VIENTIANE (8 Dec 2009) – The No. 10 shirt which is usually reserved for players with outstanding capability remains untouched for Vietnam.
The shirt, which was previously worn by striker Pham Van Quyen (pix), is thought to be an unlucky number for the team. It has remained unworn since the 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines in 2005 when seven players were charged with match-fixing in the Vietnam-Myanmar game. Vietnam head coach Henrique Calisto had offered the talismanic shirt to wily midfielder Mai Tien Thanh – who usually wears No. 13 – but the latter had turned it down. Playmaker Pham Thanh Luong and striker Phan Thanh Binh have also said no to wearing it. GROUPINGS Group A: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Cambodia Group B: Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia RESULTS AND FIXTURES 2 Dec (Main Stadium): MALAYSIA 11 TIMOR LESTE 0/ THAILAND 1 VIETNAM 1 4 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): THAILAND 4 CAMBODIA 0/ VIETNAM 4 TIMOR LESTE 0 5 Dec (Main Stadium): SINGAPORE 2 INDONESIA 2/ LAOS 1 MYANMAR 1 6 Dec (Main Stadium): VIETNAM 3 MALAYSIA 1/ TIMOR LESTE CAMBODIA 7 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): MYANMAR 1 SINGAPORE 2/ INDONESIA 0 LAOS 2 8 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Timor Leste vs Thailand (1500hrs)/ Cambodia vs Malaysia (1745hrs) 9 Dec: Opening Ceremony 10 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Myanmar vs Indonesia (1500hrs)/ Laos vs Singapore (1745hrs) 11 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Cambodia vs Vietnam (1500hrs)/ Malaysia vs Thailand (1500hrs) 14 Dec (Chao Anu Vong Stadium): Semi-finals 17 Dec: Third/ Fourth Placing (1500hrs at Chao Anu Vong Stadium)/ FINAL (1700hrs at Main Stadium) |