With the level of preparations and training the participating teams have been through in the months leading up to the AFF Under-15 Boys Championship, the battle for honours here will be extremely close when the tournament kicks-off tomorrow.
Many of the participating teams have had overseas stints and training camps, some lasting a few months. For the coaches, this tournament is especially crucial as it will be an opportunity to test their players and gauge them ahead of the Asian qualifiers in September.
This tournament will be participated by all 12 teams in the region. Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste, and Vietnam are in Group A while hosts Thailand are in Group B along with Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia.
The opening match tomorrow will feature Vietnam battling Indonesia. The other two matches tomorrow will see Timor Leste facing the Philippines while Myanmar takes on Singapore in the third game. Hosts Thailand will open their campaign on Sunday against Laos.
Thailand’s head coach, Salvador Valero Garcia, who took over this team 15 months ago, said the team was in Spain for two weeks. “I came here for the first time two years ago, we played exactly here in Chonburi. I took over this 2004 generation one year and three months ago. In April, we went to Spain for two weeks and did some training, we also played some academies from La Liga clubs. And for the last two weeks, we were in Chiangmai.
He added that playing at home had its challenges as fans would turn out to support the team. “We know that there will be pressure in the team but we expect to give good performance and to keep improving. We are trying to prepare for the qualifiers in Sept which is the big target for us.”
Australian Trevor Morgan said this. “Our preparations for this tournament is most recent, we just had a short camp in Sydney before we departed. But prior to that, we had a lot of small group work around the country. None of the boys have had any international experience for their country. Many have played for their clubs overseas. In two days it will be the first time they will be using the national jersey, so will be a moment of pride for them. We are looking forward to this tournament, and like everyone else here, to prepare for the Asian qualifiers.
Selvarajah Vengadalam, the Laos head coach, had one month to prepare his team. “Our preparations were at home and we played some local matches. The players are here for the exposure. It’s a good opportunity for the players so see where they stand.”
Japanese Iinoue Kazunori, Cambodia’s head coach, took his team abroad as part of their build-up for this tournament where he says his team will give its best. “We selected players from the national academy. Our preparations started in April and just two weeks ago we had a match against China.”
For Brunei coach Mohammad Ikhmarol, he wants to make use of this tournament expose his players who will come away with much experience from playing top-quality matches. “It’s the first competition for the boys. In March, we had a training camp in Indonesia. This will be good exposure for our players.”
Malaysian coach P. Maniam, whose team recently won a tournament in China, explained that he had 50 players of which 23 were brought in for this tournament. “It will be good exposure for these players and it’s all about playing in the Asian qualifiers.”
Meanwhile, among the Group A coaches, Myanmar’s Torsten Spittler has not had much of an opportunity to work on his team. “I just arrived one week ago, and so my preparations have been for seven or eight days. I can’t really tell very much.” But judging from previous competitions, Myanmar always has strong players who are able to take on their rivals.
Singapore coach Philippe Aw explained that he would not have the full team as some of his players were unable to make the trip due to their studies. “For this trip some of our players not here, nevertheless, it’s a good opportunity for the rest of the players who are here. It is their first time representing Singapore in an international competition. So it will be interesting to see how they cope with other countries.”
Indonesia’s Bima Sakti is hoping for a good outing at this tournament. Last year, when the tournament was an Under-16 competition, Indonesia emerged the winners. As the reigning champions, although a different age-group, Indonesia will be aiming for a good result again. “Our preparations began three months ago. Many of our players played in the Under-14 and under-16 leagues. I hope we will do well here.”
Timor Leste coach, South Korean Kim Shin Hwan, said: “Before we came here, we had training in Korea for three weeks. I hope the boys will be serious … we must give our best here.”
Roxy Dorlas, the Philippines coach, faced some challenges in getting his team ready for this tournament. “Philippines football is developing, slowly, but I think the direction is there. I started trials three months before this competition, and two months before, we started our camp. It’s been a short preparation, but these are our challenges.”
The Vietnam coach, Ho Viet Ha explained that his team did not have a long training camp but had a good stint in Japan. “We have prepared for one month and we also had training in Japan and now we are ready.”
TOMORROW’S MATCHES
1500hrs: Vietnam vs Indonesia (IPE 1)
1530hrs: Timor Leste vs Philippines (IPE 2)
1800hrs: Myanmar vs Singapore (IPE 1)
