Vietnam, Indonesia to co-host 2010 regional football cup

Vietnam, Indonesia to co-host 2010 regional football cup
The Asean Football Federation (AFF) on April 20 selected Vietnam and Indonesia to co-host the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, while Malaysia was named the stand-by venue for the regional championships.

Vietnam won the Southeast Asia AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time in Dec. 2008 (Photo: SGGP)
Eight teams, including defending champions Vietnam, will compete in the tournament during December 2010.
As in recent years, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore will not play the qualifying round. The other two teams will be the qualifier survivors. The qualifying round is scheduled to take place in Laos and three teams from Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines will take part.
In a related development, during a recent meeting, Australia submitted to the AFF an application form to become a member. The regional football governing body has not approved it yet.
Also on April 20, the Football Association of Malaysia appointed national Under 23 coach K. Rajagobal as national football coach as the country desperately tries to revive its flagging fortunes on the field, Malaysia’s New Straits Times paper reported
Malaysia sacked B. Sathianathan as coach in February, less than two weeks after the team lost to the United Arab Emirates in 2011 Asian Cup qualifying. Malaysia were also soundly beaten by the UAE on January 21, going down 5-0, and in December they crashed out of the Southeast Asia AFF Suzuki Cup in the group stages.

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Blatter asked to intervene 'urgently' in AFC row

Blatter asked to intervene 'urgently' in AFC row

9 hours ago

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Five Asian football associations have called on FIFA president Sepp Blatter to "urgently" intervene and supervise what they claim will be an undemocratic AFC Congress next month.

A letter outlining their concerns, including allegations of "threats expressed against some of us," has been signed by senior officials from the FAs of Kuwait, Laos, East Timor, Afghanistan and Mongolia and sent to Blatter.

All five associations have been banned from voting in the Congress which will see AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam challenged by Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for a seat on FIFA's executive committee.

Both men claim to have the numbers to win the increasingly bitter battle but with a two-thirds majority required, the five votes could be crucial.

"We are writing to you because we need, urgently and crucially, your support and guidance," said the letter, obtained by AFP.

"In recent days we have received letters from AFC's acting secretary general that are totally against the FIFA and AFC Statutes.

"On the basis of such information and of the threats expressed against some of us, we have reason to believe that there is a serious risk that the AFC Congress will not be held in a democratic way..."

It called for FIFA to "monitor and supervise the process of the Congress and election operations".

"As FIFA members, we therefore respectfully request FIFA take steps to ensure that the AFC Congress is conducted... with complete fairness and integrity."

Four of the associations -- Laos, East Timor, Afghanistan and Mongolia -- have been told they cannot vote because they have not participated in at least three AFC competitions in the past two years.

As for Kuwait, they have been informed by the AFC that it does not recognise the temporary committee that is currently running its football affairs.

The letter to Blatter comes as the heat intensifies ahead of the Congress, with the Olympic Council of Asia this week denying it was involved in "vote-buying" to influence the outcome of the elections.

The previous week, South Korea's football association filed a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee against Bin Hammam, accusing him of "groundless, bitter accusations."