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Lao League comes back

(KPL ) Football fans will be able to cheer for their favourite teams again in this year?s football league.

The Lao League is the highest division within the Lao Football Federation and this year?s tournament will be played at the Chao Anouvong Stadium from 20 February to 11 April after one year of absence due to the 25th SEA Games.

This year?s league draws 10 football clubs to compete, including Vientiane, Bank of the Lao PDR, the Lao-American College, Haisok, Moon the Night, Customs Department, Ezra, Army, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The Lao Football League in 2008 saw the competition of 10 football clubs including Lao-American College, Vientiane, Army, Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Public Security, Bank of the Lao PDR, Ezra, Lao Journalists? Association, the National University of Laos and Moon the Night. The Army was the champion of Lao Football League in 2008.

The Lao Football Federation will organise the league and host the Asean Cup tournament at the end of next year.

VIENTIANE - Isa Halim lost his No 4 shirt - and his shorts - after the bronze medal play-off against SEA Games hosts Laos at the Chao Anouvong Stadium Thursday.

Standing on the track adjacent to the pitch clad only in his red tights, Isa drew a lot of attention from bystanders after the Singapore team were mobbed by locals who wanted a piece of the men who had downed Laos 3-1 to take the bronze.

And how sweet victory was for the youngest team in the competition, with an average age of just 19.8 years.

Few in Singapore had confidence in the Republic's under-23 football team here.

Indeed, the sentiment was that this young squad would not even make it out of the group stages of the competition.

But Terry Pathmanathan's charges sealed the bronze with goals from Khairul Nizam (23rd minute), Fazli Ayob (53rd) and Fadhil Noh (87th).

"I think this is a very big success and I'm very proud of the players," said Pathmanathan, just before he was doused with ice water and tossed into the air by his jubilant charges.

"Many people wrote them off but they've done well, extremely well as a matter of fact.

"There was no sign of nerves from these boys and this bronze medal will inspire them to greater heights in football, but the challenge is to keep them together," he added.

A majority of this SEA Games squad will play for the Young Lions in the S-League next year, but with school commitments and National Service on the horizon, it will be a challenge for the Football Association of Singapore to keep the team together for the next two SEA Games.

But, for team captain Isa, the SEA Games road has come to an end.

Still clad only in his tights, he said: "I feel proud leading these young boys. They showed that they have a bright future ahead of them, and this bronze medal is just a stepping stone for them."

Channelnewsasia.com

Malaysia were crowned SEA Games champions in the men?s football final last night after a lucky 1-0 victory over Vietnam to win the gold medal at the National Stadium.
The teams fought hard through both halves but the score remained 0-0 until Vo Hoang Quang of Vietnam accidentally rebounded a defensive shot to score an own goal and clinch the victory for Malaysia in the final minutes of standard time.

Vietnam came close to drawing level in injury time, but Malaysia held them off to take the coveted title in a gripping close to the tournament that saw Malaysian fans erupt in celebration, while the legions of Vietnamese supporters who travelled to Vientiane for the occasion had to settle for silver. ?We deserve to be the champions, even though in the first half the Vietnamese team played better,? said Malaysian Team Coach K.Raja Gobal.




He said the Malaysian side benefited from breaks in the fast paced game after the Vietnamese goal keeper was injured, and play had to be halted several times during the course of the match.
?All of my players did well, especially Kandasamy Gurusamy Govanda, our midfielder who is just 20 years old,? he said, adding that Malaysia were the better team in the second half.

President of the Vietnamese Football Federation Nquyen Troag Thy said his team had played well and hard, and praised the spirit of the Vietnamese players during the game. ?We were unlucky during this match, we attacked many times against Malaysia,? he said.

On the same day at Chao Anouvong stadium, Singapore beat Laos 3-1to win the bronze medal. Muhammad Khairul Nizam Bin scored Singapore?s first goal 22 minutes into the game, the remainder of the first half yielding no further score despite the attempts of both teams, the Lao side backed by their faithful, flag waving football army marching to the sound of dozens of drums.

