KEE-HEUNG EAGER TO TRANSFORM CAMBODIA

Trained in Brazil and Germany and a former coach with the South Korea’s 1994 World Cup squad, Kee-heung is part of a government initiative with the Korean government footing the bill for his salary.

“I am confident and I want this team to be number one,” said Kee-heung.

“This team lacks funding, it needs training equipment. They are too poor; lots of things need to be changed.”

For the moment though, Kee-heung has made arrangement for several players from the Cambodian national team to go to South Korea for training stint with professional clubs.

Cambodia’s immediate preparation would be for the qualifiers for the Asean Football Championship where they will be hosts in October this year.

In the meantime, Radojko Avramovic has extended his contract as the national coach of Singapore until 2011.

The 58-year-old Serb, who has been serving the city state since 2003, is in midst of preparation for the third round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers where they have been placed in Group Four against Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Uzbekistan.

“I want to keep moving Singapore forward, I have a lot of support so I’m happy to stay,” said Avramovic.

“I had looked at other options but we’ve worked hard these last four years and I’m really happy with the way it’s been going.”

The former Oman and Kuwait national team coach said his focus would now be on the players of the future where apart from the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, the Lions will also be out to defend their Asean Football Championship crown at the end of the year.