VN favourites for regional cup

HCM CITY — The draw for the Asean Football Federation (AFFC) Suzuki Cup 2010 in Ha Noi on Wednesday appeared like any other, but it was a significant event for Vietnamese football.

For the first time in the competition's 14-year history, Viet Nam were seeded first.

Although Viet Nam are the reigning champions, the top seeding caps the country's remarkable progress since it rejoined regional football as a fully independent nation only 19 years ago.

The national football team at that time was an enigma to then-strong teams like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

On Viet Nam's debut at the region's largest sporting event, the 1991 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, Viet Nam were drawn in Group B with Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

They drew 2-2 with the Philippines but lost 2-1 to Malaysia and 1-0 to Indonesia and failed to qualify for the semi-final.

At the following Singapore SEA Games in 1993, Viet Nam showed progress, beating the Philippines for the first time but eventually went home after the group stages, losing 1-0 to Indonesia and 2-0 to Singapore.

Turning point

The turning point in Vietnamese football came in Thailand when they sprung a surprise at the 18th SEA Games in 1995, by winning a silver medal after losing to Thailand in the final.

After losing to the eventual winners in their opener, they beat Indonesia, a very strong team at that time. They went on to defeat Cambodia 4-0 before further progressing with a 2-0 win over Malaysia.

Winning streak

Their winning streak continued with a last gasp victory over Myanmar in the semi-final before eventually succumbing to Thailand in the final.

This year's tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Viet Nam and Indonesia in December with the two top teams from each group progressing into the semi-finals, which will be played in two-leg matches.

Viet Nam enter the championships as number one seeds. Winning the trophy for a second time would see Viet Nam pull along side Thailand and Singapore among the Southeast Asian elite.

Viet Nam are in the same group as Singapore, Myanmar and the runners-up of the final qualifying round between Laos, Cambodia, Timor Leste and the Philippines.

According to Viet Nam coach Henrique Calisto, the draw is favourable for the defending champions, and Vietnamese football fans may well be in for more noisy celebrating. — VNS

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VN escapes the ‘group of death'

The Vietnam national team has been drawn in Group B of the ASEAN
Football Championship, to be co-hosted by Vietnam and Indonesia on
December 1-29.

In an official draw in Hanoiyesterday ,
Vietnam will compete in a group with Myanmar , Singapore and the
qualifying runners-up.

Regional rivals Thailand, the 2008
AFF Cup runners-up, will face co-hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and the top
qualifying team in Group A, which has been nicknamed the ‘Group of
Death'.

Vietnam , Thailand , Singapore , Indonesia ,
Malaysia and Myanmar will have byes in the preliminary round, while
Laos , Cambodia , the Philippines and East Timor will compete in a
round robin for the remaining two berths.

" Vietnam have a
slight advantage, because Group A is a tougher draw, as it includes
Thailand , Indonesia and Malaysia . However, it's won't be easy for
Vietnam as group hosts and defending champions," Vietnam team
coach Henrique Calisto said.

"Two years ago, Vietnam
surprised everyone to win the Cup, but this year, our rivals won't take
us for granted. It means that we'll face many difficulties in the
tournament. We'll have to try our best to do everything we can to defend
the trophy. I don't think it'll be easy."

The Portuguese
added that Vietnam needed to respect every opponent in the group, as
he had witnessed the rapid progress of Myanmar . Vietnam have
tussled with Singapore in recent tournaments.

"It's
not that easy. Playing Singapore and Myanmar is as difficult as
taking on Thailand , Malaysia and Indonesia . We're the defending
champions and we'll have to do everything we can to retain the cup," the
Vietnam Football Federation's general secretary Tran Quoc Tuan said
after the draw.

As scheduled, Vietnam will play Myanmar
in the Group B opener on December 2, while Indonesia take on
Malaysia on December 1.

In January, officials from the
AFF toured facilities, including the 40,000-seat My Dinh National
Stadium in Hanoi to evaluate the preparations for this year's AFF
Cup.

The country has been in a rush to prepare for the
event in order to meet the strict criteria set by the AFF Council for
stadia, accommodation and transport.

Two years ago,
Vietnam won the AFF-Suzuki Cup, which was co-hosted by Thailand and
Singapore , after a 3-2 win in a two-leg final with Thailand .

The AFF Cup has become a symbol of football prowess in Southeast Asia since the inaugural event in 1996.

Since 2002 the tournament has been held in two countries, with the top
two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals and final, which
is played in a home-and-away format.

At the first
tournament in Singapore in 1996, Vietnam came third before
finishing as runners-up in 1998 as the host nation.

Thailand has won the title three times, while Singapore has been twice victors./.

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