Singapore?s Muhammed Fazli Bin Ayob scored the second goal of the match 6 minutes into the second half, spurring the Lao players into a barrage of attacks, none of which could break through the Singapore defence.

Muhammad Fadhil Bin Noh sealed the deal for Singapore with a third goal in the 86th minute, but Laos kept fighting and star striker Lamnao Singto succeeded in scoring Laos? only goal 2 minutes later. Injury time produced no further goals for Laos, and the players and fans had to settle for fourth place at the end of a campaign that gripped the nation and saw Laos reach further than ever before in a SEA Games football tournament.

Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh attended both the playoff between Laos and Singapore and the final at the National Stadium to watch the action and preside over the medal ceremonies.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad believes that Laos should not feel too bad about not making the final of men's football after losing to Malaysia last night as making the semi-finals was already a historic achievement. "The Laos footballers should be praised for reaching the semi-final round for the first time in a SEA Games competition," said Somsavat. "I can see that they have improved because of hard training and tried their best as the hosts of this event.

"But the fans should continue to encourage Laos athletes in the remaining days of the competition to cheer the athletes to win for their country."

Laos had created history this year when they made the semi-finals of men's football by beating Indonesia and also holding Singapore and Myanmar in the group stage. But they lost out of a place in the final in the 25th edition of the SEA Games after losing to Malaysia 3-1 last night at the Main Stadium.

Laos continued improvement in football was due to their team's long-term attachment with Vietnam club Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) for over a year. "Our athletes have done well in the games, winning many gold, silver and bronze medals so far," added Somsavat.

"Laos have never won medals like this before, but this time we are the hosts and our athletes have trained hard for victory.

"The current games fever prove that the people are keen to cheer local athletes in all popular sports, so this makes me believe that Laos sports will continue to improve because of the increased interest of our people."

By: WSL MSC Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia) - ICT Committee

SEAG

Malaysia rallied to beat hosts Laos 3-1 in the second semi-final to book their place in the final against Vietnam which will be played at the same venue of the Main Stadium in Vientiane on Dec 17.

The final appearance is the first for the Malaysians in eight years since 2001 when they lost to Thailand in Kuala Lumpur.

And this evening with the expectant fans heavily backing the home team to make their debut in the final of the SEA Games, it was to be the Malaysians who pinned their opponents in their own half at the start of the game.

In the second minute, Abdul Manaf Mamat tested Laos keeper Souvanpheng Panthavong with a rifling shot from 20metre out while several minutes later, striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s attempt with placing shot was parried.

Laos put pressure in the midfield through the hard work of Lamnao Singto and Kampheng Sayyavuthi but they just could not get past the Malaysian backline marshalled by Zafuan Adha Abdul Razak.

In the 13th minute, a blanket of silence fell on the Laos fans when off a cross from Manaf Mamat on the right, Badrol Bakhtiar rose high for an overhead kick which went straight into goal.

As the small Malaysian supporters began chanting, Laos came close with a free kick from Kaysone Soukhavong but his attempt was well received by Malaysian custodian Sharbinee Allawee.

Malaysia were a little slower going into the second half and as they laid back to protect their lead, a seemingly innocuous dipping shot from distance in the 72nd minute beat Sharbinee for the first time in the game - much to the jubilation of the home fans.

But in their eagerness to look for their second goal and the lead, Laos left gaps at the back and this allowed Malaysia to capitalise on in the 78th minute when Badrol picked a pass from S. Kunalan to blast home.

And six minutes later, Safiq Rahim made it beyond Laos’ reach with the third goal from inside the penalty box to put Malaysia through.

Malaysia’s appearance in the final will allow them the chance for a re-match against Vietnam, whom they lost to in the group stage with a 3-1 score line.

VIENTIANE - Eight-time defending champions Thailand crashed out of the Southeast Asian Games football competition Friday after two late goals from Malaysia, who join Vietnam in the semi-finals.

Needing only a draw to qualify for the last four, Thailand were the better side for large parts of the match and made their superiority count when Arthit Sunthornphit struck seven minutes after half-time direct from a free-kick.

