Asian Football Thread

[TPF]

"Denilson's swift exit is sure to rankle Hai Phong supporters, who are known for their rowdy behaviour. Last Friday, the Vietnam football federation banned Hai Phong fans from attending away games if they wear clothes bearing the team's symbols or name. That decision came days after Hai Phong supporters clashed with paramilitary police in Hanoi when the team lost a match. Police used dogs and electric batons to disperse the crowd, while some fans fought back by hurling objects at the police lines".

[Vinnie]

Excellent idea for a thread, Marco. That Denilson story was big news on the BBC and Eurosport. Didn't expect him to stay for long.

[charade_2010]

On a different note, I hope none of the Thai teams draw Hai Phong Cement (if they qualify) in the AFC Cup next season. Their supporters seem to be rather volatile!

To be convinced ! Xi Măng Hải Phòng couldn't qualify any Asian Cups . They are just strong enough to stay in V-League only .

[Vinnie]

Got a lot of time for Bob Houghton. Good bloke.

Seems like the AFC's decision to let them into the 2011 Asian cup was at best misguided. A more capable team are likely to miss out after the Confederation opened the back door for India.

[lokomotive]

Excellent idea for a thread, Marco. That Denilson story was big news on the BBC and Eurosport. Didn't expect him to stay for long.

Cheers Vinnie, I think there are a lot of interesting/unusual stories in Asian football, so If you see any then put them in this thread.

Like you, I didn't think Denilson would stick around for long in Vietnam. He's played in USA and Saudia Arabia and now Vietnam, so it's ever decreasing circles for him.

To be convinced ! Xi Măng Hải Phòng couldn't qualify any Asian Cups . They are just strong enough to stay in V-League only .

I'm very glad about this! 

Denilson already quit after only one game. :-)

[druryfire]

Got a lot of time for Bob Houghton. Good bloke.

Seems like the AFC's decision to let them into the 2011 Asian cup was at best misguided. A more capable team are likely to miss out after the Confederation opened the back door for India.

Sounds like he's got a tough job on his hands dealing with the Indian FA!

I remember a few years back, India were managed by another English guy call Stephen Constantine. He is supposed to be a very good coach and has also managed a few other national teams such as Nepal and Malawi.

I don't know about the 2011 Asia Cup thing....what's the story behind that?

The winner of the 2008 and 2010 AFC Challenge Cup get direct entry to the 2011 Asian Cup.

India won in 2008. Expect them to be joined by the likes of Turkmenistan or North Korea who are playing in the 2010 edition.

The competition is for 'emerging' nations and the 2 spot allocation is meant to help the smaller nations progress.

[Vinnie]

Are North Korea taking part in the next AFC Challenge Cup?! How can a side that has qualified for the World Cup be described as an emerging (footballing) nation? Outrageous that they could be let in through the back door.

[druryfire]

I believe North Korea are in, so that will be a hectic summer for them next year.

North Korea have played there second string (and 2nd strign coach) before in tournaments such as this - but when you have an Asian Cup spot at hand, then you go for it.

[charade_2010]

2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying format approved

KUALA LUMPUR: The AFC Competitions Committee has decided to use the present qualification format for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The top five teams from the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be given direct entry into the third round while the remaining 38 teams will play home and away in the opening round.

The 11 highest-ranked teams from the second round will be given direct entry into the third round while the lowest eight teams will qualify for Round 2.

After playing home-and-away in the second round, four winners will join the top five teams and 11 qualifiers in the third round where they will be divided into five groups of four teams each.

The winners and runners of each group will qualify for the final round where the 10 teams will be divided into two groups of five teams each.

The group winners and runners-up will make it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup while the third-placed team in each group will be engaged in a two-tiered play-off for a place in the Finals.

[lokomotive]

Revised participation criteria for ACL 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: AFC has announced the revised participation criteria for Member Associations and clubs for the 2011 AFC Champions League.

The new criteria are in line with AFC’s goal of steadily enhancing the competition’s quality and brand equity across Asia.

In 2011, a Member Association interested in participating in the AFC Champions League will need to have an average attendance of 5000 spectators, up from 2000 for this year.

At least 10 teams should be actively playing in the Member Association’s top division (currently eight) and at least 27 matches should be played in the league over eight months.

Currently, the number of matches is 21 without any requirement for the duration of the league.

