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"They offered me the job, but they only gave me part of the contract," said former Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl of his talks with the Indonesian national team.

PSSI Extends Job Offer to Riedl
With 2011 Asian Cup qualifying behind it and 2014 World Cup qualifying ahead of it, the Indonesian national team faces a brief but crucial period of self-evaluation.

Its 1-0 loss at Australia on Wednesday brought to a close an unsuccessful qualifying campaign that saw Indonesia miss the continental championship for the first time since 1992. It also brought down the curtain on Benny Dollo’s second spell in charge of the team.

As part of the rebuilding needed to arrest the slide in the national team’s fortunes, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) on Thursday announced it had appointed former Vietnam and Laos coach Alfred Riedl as the new senior and Under-23 national team coach.

“Riedl will be the head coach for both the Under-23 and senior teams starting this month. I don’t think it will be a problem as we will send mostly Under-23 players for international events this year, including the [2014] World Cup and [2012] Olympic qualifiers,” PSSI secretary general Nugraha Besoes said.

“We have to send more youngsters to international tournaments as we will never perform well without proper regeneration.”

However, Riedl said he had not completed any deal with the PSSI.

“[The PSSI] offered me the job, but they only gave me part of the contract. They didn’t give me the full draft, and I haven’t received any more information from them,” the 60-year-old Austrian said in a phone interview with the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

“It was only the part about the salary and bonus payments, nothing else. If this is going to be a two-year contract, it should be a little more concrete.”

Nugraha cited Riedl’s coaching skill and familiarity with Southeast Asia as the main reason behind the PSSI’s move.

Riedl had three spells in charge of Vietnam (1998-2001, 2003-04, 2005-07) and laid the groundwork for the country to emerge as the rising force in Southeast Asian football. His work bore fruit in December 2008 as Vietnam won its first AFF Suzuki Cup title, overcoming traditional powers Singapore and Thailand en route to the crown.

He also led the Laos U-23 team to a bronze medal in the 2009 Southeast Asian Games, its first SEA Games football medal. The run included the first victory over an Indonesian team in Laos’ history, a 2-0 group stage win.

While details were still scarce, Reidl said he was eager to make the move.

“I would love to come to Indonesia. I have a lot of experience in Southeast Asia and was very successful with Vietnam and Laos. It could be a fruitful partnership with Indonesia,” he said.

The PSSI cannot afford to dawdle, though, as Riedl said he was also in talks with Laos about an extension of his contract, which expired on Jan. 31.

“I still have no firm offer from Laos or Indonesia. I’ve been talking with the Laos FA and the Indonesian FA, but right now the Laos FA is doing more talking,” he said.

Another part of the PSSI’s ongoing shuffle was revealed on Thursday. It claimed the Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) nominated Ruud Krol to be Indonesia’s coach.

Last month, the PSSI approached the KNVB and asked for help in finding a new coach and technical director for the national team.

“The KNVB answered our call for help and nominated Ruud Krol as coach, but we want him to be the technical director. We’ll ask the KNVB to confirm if they agree to Krol’s appointment as technical director,” he said.

Krol, 61, made 83 appearances as a defender for the Dutch national team from 1969 to 1983. He had 339 appearances in 12 seasons with Ajax before finishing his playing career with Napoli and Cannes.

Having previously managed in Belgium, Switzerland, Egypt and France, he is currently the manager of South African side Orlando Pirates.

To give the national team more run-outs, the PSSI announced it would host two international tournaments. The Anniversary Cup will take place on April 2-7 as part of the PSSI’s anniversary celebration, and the Independence Cup will return in August. Nugraha said three teams were invited to each event but gave no further details.

Indonesia begins 2012 Olympic Games qualifying on Sept. 25-30, with 2014 World Cup qualifying beginning in October. Football

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/sports/pssi-extends-job-offer-to-riedl/362013

(KPL) The National University of Laos (NUOL) will receive the host flag for the Asean University Games in 2012 at the same name competition event held in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the end of this year.

The 6th Asean University Sports Council (AUSC) Coordination Meeting was held at in Vientiane on 24 February. Present at the meeting included NUOL Vice President and Chairman of the 16th Asean University Games, Prof. Dr. Somsy Gnophanxay, AUSC Chairman, Prof. Omar Osman, and officials from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The largest Lao university expressed its confidence that its hosting of the ASEAN University Games would be successful.

AUSC officials have already inspected sporting facilities at the National Sport Complex, Olympasia and SEA Games Village, which will be used to host the games.