But nine minutes from full-time Nasriq Baharom scored at the far post after a fine cross from the left by Azmi Muslim to level the scores and give Malaysia hope.

On 90 minutes, Ahmad Fakri Saarani won the match for Malaysia, firing home a cross from the right by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha to make it 2-1 and spark wild scenes of celebration.

Vietnam topped Group A with 10 points after thumping Cambodia 6-1, with Malaysia on nine points and Thailand, who had won every SEA Games football tournament since 1993, on seven.

Timor Leste finished bottom of the five-team group with no points after four straight defeats.

Host nation Laos and Singapore on Thursday qualified for the semi-finals of the under-23 competition from Group B.

MediaCorp Channel 5 will telecast the semi-final match between Singapore and Laos live on December 14.



- AFP/ir

The collective voice of more than 20,000 spectators on Saturday at the National Stadium shouting “Lao sou sou!” (go, Laos, go!) carried Lao footballers to a well deserved draw in their match against Myanmar .

Supporters formed a sea of red, white and blue as they energetically waved Lao flags, beat on drums and hooted on horns.

The stadium was packed with groups of families and friends all cheering for their team as Lao footballers turned out for their tournament debut against former SEA Games silver medallists Myanmar .

Before the match began, the tide of goodwill and the surge of enthusiasm quickened the pulse of the national team as they stood for the national anthem and gazed around at the packed stands singing in unison.

After the match Lao Men's Football Team Manager Viphet Sihachackr made his delight clear and offered his thanks to Lao supporters for cheering the team on and boosting the spirits of his men at this vital game.

“The cheering spurred on our players to do their best against a tough opponent. In the end we only managed a 1-1 draw but we have to remember that Myanmar were the runners-up at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007,” he said.

The team was also pleased at the evident enjoyment of the spectators.

After the match both coaches told press they would be playing five matches in the tournament but of course only one team from the group would secure a berth in the final.

Lao coach Alfred Riedl said he learnt a lot from the match and would use this as homework for the Lao squad. In general he was happy with the way the team played and glad that fans enjoyed the game so much.

“I will change from offensive to defensive because today's match showed up some mistakes in this area. I believe we can put on an even better display against Indonesia next week,” he said.

Myanmar coach Drago Mamic complained that the referee had not strictly followed competition rules and he was not happy with several of the decisions made during the game. But he congratulated the Lao footballers on their good play.

From the outset of the match Laos tried desperately to score and in the 5th minute got a free kick from the penalty area. But Kaysone Soukhavong's shot sailed over the crossbar. Laos had another opportunity in the 15th minute when Kaysone was faulted by a Myanmar defender and Lamnao Singto shot a free kick which curved towards the net but was saved by the Myanmar goalkeeper.

As hungry as Laos was to score, they couldn't find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Myanmar was counter-attacking and tried equally hard to get through the Lao defence without success.

In the 32nd minute Myanmar striker Tun Tun Win took control of the ball and wove his way through the Lao defenders. He powered the ball towards the goal but it soared over the crossbar.

In the 40th minute Myanmar defender Khin Maung Lwin fouled Lamnao. Kaysone took the free kick for Laos but the Myanmar goalkeeper deftly pushed the ball away from the net. The away team pummelled the goal mouth until Kyaw Thiha put his team on the scoreboard at 1-0.

In the second half, Laos tried their best to score but the Myanmar players put up a tough defence and the home side was unable to get the ball through.

Finally in the 69th minute Laos saw their name in lights when Kaysone passed the ball to Khampheng Sayavutthi and equalised. The 1-1 score remained the same until the final whistle.

In 2005 Laos beat Myanmar 3-2 at the 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines , but Myanmar improved their play and took the silver medal at the next SEA Games.

Also on Saturday, Singapore 's Muhammad Safuwan Bin scored first for Singapore in the 6th minute of their match with Indonesia , followed by Mohammad Shaiful Bin Esah Nain who made it 2-0 in the 23rd. But Stevie Bonsapia and Rendy pulled two back for Indonesia , levelling the score at 2-2.

Today, Laos will take on Indonesia and Singapore will face Myanmar in matches at the Chao Anouvong Stadium starting at 3pm.