The number of A-Class stadiums, which can be used for the AFC Champions League matches, with a minimum capacity of 5000 seats has been increased to two (currently one).

At least 18 players (at present 16) should be on professional contracts in the top team of each club.

The Member Associations interested in participating in the 2011 AFC Champions League need to submit relevant documents to AFC by August 31, 2009. The scrutiny of documents, inspection visits and evaluation will take place between September 2009-November 2010.

The AFC Executive Committee will take the final decision on the number of Member Associations and participating clubs in November 2010.

http://origin.the-afc.com/en/afc-champions-league-2009/24842-revised-participation-criteria-for-acl-2011

There is only one point I worry about, participating in the AFC Champions League will need to have an average attendance of 5000 spectators, up from 2000 for this year. .

I am not sure whether TPL is really able to have a 5.000 AVG all over the seaosn for all clubs. Nevertheless, for me tht's the wrong way of ctiterias to participate on the AFC CL. Shouldn't be sports ctiteria one of the top priorities? And not how many attandences a League  do have over a season?

[jakartacasual]

sponsors don t like to see empty stadiums on tv and to be honest nor do i

re the lewis story - tribal football aren t always the best source!

[Vinnie]

Chonburi, Muang Thong, Bangkok Glass would attract over 5,000 if they could play in their home grounds.

[lokomotive]

Yes Vinnie, but my understanding is that the league needs have an AVG of 5k, not some clubs only.

[jakartacasual]

so what is the surrent average in thailand? do they give out attendances?

couple of years back in indonesia they said it was something like 12,000

singapore is probably about 1,800...don't ask about how many of those actually buy tickets

[SriRachaShark]

so what is the surrent average in thailand? do they give out attendances?

couple of years back in indonesia they said it was something like 12,000

singapore is probably about 1,800...don't ask about how many of those actually buy tickets

Chonburi's average attendance must be around 4,200. They always announce the crowd figures and the revenue at the end of every home game.

[lokomotive]

so what is the surrent average in thailand? do they give out attendances?

couple of years back in indonesia they said it was something like 12,000

singapore is probably about 1,800...don't ask about how many of those actually buy tickets

Chonburi's average attendance must be around 4,200. They always announce the crowd figures and the revenue at the end of every home game.

What actually the need to do from this season onwards. As it is a requirement from the AFC to record the crowds and revenues. But if SIngapore do have 1.800, the can skip the CL for the next years.

[Nigb]

sa jai

[charade_2010]

Those pictures were taken last Sunday in V-League . The reds are Xi Măng Hải Phòng fans . That's football culture of the defending champions AFF Suzuki Cup ! 

[bon-nirnam]

Below is what TPL attendance record shows as display on th.wikipedia.

How can you run a business with number like that? How TPL plan to address this very fundamental issue?

Look at Chula's attendance... When I was playing for my high school in early 70s, a friendly against out of town opponents drew almost that many, if you count the ice-cream vendor and two of his kids.






 

[SriRachaShark]

Does anyone know how up to date these stats are?

[jakartacasual]

sri racha transliterated as hot sauce ...

looks like thai port had only played 2 home games

[Vinnie]

Below is what TPL attendance record shows as display on th.wikipedia.

How can you run a business with number like that? How TPL plan to address this very fundamental issue?

Look at Chula's attendance... When I was playing for my high school in early 70s, a friendly against out of town opponents drew almost that many, if you count the ice-cream vendor and two of his kids.

Some attendances from the weekend according to Siam Geela newspaper:
Thai Port v Siracha 3,335
Pattaya v Nakhon Pathom 1,650
Navy Rayong v Muang Thong circa 12,000!!!!

Now, the footage and photos I've seen of the Rayong match do indeed show a very large crowd, but 12,000!?
Some of Siam Geela's estimates have been a little wide of the mark in the past. They estimated 4,500 for the Korat v Buriram match and the true attenance was 1750, and they said there was circa 3,000 at Surin v Korat when the true figure was 1,000-1,500.

[SriRachaShark]

I would be very surprised if 12,000 is an accurate figure for that match. There were obviously more people there yesterday but I doubt that it was 4 times the attendance I saw during the week. I was at the ground on Wednesday for the FA Cup tie and I reckon there were about 3,000/3,500 there. I couldn't help wondering how they would be able to accomodate the Chonburi fans when we visit later in the season.