?The National University of Laos will send athletes to compete in nine sport events at the 15th Asean University Games. These include basketball, volleyball, football, petanque, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo, karatedo and pencak silat,? said Dr. Somsy.

This year?s games in Thailand has 18 sport events including track-and-field, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball and volleyball, cricket, football, futsal, golf, karatedo, taekwondo, petanque, rugby, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ten pin bowling and pencak silat events. Dr. Somsy said that NOUL would propose the government to fund the preparation of Lao athletes for the event and it would organise sporting events to select best athletes for the games in Chiang Mai.

The University of Health Science and the Universities of Savannakhet, Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces as well as line ministries and the National Sports Committee have been committed to cooperating with the NOUL on hosting the 16th ASEAN University Games.

(KPL) The schedule of the Lao Football League, also known as Lao League, is finalised and the Army is set to play their first leg against City on Feb 27. This year Lao League sees the participation of only eight teams because the Moon the Night and the Customs Department announced their withdrawal from the 2010 competition list last week. All matches will be played at the old Chao Anouvong Stadium at 15:00 hours. Following are the Lao League 2010 match schedules:

27/02/2010: Army Vs City, Ministry of Public Works and Transport vs Ministry of Public Security

28/02/2010: Bank of Laos vs Ezra, Lao American College vs Vientiane Capital

06/03/2010: Ministry of Public Works and Transport vs Vientiane Capital, Bank of Laos Vs Lao American College

07/03/2010: City vs Ezra, Army vs Ministry of Public Security

13/03/2010: Ministry of Public Security vs Vientiane Capital, Army vs Ezra

14/03/2010: City vs Lao American College, Ministry of Public Works and Transport vs Bank of Laos

20/03/2010: Army vs Vientiane Capital, Ezra vs Lao American College

21/03/2010: Ministry of Public Security vs Bank of Laos, City vs Ministry of Public Security

27/03/2010: Ezra vs Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Public Security vs City

28/03/2010: Army vs Lao American College, Vientiane Capital vs Bank of Laos

03/04/2010: Ezra vs Ministry of Public Security, Lao American College vs Ministry of Public Works and Transport

04/04/2010: Vientiane Capital vs City, Army vs Bank of Laos

10/04/2010: BANK OF LAOS vs City, Army vs Ministry of Public Works and Transport

11/04/2010: Lao American College vs Ministry of Public Security, Vientiane Capital vs Ezra

Kaz Phonesak Patafta, (born 25 October 1988 in Canberra) is an Australian football (soccer) attacking midfielder who currently plays for the Newcastle Jets. He attended Radford College in Canberra and received a football scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2004. He is of Croatian and Laotian descent.



Lao National TV covered the story of Kaz


Until that date, he had been ignored by Australia's A-League squads but soon, two European giants, PSV Eindhoven (whose interest was due to the recommendation of then Australian national team manager, Guus Hiddink) and SL Benfica, expressed interest in signing him [1]. The Portuguese side won the race for the Australian youngster but his move overseas was initially blocked by Football Federation Australia because he was under the age of 18. He eventually joined Benfica's B-Squad in January 2006. His first game for the Benfica first team was against CF Estrela da Amadora in a pre-season game on 15 August 2006.

Kaz Interview


Patafta joined Australian A-League champions Melbourne Victory on loan for the 2007/08 season. He played his first game for Melbourne Victory in a pre-season match against Sydney FC, to which they lost 1-0. He has mostly made appearances off the bench in the 2007/08 A-League season, amid suggestions he is not physical enough, or even big enough for the league. His first goal in the A-League, a left foot shot from a tight angle, came in the round 20 encounter against Wellington Phoenix.

Watch his interview in World sport


In May 2008, Patafta secured a release from the remainder of his contract with Benfica with the assistance of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. On 2 June 2008, Patafta signed a 1 year deal with the Newcastle Jets.[

International career
Patafta gained attention when he captained the Australian Under-17 football team, the "Joeys", during the 2005 World Championships in Peru.[4]

"In a team where most of the players show good skills with the ball, Kaz Patafta has ensured his spot and has no replacement as a midfielder. A good reader of the game and the centre of command, this boy naturally became the captain of the Aussies".

Patafta was included as part of Australia's "train-on" squad before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, along with fellow promising young Australian players Kristian Sarkies and Neil Kilkenny. Unlike these players, he was not given a senior cap in the team's three pre-World Cup friendly matches.

Click photos to view in large size.

The spirits of SEA Games 2009 in Vientiane, Laos

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.