December 6:

Vietnam vs. Malaysia (3-1)

Cambodia vs. Timor Leste (4-1)




By Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Laos will be the dark horse in the women’s championship when their SEA Games event kick-off tomorrow at the National University Stadium. The women’s football matches will begin with Malaysia taking onn Thailand while Laos will play Myanmar. Phouvanh Vongsouthi, the president of the Laos Football Federation (LFF) expressed his confidence that the team will be able to at least put up some resistance against the likes of defending champions Thailand, silver medallists Vietnam, fast-improving Myanmar and Malaysia.

As opposed to the men’s game which is restricted to players under the age of 23-years-old, the women’s game is open to the full senior side. “There are only five teams taking part, so the tournament will be competitive,” said Phouvanh.

“We are confident based on their progress thus far, so I think that we will have an outside chance of making making the medals.”

With only five teams taking part, they will be competing on a roun-robin basis to decide the gold medal winners. In the meantime, Vietnam will be anxious to reclaim the gold they loss in Korat two years ago.

What made the loss more painful was the fact that Vietnam had been winning the women’s football gold medal since 2001 and only surrendered it to the Thais at their own turf.

But head coach Chen Yun Fat feels confident that they can be back at the top of the podium considering their recent win of the International Women’s Football Tournament TKV 2009 when they beat Thailand 2-0.

“There is only one aim and that is to win back the gold medal we lost two years ago,” added Yun Fat, whose team also went to Japan for training in preparation for their SEA Games onslaught.

laosoc

Both men's and women's football teams will play their first matches against Myanmar , which has proved in past SEA Games competitions to be a formidable opponent.

The matches will take place on December 3 and 5 at the National University of Laos stadium and the National Stadium.

Lao Men's Football Team Manager Viphet Sihachakr said yesterday he thought his team would play five matches in the tournament because the players were well prepared both in terms of training and fitness.

“ Myanmar is a strong SEA Games team. They were runners-up at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007 but that's in the past. Today I believe our athletes can do better than before due to our experience from the many test matches we played,” he said.

Lao footballers lost many tournaments in the run-up to the 25th SEA Games. But coaches and team assistants have worked hard to improve the players' skills and the team manager has confirmed the team's performance is already 30 percent better since their last match.

“One thing we have to remember is that playing at home we have an advantage because our supporters will be cheering us on, just as they did at the 4-Nations Football Tournament. I was delighted to see so many Lao fans in the stadium all shouting for us. This is just great for our players,” Mr Viphet said.

He asked football fans to continue to cheer on the players, saying their support would make them stronger and better able to fight for their country.

Lao hopes are also riding with the women's football team.

Lao Women's Football Team Manager Ms Valy Vessaphong said she had asked Myanmar to send a team for a friendly game in Laos before the SEA Games but they declined, saying they were too busy.

“This will be a big match because we've never met them since we lost to them 0-6 at the 24th SEA Games. But now things are different. Our players have improved and are ready for their first match,” Ms Valy said.

She said Myanmar might not be aware of how much the Lao team had improved and Laos also didn't know, but the match would be the true testing ground.

After today's match against Myanmar , the women's team will play Thailand on December 8, Malaysia on December 11 and Vietnam on December 13. December 16 will be the final day of the tournament.

Matches will take place at the National University of Laos and the Chao Anouvong Stadium.

The men's football team begins its campaign tomorrow against Myanmar and will face Indonesia on December 7 and Singapore on December 10 at the National Stadium and Chao Anouvong Stadium.



By Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Vientianetimes

A last-minute penalty denied defending champions Thailand the full points when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Vietnam in the second match of Group A of the men’s football event at the Main Stadium of the National Sports Complex. In front of a sell-out crowd dominated by a sea of boisterous Vietnames fans in red, both Thailand and Vietnam displayed fast, attacking football from the very first whistle. At times, their enthusiasm borders on the physical which referee Pratap Singh from India did not hesitate to stem out with several yellow cards in the first half alone.

It was Thailand who got the first look at goal in the fourth minute when Arthit Sunthorphit blasted in from the right only to miss the far post. Six minutes later, a header from lanky captain Kiatprawut Sawaeo went inches over the cross bar.