I saw the footage from yesterdays match and saw they made good use of the running track and spaces behind the goals. Did Muang Thong take many fans? We had over 2,000 at Osotspa and they had real problems. I know I've said this before but safety issues should be at the top of FAT's agenda right now.

[Vinnie]

I assume Muang Thong took their usual away support. To be fair, the gate receipts were just over 400,000 baht which would suggest that the attendance was somewhere around the 10,000 mark.

[SriRachaShark]

405,000 divided by B50 equals 8,100. A more likely figure.

The attendance for our match was officially 2,417. Probably not that far off. I estimated that we took about 2,000 so the actual figure must have been around 1,800.

[Vinnie]

405,000 divided by B50 equals 8,100. A more likely figure.

Ah. I was working on the basis that it was B40 to get in. But if kids get in free then the figure may well have topped 10,000.

[charade_2010]

Da Nang are No. 1 again after 17 years

Da Nang took the V-League title three rounds before the end of the season with a 2-1 home victory over Nam Dinh in the 23rd round at Chi Lang Stadium Sunday.
The atmosphere was festive when the match ended, with almost 30,000 exultant fans cheering and celebrating their victory. They passed two makeup trophies round the stands. Some of the players were in tears as they ran around the field to celebrate along with the fans.

Coach Le Huynh Duc, mobbed by supporters and reporters, was short of breath as he answered the questions being asked non-stop.

After his players threw him up several times in the air, Duc said, “In my footballing and coaching career, this is the most unforgettable experience for me. This is my second championship after the first [A1 championship] I won with HCMC Police in 1995.

“I was in a strong team in 1995 and this year I have been strongly supported by the club managers and the city officials as well as my players with a burning desire. Most importantly, the strong passion and encouragement of home fans for the whole team have helped make this historic moment.”

This is the first V-League championship for the central city club since the league was established in 2001, with Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) winning the first V-League championship and former Saigon Port (currently called HCMC Club) winning the second in 2002.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) grabbled it in 2003 and 2004, Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) took it in 2005 and 2006 and Binh Duong were champions in 2007 and 2008.

This is also the first time after 17 years Da Nang has won the championship of the top-flight football competition. In 1992, it won the national football title which was then called the A1 national championship. The A1 national championship was held from 1981 till 2000 before it became the V-League.

In the end, Da Nang’s championship came as no surprise because it had a strong contingent of good players that put it well ahead at the first half of the season with 27 points from 13 rounds, five points clear of second-placed HAGL.

In recent rounds, Binh Duong and SLNA tried in vain to close in on Da Nang while 2005-06 champs DTLA and 2003-04 champs HAGL struggled in the middle and lower part of the table .

[oTRo]

Here're some photos of new champs. 


New dawn has come..




Da Nang's fans


Fans're celebrating just outside the Chi Lang stadium.


The exciting fans have made the hand-made cups become "te tua" (totally damaged) ^__^


Da Nang's fans are really pround of their team.


Le Huynh Duc becomes the youngest coach to win V-League championship.


Goal keeper To Duc Cuong


Captain Chau Le Phuoc Vinh

[oTRo]

Vietnam’s top striker Le Cong Vinh will play for Portugal’s topflight Super Liga club Leixoes from September 1 to December 31, his VLeague club T&T Hanoi has said.



T&T Hanoi president Do Quang Hien said Tuesday that Vinh's new contract is just the initial stage of a long-term process of cooperation between the two clubs. Hien said also that Leixoes wants to promote its image in Southeast Asia.
Vinh was recommended by Vietnam’s national football team coach Henrique Calisto, from Portugal. Leixoes came in sixth place last season.

V-League has three more rounds to go and T&T Hanoi is supportive of the decision as will it allow Vinh to retain his form while V-League is off until the beginning of next season.

As agreed by the two clubs, Vinh can return to play for Vietnam against Syria on November 14 and 18 in the 2011 Asian qualifying round.

The two clubs will also jointly establish a fund to seek out talented players from Brazil, Argentina and Portugal as well as to create opportunities for Vietnamese players to train and play abroad.

Vinh says he is now concentrating on his final three matches, aiming to help T&T Hanoi hold on to their current second spot in the table as well as winning the best scorer title himself.

