BANGKOK (23 Nov 2012) – As the press corps from the various nations are hunting down stories and as teams go about their way to keep the lid on the fast-building pressure of the matches ahead, the Local Organising Committee are also hard at work putting the final touch ups.
The cauldron of the Rajamangala Stadium will once again play a big part for this year’s challenge in Group A of the AFF Suzuki Cup with Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Myanmar caught in the fight for the only two available places into the next round.
The pitch is in pristine condition as Myanmar became the first team to test things out at their official training yesterday to be followed by the Philippines and then Vietnam later this evening.
There were some issues with certain aspects of the stadium facilities for sure but nothing that can’t be sorted out by match day tomorrow. And following the ‘rebranding’ of the stadium to welcome ASEAN’s premier football event, the stage is set for three match days of footballing extravaganza.
With ticket sales moving briskly much to the delight of the FA of Thailand (FAT), this year might yet be the year of the Thais following the disappointments of the last couple of years.
The LOC has been working hard over the last few days to make that everything is according to regulations where considering that the FAT had just completed their hosting of the FIFA Futsal World Cup just days before, showed the high level of commitment of the national body.
And against such a background, there certainly can’t be issues in as far as the level of preparation for ASEAN’s biggest football event. All that is needed now is the high-intensity matches in front of a sold-out crowd to make this year’s tournament the biggest ever yet.
