Bunyodkor unveil 11 new players

Tashkent: Uzbekistan champions Bunyodkor have unveiled 11 new players for the new season, three days before starting their AFC Champions League campaign away against UAE’s Al Wahda.

Coach Mirdjalal Kasimov expressed hope that the players will make every effort to achieve higher goals this season.

“A group of players left the team last season but their places have been taken by worthy replacements. I believe the team will now make every effort to achieve higher goals this season,” he said.

Milos Trifunovic, Slavoljub Djordjevic, Sasa Dordevic (all Serbia), Karim Izrailov (Kyrgyzstan), Javlon Ibragimov, Akmal Shorakhmedov, Islom Inomov, Ivan Nagaev, Kamoliddin Murzoev, Umidbek Tajimov and Askar Jadigerov (all Uzbekistan) have joined the ACL Group C hopefuls.

Kasimov’s charges had a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, from February 4-22 and travelled to Dubai on Friday for the final stage of preparations before meeting Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi.

“We played five friendly games in Turkey which helped in coordination and team building. Our players are now willing to fight for the honour of the club and justify the confidence of the fans.”

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Suzuki hopes for more clubs in ACL 2012

Tokuaki Suzuki

Kuala Lumpur: AFC Competitions Director Tokuaki Suzuki is hoping to see more countries qualify for the AFC Champions League 2012 through the Special Mission Team projects for this year, which kicked off in China on February 25, 2011.

Last year, Suzuki’s team visited 11 countries to inspect their FAs, leagues, clubs and stadiums to verify whether they met the AFC Champions League criteria, however, only Japan met the stipulated conditions.

Suzuki told the-afc.com: “This year, we will inspect again the other 10 countries and Singapore to see if they can meet the criteria by improving the situations mainly around their leagues, clubs and stadiums."

"After all the inspections in 2010, we produced a very good assessment report. I believe that it may be the first report on professional football in AFC history. It shall provide a better understanding of the current situations around the clubs and leagues in the ACL participating countries."

Suzuki has promised this year’s SMT visit to be different from the previous one and emphasised on its importance.

He said: "The main difference of the inspections between 2010 and 2011 is that we will conduct a workshop in each country to help clubs and leagues understand each element for building a professional football platform.

“We may touch on items such as competition, marketing, media, legal and finance if necessary. I am sure that the workshop will give a clear idea to the clubs and help them meet the criteria in the end."

"The inspections this year will be critical for us to decide the participating number of clubs in 2012. We will strictly apply our criteria for an entry to the AFC Champions League 2012 and I look forward to seeing improvements in those countries."

Suzuki has expressed satisfaction for the results of the efforts made by the member associations involved in the professional football project.

"After an inception of the professional project, we reckon that the infrastructure and systems of those countries have made a significant improvement. For example, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have put a lot of efforts to meet the AFC Champions League criteria and it does help the leagues and clubs become more professional and healthier organisations. It would take more time, but I am sure that the clubs and leagues will be rewarded for their hard work in the near future."

"Our goal is very clear. Through this project, we will produce more professional leagues and clubs in Asia, which can compete in the world’s football stage in the end. If we succeed in this project, it won't take that long to see World Champions from Asia."


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Bonanza for AFF Cup heroes

FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah with players and officials of the national team at Wisma FAM yesterday. — Picture by Osman Adnan

THE AFF Suzuki Cup-winning team received a whopping RM1.24 million reward from the FA of Malaysia (FAM) yesterday. The 22-member squad, together with national coach K. Rajagobal, received RM50,000 each while nine support staff will each get RM10,000 from FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah.

The national players, however, upon receiving their rewards, were reminded by Sultan Ahmad to use their AFF Suzuki Cup success as a stepping stone for greater achievements.

"I am the happiest man as far as football is concerned. We are the best team in this region but we need to build upon it to attain greater heights," Sultan Ahmad told reporters at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
"We are now in a new era of local football. But all of us need to work hand-in-hand in order to succeed. The team must commit and dedicate themselves, like they did in the AFF Cup, from now.

"And to achieve that, our players must also play regular friendly matches to maintain their momentum for priority competitions."

According to Sultan Ahmad, the federal government has promised to financially assist the national team in their preparation for major tournaments.

"We are thinking of sending the team abroad for at least once a month for friendlies in Europe, East Asia and the Middle East. Our team will definitely improve playing against tougher opponents like Japan and South Korea.

"However, our players need to commit themselves to the game and be careful about how they conduct themselves as they carry the nation's hopes in competitions," said Sultan Ahmad.