Vinh has scored 14 goals, just behind Lazaro of Fourth Military Zone and Gaston Melo of newly crowned Da Nang, both of whom have scored 15 goals.
(Thanh Nien Newspaper)

[TPF]

DISARMING SMILE IS PIROM'S STYLE

Thailand’s Pirom Anprasert is probably the only referee in the world to become a national tourism symbol.

It was at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France where Pirom made his mark, his face capturing the hearts of fans in a manner similar to that of famed Italian referee Pierluigi Collina.

But while Collina’s image was of haunting eyes and a bald pate, Pirom’s motif was rather more simplistic and exemplified what Thailand was all about – his smile.

Pirom gave out three yellow cards in two matches during the 1998 World Cup – all accompanied by a wide smile that disarmed the players and won him many fans.

With Thailand famous around the world as the ‘Land of Smiles’, Pirom’s actions were quite appropriate.

Indeed, one of his “smiley cards” was captured by a photographer and the picture was eventually used in one of the country’s tourism campaigns, with the catch-line: ‘Thailand, the land of smiles’.

“It was my personal style to relax the game,” Pirom told the-AFC.com. “I always like to cool down the match no matter how tense the atmosphere.

“Every time I made a decision or gave out a card, it came with a smile to the player. It was sort of my trademark to bring the out the smiling face of a referee to the pitch.”

Confederations Cup final

Now retired, Pirom had been smiling his way through football matches for many years. His first big break came at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in France, where he was given the honour of refereeing the final between Brazil and Australia.

He was then a shoo-in for the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, taking charge of two group stage matches – Morocco versus Norway in Montpellier, which finished 2-2 and Paraguay’s 3-1 victory over Nigeria in Toulouse.

He was also on stand-by for Brazil’s 4-1, second-round victory over Chile in Paris.

“It was an unforgettable memory,” he said. “I was selected as one of four referees from Asia to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.

“It was an honour for me and my country. The fact that I was asked to referee an opening day match (Morocco versus Norway) also made me feel very proud.”

Self-development

Pirom’s emergence as a world-class referee came at a time when there was a lack of quality development programmes for Asian referees. He relied on his own experiences and thirst for knowledge to enhance his skills.

He started out by taking charge of local competitions before he was spotted by the Thailand Football Association, which sent him to FIFA for further education.

He made rapid progress and, in 1995, was selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sweden.

The following year, he was chosen for an Olympic assignment in Atlanta before his turns at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and 1998 FIFA World Cup.

“In those days, there were only a few courses and even these were rare. We had to work by ourselves to improve,” said Pirom.

“Young referees these days have much more resources to learn, which is very good. They have the support to become good referees in the future.”

Home service

Pirom is now Director of the Referee Institute in Thailand as well as Director of Referees Instructors for the Thai FA.

He has also served as an AFC Referees Instructor, Referee Recruiter and match video analyser. Pirom was full of praise for the AFC’s initiative to designate 2009 Asian Referees Year and September 1 as Asian Referees Day.

“We are very grateful to AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam,” he said. “Never before have Asian referees received such recognition.

“Because of the AFC, we have seen many courses, seminars and training programmes for referees every year.

“Referees have worked very hard for Asian football and it is great that they are now being recognised for their efforts.”

LINK: http://www.the-afc.com/en/referees-in-focus/25050-disarming-smile-is-piroms-style

[SriRachaShark]

He was treated like a rock star at the time. I remember seeing a tv interview with him just after the '98 World Cup. It lasted about 4 hours!!!

He also said that he wouldn't have sent off Beckham.

[charade_2010]

Malaysian U-23s hold China goalless

KUALA LUMPUR: China laboured to a goalless draw against the Malaysian U-23s here in a friendly match Saturday.
Gao Hongbo’s men are preparing for the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualification while K Rajagobalan’s Malaysian colts are getting ready for the SEA Games.
China met with stiff resistance at the Shah Alam Stadium from Malaysia who held their own but failed to score.
Rajagobal hailed his team's effort in not allowing China to have the upperhand but said the boys' also lacked "the killer spirit" to snatch a victory.
China are preparing intensively for two AFC Asian Cup fixtures in November, both against Lebanon (14 and 22 November). The former AFC Asian Cup runners-up are currently second in Group D of the qualifying with three points from two matches. Syria lead this section with six points.
For Malaysia, the SEA Games is top priority now though they play Uzbekistan twice in the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifiers on November 14 and 18.

Tough opponent for U23 Thailand in December . 

