http://www.tnp.sg/content/sea-games-be-u-21-tournament Plans under way to make 2017 SEA Games will be Under-21
Apparently the Aussies did not join or were not invited to the EAFF Cup, like they did the last time. Does that mean that they are playing in the 2014 Suzuki Cup instead, now that they have officially joined the AFF? http://www.eaff.com/eanews/release/2014/0115.html
http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3952...onesia-thailand-to-pass-on-asean-super-league ASL looked doomed before it even start With both PSSI & FAT not supporting the project, it is a big hit as they are the 2 biggest economy in ASEAN & no sponsors will be coming forward without a 300 million (1/2 of ASEAN 600 million) market. Also VFF have expressed in the past they will not support a ASL in a league format so there is many resistance that AFF have not overcome
what an amazing atmosphere in the battle of Malaysian Super League between Selangor vs Johor Darul Takzim. Around 75,000 people filled up the Shah Alam Stadium However, SEL lost to JDT 0-1 with a goal from Luciano Figueroa (Ex-Argentina National team player)
http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/?p=19240 For the first time ever, there will be full turnout for both the AFF Under-16 and also the U19 Championships this year with all 12 member associations taking part. This year’s AFF U16 and also the U19 Championships will be held in Indonesia with the former in Solo while the latter in Sidoarjo. The AFF U16 meet will see the 12 twelve teams being separated into two groups while for the U19, they will be placed in three groups. The draw for the meet in Solo will see hosts Indonesia being placed in Group B against Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar. Group A are Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Timor Leste, Brunei DS and Thailand. The groupings for the U19 will be done at a later date.
AFF Futsal Championship this year which will be held in Indonesia on 8-18 October. The AFF Futsal Championship 2015 gained further importance considering that it will also be used as the qualifying venue for the AFC Futsal Championship in 2016. Only the top three teams will make the cut for the AFC event to be held in China. With the inclusion of Singapore, this year’s meet will see the most number of teams taking part in the championship with 11. Only Cambodia have abstained from taking part. AFF FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 GROUP A: Thailand, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Brunei DS, Malaysia, Singapore GROUP B: Australia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/?p=19233
Australia will be sending their national Under-20 side for the AFF Women’s Championship this year although there are no indications yet which team Thailand will be dispatching for the meet. The AFF Women’s Championship will be played on 1-10 May 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Both Australia and Thailand will also be playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada this year, with their first game of the tournament scheduled for 8 June and 7 June respectively. For the AFF Women’s Championship, the Australian U20 side will take on Thailand, Indonesia and Laos in Group A. Group B are hosts Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Philippines. AFF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP A: Thailand, Australia U20, Indonesia, Laos GROUP B: Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/?p=19255
Well I am happy to see that Australia is fully committed to joining all AFF competitions as shown above. This year's competitions have the most number of participants as AFF members decided to participate in more events including newcomer Australia.
HRH Sultan Ahmad unanimously given second term as AFF president KUALA LUMPUR (26 Feb 2015) – AFF President, HRH Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, has received the overwhelming support of the AFF Member Associations and is set to lead the influential regional body for another term. Sultan Ahmad, who took over as the AFF President in 2011 after winning unopposed, received the unanimous backing of the 12 member associations at the AFF Council meeting that was held in the Malaysian capital yesterday. At the same meeting, the 12 members of the AFF also announced that they would support incumbents Honourable Francisco Kalbuadi Lay (Timor Leste) and Maj. Gen Khiev Sameth (Cambodia) to continue as two of the four AFF vice-president positions. The remaining two positions have been extended to HRH Prince Sufri Bolkiah (Brunei) and Datuk Sri’ Prof. Dr. Ir Djohar Arifin Hussin (Indonesia). Sultan Ahmad has contributed extensively to the growth of the AFF since taking over the reins of the regional Federation. This includes the construction of the AFF building in Putrajaya which recently had its ground-breaking ceremony. Last year’s AFF Suzuki Cup has also been hailed as among the most successful in the history of the tournament. The AFF elections are scheduled to be held on April 25 this year http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/?p=19249
The AFF countries are quite strong in women's football so should be a good competition, even if Thailand and Australia don't send their full strength senior teams. How competitive are some of the lower ranked women's side in the competition? Malaysia are ranked 88th in the world (lowest out of the teams listed).
