Calisto believes in Vietnamese victory at AFF Cup 2010

Published: 14/07/2009 05:00

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Henrique Calisto, the Portuguese coach of the Vietnamese national squad, said that Vietnam will have an opportunity to win the AFF Cup 2010 after the ASEAN Football Federation confirmed Vietnam and Indonesia as the co-hosts of the AFF 2010 qualifier round on July 14.

AFF Cup (Tiger Cup in the past) is the Southeast Asian football championship, held every two years. The tournament has been organised seven times.

No host country has ever won the AFF Cup. However, Calisto is scornful of this precedent.

“Playing at home is a big advantage for Vietnam. The audience’s encouragement is a great motivation for the team to protect its championship,” the coach said.

“Vietnam will participate in the tournament as the current champion so rivals will pay more attention to Vietnam. That is the difficulty compared to AFF Cup 2008,” he added.

Vietnam’s top striker Cong Vinh echoed the sentiments: “The support from fans will be a big advantage for Vietnam but rivals will play very carefully because we are the champion. The AFF Cup 2008 helped Vietnam be more confident and the goal at AFF Cup 2010 is certainly protecting the championship”.

AFF Cup 2010 will take place in December but Calisto’s contract with the Vietnam Football Federation will end on March 31, 2010. A new contract for Calisto is a concern of fans.

The coach said that since AFF Cup 2008, the Vietnam Football Federation hasn’t mentioned an extension of his contract. He didn’t comment about the federation’s move, saying that he is only interested in the current contract and is ready for the future with a national squad.

The AFF on April 20 selected Vietnam and Indonesia to co-host the 2010 AFF Cup. The tournament will be held in late 2010 with 8 participating teams, divided in two groups.

Six teams, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar, will directly enter the qualifier round. Meanwhile, Brunei, Laos, East Timor, Cambodia and the Philippines will play for the remaining two spots.

Vietnam and Indonesia will host one group each. Malaysia is the “standby” in case Vietnam or Indonesia cannot host the event.

The competition for Brunei, Laos, East Timor, Cambodia and the Philippines will be held in Laos from October 16-24, 2010.

Group A will play on 1, 4, 7 and B on 2, 5, and 8 October 2010. The first final match is scheduled on 26 and the second on 29 December 2010.

AFF Cup (Tiger Cup) was organised for the first time in 1996. Singapore and Thailand hold the highest numbers of championships, with three each. Vietnam won its first championship last year.

VietNamNetVNE

Provide by Vietnam Travel

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