It’s not only about Thailand – Rodrigo

Powerhouse Thailand have won the AFF Futsal crown twelve times out of the 13 editions which had been held thus far.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference this morning, Rodrigo said that the tournament this week will be more than just whether Thailand can continue with their domination.

“I believe that it is not right to speak only about Thailand as several teams have improved over the last few years and they will continue to be competitive,” said Rodrigo.

“As the hosts, of course we would like to win. Our main target is to make the cut for the AFC, then it is a place in the final and then to win the tournament in front of our own people which will be good.

“Several teams have improved tremendously where at the last edition, Timor Leste and Myanmar made the semi-finals. Myanmar even made the final. Vietnam were the top four at the AFC and not to mention too Malaysia and Indonesia. So it will be a hard tournament for sure.”

That sentiment was echoed by Thai head coach Jose Mendez, who said that since his arrival to Thailand in 2008, he has seen the tremendous progress of the indoor game.

“We know all opponents well having played against them not only at the last AFF meet but also at the SEA Games,” added Mendez.

“It is a difficult tournament, what more when it is a qualifiers. Several countries have improved a lot over the years and they will be fired up.

“For us, we have had to rest Suphawut (Thueanklang) as he has not had a rest for the past two years. But I believe in the young players that they can be competitive.”

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

“We had two months of preparation. But it was just training without the opportunity to play against any opponents. Naturally, we want to do well and win a place in AFC.” – Arianto Prametu, Indonesian team manager

“We are in a tough group against the defending champions. Our preparations have been quite consistent since after the SEA Games. There will be no easy matches for sure.” – Chiew Chun Yong, Malaysian head coach

“We know the quality of the oppositions. And while we may be in a tough group, we are still determined to repeat the performance at the last edition. I just the players to be competitive.” – Kyi Min Thein, Myanmar head coach

“Our target is to make the semi-finals. We know that we will be up against the best teams in South East Asia but we are determined after having done quite well the last time round.” – Bruno Torres, Timor Leste head coach

“We have a relatively young team aged between 17-22. The PFF are looking at developing Futsal and where this team will be the start. We lacked maturity but they are all eager to play.” – Christian Dominquez, Philippines head coach

“We have spent much of the time training without having any friendly games. So for this tournament we have to play smart and be competitive for a place in AFC.” – Mohd Yunos Mohd Yusof, Brunei DS head coach

“It is my first time taking this team. We could not have asked for a harder group than this and also having to play champions Thailand in our first match.” Sysaveuy Syvanasy, Laos head coach