THE LONG AND PROUD HISTORY OF ASEAN FOOTBALL CONTINUES WITH ASEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The advent of the Asean Football Championship in the mid 90s has allowed national teams in the Asean region the chance to showcase their football might.

And football has a long and proud history in Asean with the South East Asian Games being regarded previously as the benchmark which most teams measured their football prowess.

But following the decision to restrict the South East Asian Games to just players under the age of 23-years-old, there is a real desire for teams to continue to show their football excellence at the full senior level.

The inception of the Asean Football Championship in 1996 - previously known as the Tiger Cup - was just what the game in the region needed.

And judging by the interest shown over the years, the biennial tournament is fast becoming a major attraction in the Asean region able to attract more than 500 million viewers over the course of the championship.

The inaugural Tiger Cup 1996 in Singapore proved to be an unforgettable two-week extravaganza of football.

Ultimately it was overwhelming favourites Thailand who prevailed, defeating Malaysia 1-0 in a hard-fought final - setting the tournament on a solid foundation for years to come.

The passion was even more apparent two years later when the Tiger Cup 1998 was played in Vietnam.

Riding on a wave of national euphoria, the hosts swept past all before them trouncing champions Thailand 3-0 to reach the final.

However, the title was to elude the hosts as they went down 1-0 to unfancied Singapore.

Thailand reasserted their dominance when they hosted the Tiger Cup for the first time in 2000 with star striker Kiatisuk Senamuang in inspired form.

The Thais powered their way to their second title in three editions with a commanding display to win all of their matches.

In the final at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium, a hat-trick by Worrawoot Srimaka fired the Thais to a decisive 4-1 win over Indonesia.

The Tiger Cup 2002 would prove to be closer than in previous years with the Thais just scraping into the semi-finals after losing 3-1 to Malaysia and drawing 1-1 with Singapore in the group stage.

But with the wealth of experience available, Thailand held their nerves in the penalty shootout to win 4-2 over Indonesia after both teams were held to a 2-2 deadlock at the end of extra time.

In 2004, Thailand suffered a rude shock when they failed to make past the group stage of the competition for the first time in their history – drawing against Myanmar and then losing to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

The semi-finals clash at the fabled Stadium Gelora Bung Karno in Senayan gave perhaps the best ever attendance in the history of the Asean Football Championship when more than 100,000 screaming fans turned up to watch Malaysia beat Indonesia in the first-leg semi-finals.

But as is always the case, Malaysia was again the bridesmaid of the when they faltered in the return leg to crash 1-4 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

And the final turns out to be a classic with Singapore playing the patient game to beat Indonesia twice - in Senayan and at the National Stadium for their second crown.

The 2006 edition of the Asean Football Championship displayed a more mature representation from competing countries – a direct result from the decision to have a qualifying campaign for the tournament proper.

But disparity still exists between countries which have them and those which do not.

In all however, the 2006 edition showed an increase in the number of overall spectatorship with both legs of the final match between Thailand and Singapore being well attended.
Vietnam and Malaysia still lags a little behind while Singapore and Thailand proved that they are still the kingpins of football in the region.

And while the title of the 2006 Asean Football Championship travels to the island republic for the third time in ten years, the tournament has surely gained ground as the premier football event in Asean.