy. The Abdullah Al Dabal (former FIFA executive committee member) Most Valuable Player award also went to a Taipower player, forward Po-Liang Chen, who got the nod over other worthy candidates. The AFC Fair Play Award went to Neftchi Kochkor-Ata. The Kygrzystan team failed to make it out of Group B but picked up the award anyway. All of these awards were made by the AFC suits, so aside from the top scorer, no-one has any idea how they arrived at these results.
To say that I am completely underwhelmed by the suits at the AFC is a massive understatement. Ranging from their absurd decision to allow Taipower to wear their preferred playing kit for the final, to their complete dereliction of duty of care when Crown were sent to the wrong training facility a day before the final, to their selection of the Final referee, who was let's say, less than equitable with his decisions, as well as misinformation about the online screening of matches and other questions that were deflected or went unanswered. They even made David Booth sit through two post-match press conferences last night, which is a misnomer in itself, as at every press conference we attended, there was one western journalist working for the AFC website and that was it. A complete lack of Taiwanese journalists was frankly, an embarrassment. Equally, the attendance at the Final last night was also a joke. Just over 3,200 people bothered to turn up in a country where Baseball rules the roost and no-one seems to give a fig for football. If the premise behind awarding Taiwan the final stage of this year's AFC President's Cup was designed to help promote football in this nation, it fell completely on its arse. If I sound bitter, then that's because I am. If we had been treated with due respect and equality then we'd have no complaints, but we clearly were not and the decision of the match referee in time added on was the icing on the cake. We have to deal with our irresponsible behaviour that followed, but I really think the AFC need to look at the part they played in setting the scene.

Moments of madness

We worked so hard for this, only to fail at the final hurdle. Taipower celebrate their success.

It's an empty feeling, the morning after a cup final defeat. The 'what if's' are swirling around but for Phnom Penh Crown all the hard work that went into getting to the AFC President's cup final and nearly pulling off a great fightback, was undone by a few moments of madness. The consequences of those mindless moments will come back to haunt us I'm sure. We'll have to take that fallout on the chin, but it's painful to see how much hinges on one decision, or in this case, a non-decision by the match referee. To be frank he gave us nothing the whole game except the most obvious red card that even he couldn't shy away from. For a team that was in the running for the Fair Play award, we picked up five cautions in the game (as well as three red cards), whilst Taipower picked up none. The referee awarded them a penalty when everyone saw it was a dive, we were frustrated by free-kicks and decisions not going our way and then the last straw was the nailed-on penalty in time added on, that he simply waved away. Of course, he was a 'homer,' after our treatment in the last couple of days, we shouldn't have expected anything less, but when three of our most senior players lost their heads and started shoving the referee, that was when all of our hard work went down the drain. What should've been a great run in the competition, a proud and valiant attempt by a Cambodian club to make a major impact in an international club cup competition, and very nearly a great comeback in the final, went out of the window. Big-time. What happened after the final whistle was inexcusable from both teams and both clubs must face the music for that as well. I'm gutted, we are all gutted, but we let ourselves down by our actions in what should've been our finest hour.

Coach David Booth at the post-match press conference

The Crown squad collect their medals

The Crown squad wait to receive their medals at the closing ceremony

A very subdued Crown team after the match

Match action from last night. The bulk of the spectators are on the far side.

The Taiwan Power Company line-up

Thul Sothearith greets the AFC Vice-President Prince Abdullah Shah

The expectant Crown bench before the kick-off

The Crown players awaiting the VIP handshakes

Before the game kicks-off, its time for VIP introductions

The Crown starting line-up awaits pre-match formalities

Nervous moments in the tunnel before the game

Final words of encouragement from coach David Booth to his starting eleven

In the dressing rooms moments before the players leave

Tactical-talk from the Crown coaches

Players in their dressing-room cubicles

Head coach David Booth explaining how he wants his team to play

Ugly scenes at the final whistle, instigated by Taipower (photo courtesy of www.the-afc.com)