[lokomotive]

Datsakorn will enter try-outs for Arsenal??? NigB are you kidding? What kind of try outs are these? Are they serious? Sorry for that question, but we just saw Leesaw to fail in the 2nd League of Belgium.  Not to talk about the other guys who had failed with City.

[jakartacasual]

datsakorn's vietnamese club hagl do have some kind of relationship with the arsenal but even so i believe that to qualify for a work permit in the uk a player must be from a country with a fifa rank of 70 or higher

source?

[TPF]

datsakorn's vietnamese club hagl do have some kind of relationship with the arsenal but even so i believe that to qualify for a work permit in the uk a player must be from a country with a fifa rank of 70 or higher

source?

That would seem to be the case, although i'm sure the rules are not 100% rigid.

"Only footballers whose countries are ranked within the world’s top 70 can be considered for (UK work) permits. According  to the latest FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings"

Link: http://www.visabureau.com/uk/news/11-08-2009/uk-work-permit-snag-scuttles-portsmouth-deal.aspx

If Datsakorn's club have a link with Arsenal, then maybe it's just invitation to train with them or something like that? Didn't he spend some time training with Kaiserslauten in the past?

[charade_2010]

I can give you some concrete information :
Datsakorn Thonglao and his partner in Hoàng Anh Gia Lai club - Lee Nguyễn will suffer a training with Arsenal B . 
That is a part of the cooperation agreement to build the Soccer Academy HAGL JMG Arsenal and advertise their firm name on Emirates Stadium .
They will come to London on September 13 and exercise with Arsenal B team in a month .Then they will back to their current club and join in a small tournament in Phuket ( October 25th - 30th ) which includes 4 teams : Thai national team , the champion club of TPL , the champion club of Myanmar and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai .

[Nigb]

Here is the link at Siam Sport. The direct translation of the headline is - "Datsikorn continues contract, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai flies him to Arsenal try outs."  http://www.siamsport.co.th/Sport_Football/090825_131.html

[charade_2010]

That sounds about right. So it's not a trial as such, just training sessions.

No doubt any more , this information is completely accurate . 

[lokomotive]

Here is the link at Siam Sport. The direct translation of the headline is - "Datsikorn continues contract, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai flies him to Arsenal try outs."  http://www.siamsport.co.th/Sport_Football/090825_131.html

Thanks for the link. Does anyone else outside Thailand have problems accessing the Siam Sport website? It never works for me.

Fortunately I can still watch live games on this site:
link: http://www.channelchooser.com/tv/thailand/watch/new-channels/siam-sport/4566/

Damn, Marco. Thanks a bunch. First of all for the link. And second, I know now that I am not the only, who is not able to enter SiamSports.com. Does someboy has a clue for which reasons? I also cannot get a connection to the Siam Sports Website where are the livestreams from the games.

I am also not pleased with the performance from the offical TPL Website. Since month under construction, and more and more informations are gone. Like the About Us Site. Which was very intersting, and which I needed as ref for the Wiki.

[TPF]

Damn, Marco. Thanks a bunch. First of all for the link. And second, I know now that I am not the only, who is not able to enter SiamSports.com. Does someboy has a clue for which reasons? I also can get a connection to the Siam Sports Website where are the livestreams form the game.

No problem Loko. If you ever have any problem with the streaming on that link, try this one:

http://www.tvchannelsfree.com/watch/3562/DMC---Thailand.html

I'm pretty sure they said on Siam Sport TV that Chonburi vs P.E.A will be televised on Saturday, and Sri Racha vs Muang Thong will be televised on Sunday. Can anyone confirm this?

[charade_2010]

Green Card for Asian referees

 

KUALA LUMPUR: In celebration of Asian Referees Day on September 1, the AFC will be issuing special “green cards” to promote fair play, good manners and safeguarding the environment.

With referees more known for brandishing yellow and red cards for on-field offences, the green card has the opposite effect with the aim of promoting the positive side of football and its related activities.
Apart from fair play and manners, the green card concept reflects AFC’s concern about safeguarding nature. The green colour represents purity of the environment.
The promotion of the Green Card will be at its peak on September 1 when AFC celebrates Asian Referees Day, which is the highlight of the year-round Asian Referees year.
AFC is unique in recognising the efforts of referees. Fans usually only remember the negative aspects of refereeing and Asian Referees Day is being held to promote the positive work of referees as guardians of the game and who promote good manners and fair play.
The goals of the green card programme are as follows:
- Respect opponents, team-mates, referees, officials and spectators.
- Fair Play
- Observe the Laws of the Game
- The Green Card
- Save the Earth
The AFC and its Referees Department encourages everyone in Asia to help promote this caring attitude by sharing the Green Card with colleagues, friends, family and the community whenever they show good behaviour.
During Asian Referees Day, green cards will be distributed throughout Asian countries.

