Sunday, July 13, 2014
TWO-time champions Thailand are aiming to make it to at least the semi-finals of the 5th Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy for ASEAN Youth Football Championship.
Champions in 2005 and 2007, the ASEAN football powerhouses were the only team who didn’t participate in the last edition two years ago.
This year they have been drawn in Group A together with Myanmar, Laos, Timor Leste and the Philippines.
Hosts and defending champions Brunei chose to be in Group B alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Previous runners-up Indonesia will not be participating in the tournament this year.
Chuchart Puentaing, the Thailand team coordinator, is hoping his charges can progress into the last-four and is happy to be drawn into Group A.
“I think that we are lucky. I’m happy that we are in the first group,” said Chuchart after the draw ceremony yesterday at the NFABD (National Football Association Brunei Darussalam) House in Berakas.
“We hope that Myanmar will be bringing the Under-19 team to compete. We will be playing against them in the same group at the Under-19 AFC tournament.
“I feel that Group B is tougher with Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore as well as the hosts Brunei,” he added.
“We have been working for over the past one month and we have our players from the Premier League ready as well.
“We know what we have to do. We cannot say anything in football especially on what happened to Brazil (in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals).
“But we are aiming to at least make it into the semi-finals. We are expecting a good tournament,” he concluded.
The Brunei Times
Champions in 2005 and 2007, the ASEAN football powerhouses were the only team who didn’t participate in the last edition two years ago.
This year they have been drawn in Group A together with Myanmar, Laos, Timor Leste and the Philippines.
Hosts and defending champions Brunei chose to be in Group B alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Previous runners-up Indonesia will not be participating in the tournament this year.
Chuchart Puentaing, the Thailand team coordinator, is hoping his charges can progress into the last-four and is happy to be drawn into Group A.
“I think that we are lucky. I’m happy that we are in the first group,” said Chuchart after the draw ceremony yesterday at the NFABD (National Football Association Brunei Darussalam) House in Berakas.
“We hope that Myanmar will be bringing the Under-19 team to compete. We will be playing against them in the same group at the Under-19 AFC tournament.
“I feel that Group B is tougher with Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore as well as the hosts Brunei,” he added.
“We have been working for over the past one month and we have our players from the Premier League ready as well.
“We know what we have to do. We cannot say anything in football especially on what happened to Brazil (in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals).
“But we are aiming to at least make it into the semi-finals. We are expecting a good tournament,” he concluded.
The Brunei Times
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