It was to be the two central defenders for Thailand - Kiatprawut and Suttinun Chekhov - who made the difference as they easily cut off the darting runs from Vietnam striker Hoang Dinh Tung. The score at the break was 0-0.

It was Vietnam who started off stronger into the second half with the hard working captain Pham Thanh Luong pulling the action from the centre of the park. In the 64th minute, Thanh Luong’s incisive pass was wasted by Dinh Tung, who ballooned his effort with only Thai keeper Kawin Thamsatchanan to beat. Thailand then replied with an effort from Khapfa Boonmatoon in the 61st minute but his shot from the edge of the Vietnam box was blocked by a recovering defender.

And while Vietnam’s attempt from a free kick came off the wall, it was Thailand who silenced the crowd in the 72nd minute when striker Kirati Keawsombut pounced on a mistake from Vietnam keeper Bui Tan Truong to take the lead.

But as Thailand wound down for what they thought would be their first three points of the competition, Vietnam’s win of a penalty right at the end of the game turned the game around.

Thai defender Sutjarit Jantakol was faulted for bringing down Dinh Tung inside the box and the latter did not hesitate from the spot as he sent Kawin the wrong way for Vietnam’s first point in the group.

The hugely anticipated football match between Thailand and Vietnam will feature on the first day of the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane tomorrow. Kick-starting the event will be a match between Malaysia and Timor Leste, before the competition’s heavyweights take to the field. Vietnamese footballers were the first arrivals of the thousands athletes participating in the games, touching down before the football teams from Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Vietnamese Coach Henrique Calisto said Saturday’s match with Thailand will be the biggest for his team, given the strength of their opponents.

“Just win, just lose or just draw, we still don’t know, but we will do our best in the match,” said the Portuguese coach. “The last time we met them recently ended in a draw, so we don’t know what will happen on Wednesday.” While the Vietnamese team is hopeful of matching up to Thailand, the Thai team believe they can show their supremacy in the first match. Thai Coach Stephen Darby said on Sunday his team was preparing perfectly and was confident of winning the match.

“We believe our players can get a result on Wednesday, and we’d like to be playing again on the final day of the SEA Games.”

The men’s football teams are divided into two groups. Group A comprises Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste and Cambodia, while Group B consists of Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.

Hosts Laos will be counting on the 12th man or rather home support to carry the team through when they open their campaign in Group B of the SEA Games this Sunday against Myanmar. Team manager Viphet Sihachak said that base on the attendance during the pre-SEA Games in early October, he is confident that Laos can pick up their first three points of the competition.

“We are very sure that the fans will come and support the team just like they did during the pre-SEA Games. And furthermore, football is the main event of the SEA Games and everyone want to do well,” said Viphet after the team managers’ meeting this morning.

“We showed during the pre-SEA Games that we can build a competent team and while we may be up against the silver medallist, I still believe that we can win the full points.

“I know that the other countries have offered high rewards in winning the gold medal, we will do the same at the appropriate time.”

To show their determination to put their best at the biennial championship, the Laos Under-23 side has been training for the more than a year under the sponsorship of Vietnamese club Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL).

And while their results at the BIDC Cup in Phnom Penh where they finished fourth behind Cambodia, HAGL and Vissai Ninh Binh was unflattering, Viphet said that things must be put in perspective.

“At the pre-SEA Games, it was a full competitive match while the BIDC Cup is more of a series of friendlies,” added Viphet.

“Furthermore, the team will welcome the return of midfielder Kampheng (Sayyavutthi), who has been out with a knee injury for quite some time.

“So we are confident of the team.”

