Brunei Darussalam national Under-23 team will begin their much-anticipated campaign in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship against Cambodia at the Rayong Provincial Stadium in Thailand today.
Brunei Darussalam Under-23 Head Coach Atsushi Hanita attended a press conference alongside the respective coaches from Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.
The newly-appointed head coach, who will be guiding the team in a competitive tournament for the first time, vowed, “I hope our players can show a good fight against Cambodia.”
The Young Wasps played a warm-up game against Laos in preparation for the tournament which ended in a 2-0 defeat following first-half goals from Damoth Thongkhamsavath and Thippachan Khambaion.
The team also attended a training camp in Saudi Arabia last June to enhance their preparations under the guidance of Atsushi.
Brunei have also been scheduled to play against hosts Thailand on Saturday before concluding their group stage against Myanmar on August 21.
The group stage winners and one best runners-up team will advance to the knock-out phase with both ties scheduled to be played on August 24.
Vietnam are the defending champions after beating Thailand 1-0 with Tran Bao Toan scoring the only goal of the game.
Meanwhile, Brunei Darussalam elite referee Abdul Hakim bin Mohd Haidi will be officiating matches in the AFF Under-23 Championship.
The FIFA-certified referee, who boasts experience as match referee in both club competition and international football, was involved in the last edition of the AFF Under-23 meet during Laos’ 2-1 win over Malaysia in a Group ‘B’ game in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last year. – Fadhil Yunus
PHOTO: FABD
