Thursday, December 04, 2008
Unhappy Vietnamese fans and other stories
National squad head to Thailand for Cup
HA NOI — Viet Nam’s national football team left for Thailand yesterday in the hope of finishing a 12-year gold medal drought at the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF) Suzuki Cup.
The political crisis in Bangkok did not stop the game, which was relocated by the ASEAN Football Federation from the unstable capital to Phuket.
No direct flights are running from HCM City to Phuket, so the team left from Singapore on a six hour fight, arriving at Phuket at 8pm last night.
Head Coach, Henrique Calisto, said he felt confident about the team’s level of preparation and his players’ performance. The team would strive for a medal, he said, but he was careful not to promise anything.
"I expect to have a medal but I am not God and cannot know what colour it will be. It will be good if it is gold and much better if it is platinum," he said. "I also cannot speak about a victory for Viet Nam, but I am sure that we will not betray the love of home fans."
"In the past weeks, my team have proved that the are ready to get the best result."
Talking about the game against Thailand on Saturday, Calisto said, "Thailand for sure are a strong team. We may beat or draw with them, but I know that we will play a good game and it will be a difficult match for them."
"It is not good that we have to meet with the hosts in the opening match. If we win over Thailand, the door to the semi-final will be open for us. A win will boost the players’ spirits, which will help us much when we face Malaysia and Laos later."
Players are anxious to display their talents at the biennial event.
"The coaching board has asked us to pass the group round and to get a medal. We have trained very hard so I hope to get a good result," said captain Nguyen Minh Phuong.
Crafty striker, Le Cong Vinh, said, "I have not scored for the national team in recent matches but I am confident that the whole team will play together and provide me with chances to score."
His teammates, halfback Pham Thanh Luong and goalkeeper Duong Hong Son, also believe the team will be successful.
Remarkable progress
Local coaches are behind Calisto’s teams’ effort to get to the final match of the tournament, even though they have played 10 games without a win.
Coach Vuong Tien Dung of The Cong team said, "After six losses, Viet Nam had four draws. It is a good sign and shows the team’s remarkable progress."
Viet Nam’s attacking style is active and will change the tactics and pace of the match, the coach predicts.
Nguyen Van Vinh, technical director of V-League former champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai, shared this opinion.
"I saw the confidence of the players after their consecutive draws. They dared to control the ball and create assaults which were few and far between in the past."
"Moreover, they have a multitude of effective attacks which come from both wings and the centre," he said.
Disappointed fans
The decision of the AFF Cup to move group B to Phuket also has angered and reduced the number of Vietnamese fans who will have to pay double the price to see the team play.
Many tourist agents have been forced to cancel tours to Thailand after the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports. Football lovers who want to encourage the national teams have to book the same route with the team and pay around US$500 to $600 per person – double the cost of flying to Bangkok.
Saigontourist, which organises tours for fans are closed for tours for the time being. Vietravel has had to delay a tour for 40 people who have been registered for months.
However, some are still determined to fly.
Hai Phong City-based Hoan, a loyal fan of the national team who has been to every tournament, said he would ignore the challenges.
He may miss the first match, but he will still have two matches to see, including the showdown with Malaysia.
Lan, a Hanoian resident, is planing to organise a group of four to leave for Thailand.
Police go along
A police officer, Dao Manh Cuong, from the Ministry of Public Security will accompany the national football squad to the AFF Cup in Thailand.
Since the match-fixing scandal at the SEA Games 2005, the Viet Nam Football Federation has kept a close eye on the national squad. Every time the squad and the U23 squad go abroad, the federation insist on a police escort. For the last two SEA Games, one officer was asked to follow the U23 team.
HA NOI — Viet Nam’s national football team left for Thailand yesterday in the hope of finishing a 12-year gold medal drought at the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF) Suzuki Cup.
The political crisis in Bangkok did not stop the game, which was relocated by the ASEAN Football Federation from the unstable capital to Phuket.
No direct flights are running from HCM City to Phuket, so the team left from Singapore on a six hour fight, arriving at Phuket at 8pm last night.
Head Coach, Henrique Calisto, said he felt confident about the team’s level of preparation and his players’ performance. The team would strive for a medal, he said, but he was careful not to promise anything.
"I expect to have a medal but I am not God and cannot know what colour it will be. It will be good if it is gold and much better if it is platinum," he said. "I also cannot speak about a victory for Viet Nam, but I am sure that we will not betray the love of home fans."
"In the past weeks, my team have proved that the are ready to get the best result."
Talking about the game against Thailand on Saturday, Calisto said, "Thailand for sure are a strong team. We may beat or draw with them, but I know that we will play a good game and it will be a difficult match for them."
"It is not good that we have to meet with the hosts in the opening match. If we win over Thailand, the door to the semi-final will be open for us. A win will boost the players’ spirits, which will help us much when we face Malaysia and Laos later."
Players are anxious to display their talents at the biennial event.
"The coaching board has asked us to pass the group round and to get a medal. We have trained very hard so I hope to get a good result," said captain Nguyen Minh Phuong.
Crafty striker, Le Cong Vinh, said, "I have not scored for the national team in recent matches but I am confident that the whole team will play together and provide me with chances to score."
His teammates, halfback Pham Thanh Luong and goalkeeper Duong Hong Son, also believe the team will be successful.
Remarkable progress
Local coaches are behind Calisto’s teams’ effort to get to the final match of the tournament, even though they have played 10 games without a win.
Coach Vuong Tien Dung of The Cong team said, "After six losses, Viet Nam had four draws. It is a good sign and shows the team’s remarkable progress."
Viet Nam’s attacking style is active and will change the tactics and pace of the match, the coach predicts.
Nguyen Van Vinh, technical director of V-League former champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai, shared this opinion.
"I saw the confidence of the players after their consecutive draws. They dared to control the ball and create assaults which were few and far between in the past."
"Moreover, they have a multitude of effective attacks which come from both wings and the centre," he said.
Disappointed fans
The decision of the AFF Cup to move group B to Phuket also has angered and reduced the number of Vietnamese fans who will have to pay double the price to see the team play.
Many tourist agents have been forced to cancel tours to Thailand after the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports. Football lovers who want to encourage the national teams have to book the same route with the team and pay around US$500 to $600 per person – double the cost of flying to Bangkok.
Saigontourist, which organises tours for fans are closed for tours for the time being. Vietravel has had to delay a tour for 40 people who have been registered for months.
However, some are still determined to fly.
Hai Phong City-based Hoan, a loyal fan of the national team who has been to every tournament, said he would ignore the challenges.
He may miss the first match, but he will still have two matches to see, including the showdown with Malaysia.
Lan, a Hanoian resident, is planing to organise a group of four to leave for Thailand.
Police go along
A police officer, Dao Manh Cuong, from the Ministry of Public Security will accompany the national football squad to the AFF Cup in Thailand.
Since the match-fixing scandal at the SEA Games 2005, the Viet Nam Football Federation has kept a close eye on the national squad. Every time the squad and the U23 squad go abroad, the federation insist on a police escort. For the last two SEA Games, one officer was asked to follow the U23 team.
# posted by Me @ 4:56 AM 