The schedule of Women football match of the 25th SEA Games in Laos is as follow:

2/12/2009 Arrival of all football teams
3/12/2009 Meeting of all team managers
4/12/2009 Malaysia vs Thailand (13:30) @ National University of Laos
Laos vs Myanmar (14:45) @ National University of Laos
6/12/2009 Thailand vs Myanmar (13:30) National University of Laos
Malaysia vs Vietnam (14:45) National University of Laos
8/12/2009 Myanmar vs Vietnam (13:30) National University of Laos
Laos vs Thailand (14:45) National University of Laos
11/12/2009 Laos vs Malaysia (13:30) National University of Laos
Thailand vs Vietnam (14:45) National University of Laos
13/12/2009 Laos vs Vietnam (15:40) Chaoanu stadium
Malaysia vs Myanmar (18:00) Chaoanu Stadium
16/12/2009 Final (16:00) Chaoanou stadium

Lao U-23 Football Team Manager Viphet Sihachackr said yesterday that the team's experience in previous matches will mean they perform at their best in December.

“The test matches might have made people unhappy with our performance, because they think our team is hopeless and has lost to many other teams on previous occasions, but in fact the fans don't understand that we just used those games as practice for the real event in December,” he said.

Mr Viphet said his team didn't need to win those matches, rather they needed to get much more experience, so that after each match coach and team assistant could analyse the game and suggest how the footballers could improve their performance.

Since the tournament in Cambodia in early November, many Lao football fans have complained about the team not playing well enough.

Their complaints were heightened at the most recent match at Chao Anouvong on Tuesday when the Lao team lost 3-1 to Hoang Anh Gia Lia of Vietnam .

“Hoang Anh Gia Lia is an official sponsor of the 25th SEA Games, so they just wanted to send their football team to practice with our team.

“We learnt many things from them because they had many good players,” Mr Viphet said.

Mr Viphet said the team has been playing very well recently and is ready for their first SEA Games match on December 5 against Myanmar , the runner up at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand .

On December 7 the Lao team will face Indonesia and on December 10 they will take on Singapore in the quarterfinal of the SEA Games.

Mr Viphet said Myanmar is a strong contender but the Lao footballers would try their best to win.

“We will be the winner of the match.

“We know Myanmar is strong but because we are the host country we want to stay in the competition as long as possible,” he said.

Mr Viphet said he trusted the ability of his players after they had gained experience locally and abroad.

“We have spoken with other coaches about our athletes, who said they are improving even though they haven't had much time to practice. The Austrian coach said if the Lao team had more time, they would be really good,” he said.

The men's football teams will be divided into two groups. Laos will be in Group B along with Myanmar , Singapore and Indonesia , while in Group A Thailand will play against Vietnam , Malaysia , Timor Leste and Cambodia .

The women's teams will play in only one group, which comprises Malaysia , Thailand , Myanmar , Vietnam and Laos .

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

Mr Veunsavanh Sivasay, the well-known former coach of the Lao national football team recently predicted that the Lao U23 football team has a high chance of passing into the second round of competition at the upcoming SEA Games and may even achieve third place. Mr Veunsavanh said there were two key reasons for his prediction.

“Laos is the host of the Games which gives us a home ground advantage and our team will get lots of support from the crowd who will cheer the players on with great spirit both inside and outside the stadium when they play,” said Mr Veunsavanh. “The Government and the National Sports Committee hired a professional coach, Alfred Riedl, an Austrian football manager and former player, to train the Lao football team. Over the past year, this has helped the Lao team develop their skills and technique in passing, ball control and has enhanced their understanding of the game.

“The Lao team achieved third place at the BIDC Cup football tournament in Cambodia and this was good practice for the team providing a chance to review the positive aspects of their game and identify areas for improvement before the real competition at the SEA Games,” said Mr Veunsavanh. He added that the competition is approaching soon but there is time for the team to improve and for the coach to work on a variety of offense techniques with Mr Lamnao Singto, a key striker in the Lao team.

Mr Veunsavanh mentioned the Lao defensive game should be played in the middle of the pitch to prevent their competitors from having possession as much as possible. “If we use this strategy, the hopes of the Lao people to see the Lao team reach the final four will come true,” he concluded.

The opening match in Group B football of the 25th SEA Games in Laos will be played on 5 December considering that they are only four teams in the group as against five teams in Group A.

The first match in Group B at the National Stadium will be Singapore taking on Indonesia while hosts Laos will play Myanmar, who were the silver medallist two years ago in Thailand.