He also wants the Young Tigers 'A' team, under coach Ong Kim Swee, to make an impact on the 2012 Olympic Asian Zone Qualifiers.

"I want the team to go for it. It is not an impossible dream to qualify for the Olympics as we have done it before," said the former Asian Football Confederation president.

The Olympic squad open their campaign against Pakistan in the two-leg Qualifiers. The first leg is on Feb 23 at the Shah Alam Stadium and the return leg in Lahore on March 9.

On whether Rajagobal or Kim Swee will coach the Under-23 team bound for the Indonesia Sea Games, Sultan Ahmad said it will be decided next week.

"The preparation for the Sea Games is continuous as those eligible are with either the national team or the Olympic squad."

Read more: Bonanza for AFF Cup heroes http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/39ajitreward/Article#ixzz1DwqH4w1A

Elite women's refs praised

On the seated row, Touati (2R), Denoncourt (3R) and Hunt (2L) with their course partiicipants.

Kuala Lumpur: The instructors at the AFC Elite Women’s Referees' Course going on here from February 9 to 13, 2011, are impressed with the level of confidence, courage and leadership their course participants have displayed during the course.

They said these characteristics are very important and a must in order for one to become a good and effective referee especially in times of particularly challenging matches.

The course is attended by 20 top Asian women’s referees and is held as one of the programmes in the second part of the AFC Elite Education Seminar 2011 carried out from February 9 to 23, the largest football educational fair in the continent.

Instructor from Canada Sonia Denoncourt praised her participants: “The referees have displayed strong courage and leadership traits by coming clean before their fellow course participants with the mistakes they have committed in the past. Admitting our mistakes is the first humble step towards learning and growing.”

Sandra Hunt, an instructor from the USA, said: “It’s OK to make mistakes as long as the participants learn from the mistakes and never repeat them. It’s oftentimes through mistakes that we have the chance to make self analysis.

“Sometimes, the best teacher is the tough match where you made mistakes,” she said.

Kader Touati, fitness instructor from Tahiti, also commended the participants for their selfless and open accounts of their experiences, saying: “The participants’ accounts of their mistakes will be great learning opportunities for their colleagues.”

One of the modules in the course involves the participants sharing their good and bad experiences during the matches they officiated in 2010.

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Sriwijaya 2-2 Muang Thong United. aet (7-6 pens)

Palembang: Sriwijaya defeated Muang Thong United 7-6 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time in a thrilling AFC Champions League East Zone playoff at Jakabaring Stadium on Saturday.

The two sides shared one goal each in normal time and both scored another in extra time to ensure the encounter had to be settled by spot kicks.

There it was hosts Sriwijaya who came out on top, winning the shootout with Supardi converting the decisive effort after Weerawut Khayem’s penalty was saved by Ferry Rotinsulu.

Muang Thong were quick out of the blocks and forced Sriwijaya to defend in the first 20 minutes, with Pichitphong Choeichiu and Datsakorn Thonglao both having chances.

But Sriwijaya finally came to life when captain Keith Gumbs, who was surprisingly benched by coach Ivan Kolev, replaced Rudi Widodo in 36th minute.

Gumbs made an immediate impression and was distributing the ball all over the area and with the 38-year-old playing upfront, Ponaryo Astaman received more freedom to roam.

It was Ponaryo who sent a glorious long pass to free Arif Suyono just before the break and the Indonesia international delivered a perfect cross to Rendy Siregar, who connected with a volley that was superbly saved superbly by Muang Thong keeper Kawin Thamsatchanan.

But the hosts were not to be denied drawing first blood in the 49th minute when Gumbs’ free-kick took a deflection off a defender and went beyond Kawin’s reach.

Gumbs almost had a second in the 75th minute when he was sent through on goal but Kawin produced another fine save to keep his side in the game.

It was to prove a crucial intervention as the Thais equalised with nine minutes remaining when Datsakorn hit a wonderful curling free-kick into the back of the net.

Things took a turn for the worse minutes later though when Muang Thong were reduced to 10 men after Panupong Wongsa was shown his second yellow card for a foul on Gumbs, but the score-line remained the same after 90 minutes and the match went to extra time.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Muang Thong went ahead in the 93rd minute after Teerasil Dangda sent a delightful lob over Rotinsulu.

It seemed like lady luck was not with Sriwijaya after series of wasted chances, but the Indonesian side finally pulled level after Thierry Gautessi connected to Budi Sudarsono’s 113th minute cross with a powerful header.

Sriwijaya had the chance to clinch the match after Ponaryo jinked past the keeper in the 124th minute but Gumbs failed to apply the finish and the match went to penalties.