[druryfire]

Bahrain take on Saudi Arabia on Saturday in the 1st leg of the regional playoff for the World Cup. Do we have any interested parties here??

We won our only point in Round three against them. Can't help but feel that if Bahrain can get this far, on two occasions now, then if Thailand really thought they could do it, then we could.

We are always going to be a long way form the top 5 or 6 nations in Asia, but a playoff route would always be realistic

[druryfire]

Congratulations to Umm Salal on winning the 2009 Sheikh Jassem Cup, the opening tournament to the Qatari season.

[lokomotive]

KSA 2-2 BHR: Saudis stunned in stoppage-time

http://www.the-afc.com/en/2010-fifa-world-cup/25260-ksa-2-2-bhr-saudis-stunned-in-stoppage-time

[druryfire]

KSA 2-2 BHR: Saudis stunned in stoppage-time

http://www.the-afc.com/en/2010-fifa-world-cup/25260-ksa-2-2-bhr-saudis-stunned-in-stoppage-time

Great game was that Loko, i almost cried when KSA scored in the last minute. Was very surprised to see Bahrain come back from that.

Just think, Bahrain very small country, so why can't Thailand do this?? Bahrain's mentality this campaign has done them wonders, previously they would have lost the game against Saudi before it kicked off, this time round they showed their worth.

Hopefully they can make it to South Africa, and then we can all say, Thailand were beaten by the world cup finalists.

[lokomotive]

I think Bahrain will have good chances vs New Zealand.

[druryfire]

Oman Mobile League kick-off today 
 
MUSCAT — The Oman Mobile football league kicks off today at the Seeb Stadium under the auspices of Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi, chairman of Oman Football Association (OFA).

The opening ceremony will be held at 9pm at the Seeb stadium and followed by the inaugural match. During the ceremony the official logo of the league will be revealed to the public for the first time.

Six venues

This year OFA has restricted the Oman Mobile League to six main venues the main one being Sultan Qaboos Sports Stadium (SQSC) in Bausher, the other venues are Seeb, Ibri, Salalah, Sur and Sohar. This is to meet the policy of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) criteria on the average attendance of spectators for professional league matches.

The Oman Mobile League is comprised of 12 teams and 66 matches and will be played over a period of three months. The teams participating in the league are Oman Club, Al Nasr, Al Nahda, Al Shaban, Al Khaboura, Al Arouba, Dhofar, Al Suwaiq, Muscat, Al Taleya, Saham, and Al Seeb. After the opening ceremony Al Khaboura will take the field to clash with Al Arouba at 9.30pm. The other matches that will be taking place simultaneously at the various stadiums will be Oman Club versus Al Nasr at SQSC, Defenders Al Nahda will face Al Shaban at the Ibri Stadium and Dhofar will play Al Suwaiq at the Salalah Stadium.


Comment - Read the part in bold above. Is the Omani League cheating here by only using 6 venues so they can achieve AFC Criteria? If this is the case, then surely FAT should only submit attendances to the AFC that meet the criteria and if any club is lagging behind, then just kind of forget about it, i'm sure the AFC could be fooled.

http://www.timesofoman.com/innercat.asp?detail=28529

[charade_2010]

Some pictures in football academy Hoàng Anh Gia Lai - Arsenal JMG ( Pleiku , Vietnam ) :





[img[http://www.vnexpress.net/Files/Subject/3B/A1/3B/3A/Hoang-Anh-10.jpg[/img]http://




I know there is a Arsenal football academy in Chonburi - Thailand too but don't have much information about it . Sad to know everyone here is the same !

[bon-nirnam]

Wait just a minuite! Did Maria know something but never bother to share with us?


Indonesia: Persib Bandung To Sign Thai Keeper Kosin On Loan
Sep 25, 2009 12:15:21 AM
Persib Bandung are almost certain to land Thailand’s top goalkeeper Kosin Hathairattanakool on a four-month loan spell following the injury to their current No. 1 Tema Mursadat.

