Courtesy: Vietnam Net News


Viet Nam aiming high at futsal champs

28/05/2009

HCM CITY — The national Vietnamese team is ready for the ASEAN Football Federation Futsal Championship 2009, following a successful 10-day training course in Thailand.

The team is quietly confident that it will reach the last four at the competition, which will take place from June 8-14 at HCM City’s Phu Tho Gymnasium.

In a training trip from May 12-22, the team played against five Thai futsal teams. Of the five matches played, the Vietnamese team tied 3-all with the Thai national and Bangkok teams.

"After the trip, players gained a lot of experience and their physical strength improved," head coach Piemkum Pattaya, a former coach of Thai’s national futsal team, said.

"The team’s defensive ability, ball control and confidence improved a lot after the training trip in Thailand," captain Ha Bao Minh said.

The Vietnamese futsal (indoor football) team has an easy draw, with the Philippines, East Timor and Brunei.

"Viet Nam do not have to face strong opponents like Thailand," Nguyen Huu Bang, deputy general secretary of Viet Nam Football Federation, said

Brunei and East Timor will likely not block Viet Nam.

The team beat Brunei at their two latest meetings, 5-4 in the last year’s futsal championship and 6-0 in the championship a year earlier.

East Timor is a new and inexperienced member of the tournament.

The Philippines, which beat Viet Nam at the 2005 tournament, is the major opponent standing in the way of the host’s at the top.

"The Philippines are a strong team in the group. They are physically strong and have a lot of experience in international competitions," Piemkum, who helped Thai Son Nam win two successive national futsal titles, said.

"However, Vietnamese futsal shows great improvement and if players are in-form, they will be able to beat the Philippines to top the group," said Piemkum.

"Players are in high spirits and determined to top the group and achieve the goal of reaching semis," Minh, who is playing for Thai Son Nam futsal club, said.

The ASEAN Federation Futsal Championship has attracted the participation of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippine, Brunei, East Timore and Viet Nam.

This is the first time an ASEAN federation futsal championship has been held in Viet Nam and the second time a futsal competition has taken place in Viet Nam.

The country previously organised the Asian Futsal Championship in 2005.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com