17 February
THE head coach of the Myanmar U-22 national football team has spoke of his confidence in the Myanmar team winning at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-22 Championship in Cambodia. A press conference for the tournament was held yesterday at the Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and authorities from team Myanmar and its competitors attended.
Group B includes hosts Cambodia, along with Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia.
During the conference, Myanmar head coach Velizar Popov said, “I had two weeks with the players in what is a very competitive group. But it will be a very good test for us.” “There are no excuses in football. When they are on the field, the players must perform,” he added.
Cambodian head coach Felix Dalmas noted, “We are looking at growth. We have some playersfrom the recent AFF Suzuki Cup and we look forward to playing against some great teams here.
We are looking to close the gap against the rest of the teams in the region.” Malaysian head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee added, “I would like to thank the AFF for this tournament. It is an important championship, as this allows us to prepare for AFC qualifiers. Every country here has improved, so it is important that we adapt.” Indonesian head coach Indra Sjafri noted, “We have brought with us the best possible players. And as was said earlier, all teams here have improved.
I believe that this is the best venue for us to prepare a squad for the AFC qualifiers, and also the SEA Games.” In the first match for Myanmar, its team will take on Indonesia tomorrow.— Lynn Thit(Tgi)