With the Indonesian Super League (ISL) due to start next month, Persib Bandung are in a spot following the continued unavailability of Tema.

But even though Persib have almost confirmed their signing of Kosin, still the later will only be available sometime in November.

Kosin is still with Thai Premier League side Chonburi FC who are now in a two-horse race against Muang Thong United for the title this year.

“Kosin will miss two matches for Persib (against PSM Makassar and Persiba Balikpapan). We are looking for him to play for us for at least four months or half a season,” added Persib's Umuh Muchtar.

Umuh said that the reason for the loan spell is also because Kosin will be attending trials with J-League side Gamba Osaka in March.

Persib is hopeful that by then, Tema will be back in action for the club.



Half a season full of happiness!!! 

[charade_2010]

Wait just a minuite! Did Maria know something but never bother to share with us?


Indonesia: Persib Bandung To Sign Thai Keeper Kosin On Loan
Sep 25, 2009 12:15:21 AM
Persib Bandung are almost certain to land Thailand’s top goalkeeper Kosin Hathairattanakool on a four-month loan spell following the injury to their current No. 1 Tema Mursadat.

With the Indonesian Super League (ISL) due to start next month, Persib Bandung are in a spot following the continued unavailability of Tema.

But even though Persib have almost confirmed their signing of Kosin, still the later will only be available sometime in November.

Kosin is still with Thai Premier League side Chonburi FC who are now in a two-horse race against Muang Thong United for the title this year.

“Kosin will miss two matches for Persib (against PSM Makassar and Persiba Balikpapan). We are looking for him to play for us for at least four months or half a season,” added Persib's Umuh Muchtar.

Umuh said that the reason for the loan spell is also because Kosin will be attending trials with J-League side Gamba Osaka in March.

Persib is hopeful that by then, Tema will be back in action for the club.



Half a season full of happiness!!! 

She did share that information . 

MALAYSIA TO SEND U19 SQUAD TO PRE-SEA GAMES

PETALING JAYA (26 Sept 2009) – Malaysia will join Thailand and Vietnam in sending only their Under-19 squad to the pre-SEA Games which will be held in Vientiane early next month.

The Malaysians have cited that the reason why they are sending only their U19 team is because the U23 players will be involved in the on-going Malaysia Cup competition.

But the U19 squad will not be totally devoid of players from the U23 team where they will still have the services of six players and they are Ahmad Shakir Ali, K. Gurusamy, Fandi Othman, Muslim Ahmad, Mahali Jasuli and Faizal Muhammad.

“The U19 team will actually be taking part in two competitions where apart from the pre-SEA Games, they will also be in Vietnam for the Thanh Nien Newspaper U21 competition (starting on 9 October 2009),” said Ong Kim Swee, the head coach of the Malaysian U19 team.

“Out of the current squad of 29 players, we will only be bringing around 20 players to Vientiane.”

For the pre-SEA Games, only hosts Laos will feature their U23 team.

For the Thanh Nien Newspaper U21 championship, the Malaysians will be up against the U21 teams of Iran and China in Group B.

Group A are the U21 teams of hosts Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore.

The U19 Malaysian side are preparing for the AFC U19 qualifiers in November in China.

In the meantime, Vietnam have named a squad of 30 players in preparation for the pre-SEA Games in Laos.

The team will be handled by former Vietnam national midfielder Trieu Quang Ha, who has replaced Vo Hoang Buu as the head coach.

"We are still missing some players because they are playing in the national U21 tournament,” said Quang Ha, who will trim his squad to 20 players later this week.

“The young players have a lot of potential and are very good in some positions.”

“Our main goal is to qualify for Asian U19 championship, so the pre-Sea Games tournament is a very good chance for players because they will play against strong opponents.

"After the pre-Sea Games tournament, the coaches will have three weeks to come up with the style of playing and make adjustments for the AFC U19 qualifiers."

For the U19 qualifiers, Vietnam are in the same group against South Korea, Thailand, Laos, Macau and Bangladesh where they will play all their matches in Bangkok in November.


PRE-SEA GAMES FIXTURES

2 Oct: Malaysia vs. Thailand; Laos vs. Vietnam

4 Oct: Vietnam vs. Malaysia; Thailand vs. Laos

6 Oct: Thailand vs. Vietnam; Laos vs. Malaysia