GROUPINGS

Group A: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Cambodia

Group B: Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia


FIXTURES

2 Dec (Main Stadium): Malaysia vs Timor Leste (1500hrs)/ Thailand vs Vietnam (1745hrs)

4 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Thailand vs Cambodia 1500hrs)/ Vietnam vs Timor Leste (1745hrs)

5 Dec (Main Stadium): Singapore vs Indonesia (1500hrs)/ Laos vs Myanmar (1745hrs)

6 Dec (Main Stadium): Vietnam vs Malaysia (1500hrs)/ Timor Leste vs Cambodia (1745hrs)

7 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Myanmar vs Singapore (1500hrs)/ Indonesia vs Laos (1745hrs)

8 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Timor Leste vs Thailand (1500hrs)/ Cambodia vs Malaysia (1745hrs)

9 Dec: Opening Ceremony

10 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Myanmar vs Indonesia (1500hrs)/ Laos vs Singapore (1745hrs)

11 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Cambodia vs Vietnam (1500hrs)/ Malaysia vs Thailand (1500hrs)

14 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Semi-finals

17 Dec: Third/ Fourth Placing (1500hrs at Chao Anu Vong Stadium)/ FINAL (1700hrs at Main Stadium)

The Lao Women's Football Federation will organise a final test event for its players on November 18-19 before the SEA Games get underway in December.

After conceding several goals at the International Women's Football Tournament held in Quang Ninh , Vietnam , last month, the team will play against a club from Chonbury province, Thailand , as a final test before the games.

Assistant coach Mr Viengsavanh Sengchanh accepted yesterday that his team was not as strong compared with the Thai and Vietnamese teams because they didn't practise before the tournament.

“We had left early hoping to practise in Vietnam for 10 days, but unfortunately there was a big storm in Vietnam then so for those 10 days we just ate and slept. We returned home for five days but the tournament organisers invited us to participate in the event so we decided to go ahead even though the players weren't fit,” he said.

After coming back from the tournament, the team starting practising hard by using the experience of the loss, and now they are getting better and are ready to take on the Thai team this month.

The squad has been training since April this year, and the federation invited countries in the region to a tournament in Champassak province. The Lao women were runners-up in the event.

“We have 25 players who are strong and ready to play in the SEA Games; I think they will be able to hold their heads high next month,” Mr Viengsavanh said.

The test event on November 18-19 will be another trial run for the Chao Anouvong and Dongdok stadiums to see if they are ready for the SEA Games.

“Fans can go to cheer the team for free during the competition on both days,” he said.

Mr Viengsavanh also explained that after the match the federation will continue with training and will select the final 20 players for the SEA Games.

“We promise we'll get one of the three medals for Laos ,” he said.

The women's football matches will be played in a group comprising Malaysia , Thailand , Myanmar , Vietnam and Laos .

“ Vietnam has the strongest team but we are trying our best,” Mr Viengsavanh said.

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

Laos captain Kitsada was named the Most Valuable Player in the BIDC Cup 2009 in Phnom Phen, Cambodia. The final results of the BIDC Cup is as follow:

The winner: Cambodia U-23
Second: Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Vietnam
Third: Vissai Ninh Binh
Fouth: Laos U-23

Cambodia’s Samrith Seiha was voted the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper, and Evaldo Goncaves of HAGL collected the Top Scorer award.

Photo: roubroum.blogspot.com

SEA Games: A Preview - Both Groups Present Challenges
There is no easy ride for anyone in the nine-nation tournament...

Whichever way it went, there are no longer easy grouping following the official draw announcement of the men’s football of the 25th SEA Games in Laos this morning.

Eight-times champions Thailand are in Group A alongside Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste and Cambodia.In Group B are hosts Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.

Brunei have been banned by FIFA while the Philippines are not putting up either men‘s or women‘s team at this year‘s SEA Games.

Indonesian team manager Demis Djamaoeddin said that there are no longer easy draw at the SEA Games with all the teams taking part well prepared.

“Unlike in the past, there are no teams which you can consider as minnows,” said Demis from Palembang.

