Kathmandu,November 2, 2016 : Nepal is targeting to win the title as said by Head Coach of the Nepal National Football Team Gyotoku Koji in the Pre Match Press Conference at Kuching, Malaysia on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media, Koji was optimistic about winning the title despite having only two international match since his appointment in March. “We played against Malaysia U22 and Laos in the last 8 months but we got a lot of time to prepare for the tournament. I am hopeful that we will win the title.â€, said Koji. This is the first international tournament for Koji and he said he is excited and a little under pressure at the same time.  Talking on the advantage of having only three teams in the group, Koji said “The players might find difficult having to play on the 5th, last of the participating teams. However, the Nepalese team will get to watch the match between Brunei and Timor Leste and we can analyze their performance.†Koji also pointed out the importance of the tournament for the nation following the earthquake which damaged the National Stadium. “The stadium is no longer being used, due to which we are unable to play international matches. Title win here will be a great boost for the team in coming daysâ€, Koji ended.
Brunei coach Kwon Oh Son was excited to be part of Brunei’s first ever AFC tournament. The South Korean coach said that the team will give their best despite having injuries to deal with. “We have prepared very well for this tournament having played the AFF Cup qualifiers in Cambodia. We also played some other matches and with the environment and conditions favoring us, I am hopeful of positive result with my teamâ€, said Son. Speaking about the match vs Timor just a couple of weeks ago, Son said that the young team showed energy and enthusiasm and this time will be similar. “Even though there is pressure of having only three teams in the group, we will be taking every match as finalâ€, he said.
Fabio Da Silva, head coach of Timor Leste pointed out the importance of the team’s performance rather than result. Silva, since his appointment was happy with the performance of the team even though the results have hardly gone his way. “The result does not matter for me but the performance. If the team is performing well, the result will be good surely. Sometimes it might not be good, but with time you can do betterâ€, he added. Silva also said that the young team of Leste have got a good platform to get the experience. Speaking about the match against Nepal four years ago, Silva said that there has been a lot of change since that time. “The past result does not matter for me. I was not there at that time, and with me I am hoping that we can change the result now.â€, Silva ended.
Timor Leste are facing Brunei in the opener of the tournament in Stadium Sewarak on 2nd November, 2016. Nepal will then play against Timor on 5th and Brunei on the 8th in Group A of the AFC Solidarity Cup.
Source: ANFA