It doesn't look like the Filipinos will be using their Fil-Americans this time so I don't think they will be as strong. It would be a good experience for the local players though.
There will be a conflict of schedule between the upcoming SEA games(slated May 29-June 11) and the AFC WC qualifiers in June 11 and 16. The AFF has requested the AFC to reschedule the World Cup Qualifiers for June to allow them to send their best age eligible players to the SEA games awhile ago, but with the lack of news since then, I presume that this will not be happening. The PFF has decided to prioritize the AFC WC qualifiers, so players chosen for the men's team but who are also part of the SEA games pool, will be sent to play Bahrain instead. I presume that many of the other ASEAN countries will do the same.
I am not sure but you can try this: http://live.bugaboo.tv/live-program/181303/aff_womens_championship_2015.html although they might only show the Thai team.
Try this link for Vietnamese tv stations http://thethaohd.net/xem-tivi-truc-tuyen/xem-kenh-htv-the-thao-hd-online-truc-tuyen-41
I find it hard to believe that nations like Thailand appear to prioritise SEA Games over WCQ, getting their opener with Vietnam moved. For me, it appears to be win,win,win at the easiest cost, rather than dig deep and try and make something in a bigger competition.
So, some great derbies for 2018/2019 qualification campaigns. Group F with Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam is a standout for regional rivalry for me. Group A, Malaysia and Timor-Leste, be interesting to see how Timor fair. Group E, Singapore and Cambodia, could we see Cambodia catch Singapore out? Group G, Myanmar and Laos, interesting. Myanmar banned from playing at home aswell, where will they play their games? Bangkok? And poor old Philippines, in a group without any SEA members. They do have some travelling and all games are against tough opposition.....I think they will struggle away from home, which is unfair really as if you replaced with a team from Group F then they could make the cut in my opinion.
Fortunately for both teams, they were both participating in the SEA games, so they were both motivated to move the game. Thailand especially has plenty of young players who can play for both the men's and U-23 SEA games teams.
Yeah it would be nice to be in Grp F if only to avoid the fatigue that would result from all the travelling. As for the tough opposition, well after getting over the shock reaction from the draw, I decided to look at the positives of this outcome. The best way for a developing football side to improve is to face strong opposition on a regular basis, and not just in friendlies but preferably in a tournament type setting. Considering the difficulty that the PFF seems to be having in arranging competitive friendlies, having a prearranged 8 game WC qualifying schedule against some tough opponents will help provide them that opportunity. Even if they don't make the 3rd round of the AFC WC qualifiers, there is still the Asian Cup group stages to aim for, so they should be set for the next few years. Besides I was getting tired of seeing the Philippines facing their SEA neighbors all the time anyways, including in friendlies. It is nice to see them facing sides they have never faced before in different locales and getting used to the different styles of play that this will entail.
May 29 is D-Day as Indonesian football faces suspension from FIFA http://www.espnfc.com/blog/football-asia/153/post/2443519/indonesia-faces-fifa-suspension-on-may-29 The countdown to May 29 is on. It's not only D-Day for Blatter and other FIFA presidential candidates and Indonesian football. But it also marks the start of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Organisers in Singapore are already preparing contingency plans for an early withdrawal from Indonesia. And then there is, of course, the start of second Asian qualification for the 2018 World Cup shortly after. Merah Putih travel to Taipei for the first of eight games on June 11.
https://sg.yahoo.com/sports/news/singapore-probes-match-fixing-sea-games-093206574--sow.html Singaporean authorities announced on Friday, at the exact same time that the FIFA Congress was taking place in Zurich, that they had arrested an alleged match-fixer as well as several co-conspirators following an investigation into upcoming football matches at the Southeast Asian Games. Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) did not identify any of the people who were arrested but said members of at least one visiting international team were helping officials in relation to the probe. "The authorities added that some members from the Timor-Leste SEA Games football team are also assisting them in investigations," the CPIB said in a statement.