“All the teams taking part take the championship seriously and they prepare their teams for months. We are no different.

“For us, it makes no different being in either group. They are all tough. We can only prepare our team as well as possible. The rest will be decided on the day.”

Singapore have been building up steadily towards the SEA Games where their recent 6-0 win over their counterparts from Cambodia proved that their formula in having their team - the Young Lions - have regular competition in the S-League is paying off.

They are currently playing in the VFF-Smartdoor Championship in Hanoi where they had conceded a 1-0 loss to the Vietnam U23 side in their opening match.The Young Lions then held the Thai U23 side to a 1-1 draw in their second match of the meet and will wrap up the competition by taking on China U23.

The Indonesians will be relying on the Uruguayan touch to carry the team through with the enlistment of Alberto Dica while for Laos, their win of the pre-SEA Games meet despite playing against U19 sides, will be an added incentive.

Add that to the expected home crowd, then Laos could just spring a surprise - or two.

Myanmar, through their recent formation of the Myanmar national league, have allowed their U23 players more playing time and with the expected four-nation tournament later this month, they will not be short of match experience.

At the very least, Myanmar will be looking at defending the silver they win two years ago in Thailand.

With the Thais again the firm favourites to defend their crown, Vietnam will be hoping that their win of the AFF Suzuki Cup last year will give them the confidence for the task ahead.

And certainly, the Vietnam U23 side seems to be oozing with confidence where this week, they picked up the VFF-Smartdoor Cup in Hanoi after beating Singapore U23 (1-0) and then China U23 (3-1).

They will play their final round robin match against Thailand U23 with the results being inconsequential to the end result.Malaysia as always remain the dark horse with head coach K. Rajagobal saying that they will be taking it one game at a time.

“It is a tough draw, but then there’s no way we can avoid it,” added Rajagobal.

“We will look at who we will play against first and take it from there.”

Cambodia will be playing in a four-team meet in Phnom Penh this week while for Timor Leste, they are certainly capable of delivering the goods.

Timor recently qualified for the final round of the AFC U16 championships after holding China to a draw and then beating Singapore in their qualifying matches.

At the AFF Under-19 championship in Ho Chi Minh City, they played well as a unit and was just unfortunate not to make the semi-finals.

“We are improving as a whole but it is still a step by step process,” said Timor Leste president Francisco Kalbuadi.

Source: http://goal.com/

Lao team football manager Viphet Sihachackr has promised fans an exciting competition in the SEA Games, with the Lao team up against the second and third place winners from the last games.

It was revealed yesterday that Laos will compete against Myanmar , Singapore and Indonesia in group B of the men's football.

“ Myanmar was the runner-up while Singapore won third place in men's football in the 24th SEA Games in Thailand 2007. This year we will face them but I believe our footballers are better than during the previous games, so we will try our best to do well in this competitive round,” he said.

Mr Viphet said since the Lao U-23 squad has been training with an experienced coach from Austria since July, the team has improved and played in many matches.

“The team has played 11 matches since they have been training with this coach. They drew or won most of those matches including the 4-Nations Football Tournament, other friendly matches and last Sunday's match in Cambodia . There the team drew against a strong Vietnamese team, Vissai Ninhbin, at the Cambodia International Football Tournament BIDC Cup 2009 in Phnom Penh . This has made me confident they can do well at the big match in December,” he said.

The Lao team is competing in the tournament until this weekend and then they will return home to prepare for the games next month.

Mr Viphet said that during the competition in Cambodia , he told the team to save some energy because the SEA Games were only one month away. The competition draw was held at the Lao International Trade and Exhibition Convention Centre in Vientiane by 25th SEA Games Organising Committee officials and SEA Games Federation staff.

The draw covered the sports of badminton, water polo, football, sepak takraw, table tennis and volleyball.

The men's football teams will be divided into two groups. Laos will be in Group B along with Myanmar , Singapore and Indonesia , while in Group A Thailand will play against Vietnam , Malaysia , Timor Leste and Cambodia .

The women's teams will play in only one group, comprising Malaysia , Thailand , Myanmar , Vietnam and Laos.


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes