BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (14 Aug 2011) – Even during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, there is no break for the Brunei national Under-19 squad as they upped the ante in preparation for the AFF Under-19 Championship which will be held in Yangon, Myanmar next month.
The AFF U19 Championship will be played out on 8-21 Sept 2011.
Chief coach Zainuddin Kassim admitted that the lack of time is an issue but something which they will be working hard to overcome.
“Of course we don’t have enough time to train,” said Zainuddin.
“We didn’t even have time to conduct trials in every district. The players here are mostly from Brunei-Muara and we only had three trials, two at the Balapan Track & Field, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas and one at Berakas Secondary School.
“Nevertheless, I think this is the country’s best group of U19 players. For me the goal in Myanmar is to expose these players and give them a chance to gain experience at this level,” he added.
Training has been intensive for the Brunei team since the start of Ramadhan where they have continued their training at night after the breaking of fast.
For the Yangon meet, Brunei are in Group B against hosts Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.
Group A are Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia.