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Lookout Indonesia! Here comes Safee

Safee Sali poses with the Pelita Jaya club jersey at the FAS head office in Kelana Jaya yesterday. — Picture by Osman Adnan

SAFEE Sali has agreed to a one year contract with Indonesian Super League (ISL) side Pelita Jaya FC for an undisclosed sum. The striker hopes the stint will be a stepping stone for him to get recognised as a respectable footballer.

The 27-year-old, who plays his last Super League match for Selangor on Saturday, will pen his signature with his new club, based in Kerawang in Jawa, on Feb 14.

"I have been dreaming of this since 2007, the year, I earned my first national cap. I thank Selangor for giving me this chance to play abroad. I won't waste this opportunity," Safee told reporters at the FA of Selangor (FAS) head office in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
"It will be a challenging experience as the league in Indonesia is competitive. I hope to help my new club achieve greatness and at the same time, help raise my profile as a player. My dream is to play in better leagues after my stint in Indonesia."

According to the yet-be-signed deal, Safee will re-join Selangor after his contract with Pelita Jaya expires on Jan 31, 2012.

If Pelita, in any case, want to extend his contract, they will need to renegotiate with the FA of Selangor (FAS). It is learnt that Safee has been offered an attractive deal, believed to be in the region of US$10,000 (RM30,360)-a-month, which is much higher than what he's getting with Selangor.

Safee, who wears No 10 for Selangor and the national team, will also wear the same number for his new club.

"I first wore No 10 when I was with the Sarawak team. The team manager felt I should wear No 10 as I reminded him of Mokhtar Dahari.

"Ever since then I've been wearing No 10 and, somehow, it has made me a better player. I hope it will also bring me luck in Indonesia," added Safee, who made his debut in the M-League with Kuala Lumpur.

The striker is aware that he will be a marked man, from both the fans and rival teams, after his exploits in the AFC Cup where he helped the national team lift the trophy for the first time.

"I will need to keep a low profile in Indonesia as the fans and media are passionate about their football. But I am confident I will be well taken care of by my club," said Safee, who has won everything except the Malaysia Cup in the M-League.

He also stressed that his commitment to the national team will continue. "I have discussed this with national coach K. Rajagobal and he has also given his blessing. We do not have many international assignments except for the World Cup Qualifiers. I will definitely be available," he said.

On his expectations in Indonesia, Safee hopes to help Pelita Jaya make impact in ISL's second round which starts early next month.

"Pelita wanted me because they do not have a goal-poacher in their squad. I hope to contribute significantly to help them achieve something in the second round," he said.

Safee's deal with Pelita was negotiated by FAS and according to its secretary general Datuk Hamidin Amin, three other Selangor players had also received offers from Indonesian clubs.

"We rejected other offers as we had already released Safee. However, I informed these clubs to make another offer after the M-League season ends in October," said Hamidin, adding that the other offers were also for players, who donned national colours in the AFC Cup.

Read more: Football: Lookout Indonesia! Here comes Safee http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/l_2ke1/Article#ixzz1DNlo4HVv

All set for ACL play-offs

Kuala Lumpur: Less than a fortnight after the conclusion of a highly entertaining AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™, Asian club football moves into gear with the AFC Champions League play-offs kicking off on Saturday, 12 February.
Six teams are vying for two spots in the 2011 edition of the AFC Champions League, Asia’s richest club tournament.

From the West are three sides: AFC Cup 2010 champions Al Ittihad of Syria, Dempo SC of India, and Qatari heavyweights Al Sadd.

On the Eastern front the UAE’s Al Ain, who won the inaugural title in 2002-03, Thailand’s rising power Muang Thong United, and Indonesian club Sriwijaya.

The first leg of action will see Al Sadd clash with Al Ittihad at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium while Sriwijaya will host Muang Thong at their Jaka Baring Stadium stronghold.

In the decisive second leg on 19 February, the winners of the Al Sadd-Al Itthad match will play Dempo with the victors joining Al Nasr (Saudi Arabia), Esteghlal (Iran), and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in Group B of the AFC Champions League.

On the other side of the continent, Al Ain will play the winners of the Sriwijaya-Muang Thong encounter on 19 February with the side which comes out on top progressing to Group F where FC Seoul (Korea Republic), Hangzhou Greentown (China) and Nagoya Grampus (Japan) are waiting.

The losers will play in the second-tier AFC Cup.

The group phase of the continental showcase kicks off on 1 and 2 March and winds up on 10 and 11 May, setting the stage for the Round of 16.

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