Cinderella stories happen everyday, everywhere in this world. In particular, when it comes to the world of football, we have seen quite a few of them. After all, who would have thought that Senegal would knock France out of the World Cup in 2002? Or who would have picked Greece to win it all in the European Cup of 2004?

(P.S: Below is a press release by Strategic Public Relations Group Singapore, a renowned public relations consultancy who are coordinating the above-mentioned event)
Singapore, 28 July 2009
NATIONAL DAY CHALLENGE KICKS OFF WITH GRUDGE MATCH
Singapore Lions takes on China to launch new football event
Singapore – In celebration of Singapore's National Day, the Singapore National Team will play China to kick off a new annual football event – the National Day Challenge.

Local FIFA registered agent Edy Syahputra sees plenty of opportunities for Singaporean players to ply their trade in Indonesia, especially following the introduction of the 3 = 2 rule which says that two foreigners must be Asian.
Sriwijaya are still interested in Agu Casmir while rumours about Lionel Lewis moving to Persija persist.

Coach Steve Darby has recalled Therdsak Chaiman to the Thai international scene ahead of the crucial Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore next month. The 36 year old currently plays for SAF in Singapore and is on course to win the SLeague this season. Again.

There must be something in the water in South Korea. Anybody who spends time on the coaching staff of the national team seems to spend the rest of their career doing pretty well for themselves.
A Korean Football Association (KFA) official told me recently that the organization should start charging commission or finding fees.

If you've been watching BBC3 of late, you'll notice the adverts for the Confederations Cup, which is due to start tomorrow. If you're like me, you've probably been asking...what exactly is it?

How many teams are there? How long does it last for? Who has won it previously? They are not questions I would be able to ask with entire confidence.

For South Korea, the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign is almost over and first place in the group guaranteed. There is still one act to be played out however and it promises to be an intriguing one.
The final game takes place on Wednesday. South Korea have bagged the first of two automatic qualification spots which leaves one up for grabs.

Perhaps the happiest fans in the world this weekend were in Hong Kong. The special administrative region of China, as I guess we should formally call it, has been competing in international football for sixty years, and yesterday won its first ever title, a gold medal in the East Asian Games football tournament.

(Media information by Football Association of Singapore)
SINGAPORE, 30 October 2009: After a winning performance at the Ho Chi Minh City International Tournament in Vietnam last week, Singapore will be looking to continue their good form when they play Indonesia on Wednesday 04 November 2009 at the National Stadium.

Singapore announces advanced ticket sales for crucial Asian Cup Qualifier against Thailand
SINGAPORE, 6th November 2009: Match Tickets for the crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier between Singapore and Thailand on 14 November will go on advanced sale from Sunday, 8 November during the RHB Singapore Cup final at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

An early start, (Aug 6th) and much later finish (March 20). Which extends the season by about 6 or 7 weeks.
We're getting closer to a real football season. 27 games plus finals...in A World Cup Year...it's only going to get better and better for Aussie football fans.
New teams, new players, more games.

Malaysia have appointed Rajagobal as their national team coach and he has been given a two year contract as the FA goes 'long term.' He also has to prepare the Under 23 side for the SEA Games in Laos in December this year.
June sees the Under 23 Inter Continental Championships in Malaysia while in July the full side take on Manchester United in a glamourous, but meaningless, friendly.

Hilton Moriera, Persib's Brazilian striker, has had enough of the irregular schedule in Indonesia and is planning on taking his skills to China once this season ends.
This season, which started last July, has seen stops for the Merdeka Cup, a tournament in Myanmar, the AFF Cup, a couple of Asian Cup qualifiers and more recently the election campaign.

This pointless exercise gets underway Sunday. At the very least, however, it should provide some interesting match-ups, as well as some injuries and fatigue to some of your favorite club's players.
The tournament pits the winners of the the six FIFA federation tournaments around the world against each other, plus the World Cup winner and the Host Country.

South Africa v Iraq (Group A)
Date: Sunday 14 June
Venue: Johannesburg
Kickoff: 3pm BST

The first match of the 2009 Confederations Cup sees hosts South Africa take on AFC Asian Cup champions Iraq in Johannesburg. You can watch South Africa v Iraq live here.

South Africa

Iraq qualified for this tournament by virtue of their 2007 AFC Asian Cup triumph.

The South Africa 2009 Confederations Cup will take place across 4 venues from 14 June to 28 June, and will act as a dress-rehearsal for next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Here are the Confed Cup fixtures - all times are BST.

2009 Confederations Cup Teams Team Association Qualification Participation South Africa CAF 2010 FIFA World Cup host 2nd Italy UEFA 2006 FIFA World Cup winner 1st United States CONCACAF 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup winner 4th Brazil CONMEBOL Copa América 2007 winner 6th Iraq AFC 2007 AFC Asian Cup winner 1st Egypt CAF 2008 African Cup of Nations winner 2nd Spain UEFA UEFA Euro 2008 winner 1st New Zealand OFC 2008 OFC Nations Cup winner 3rd

Group A: South Africa, Iraq, New Zealand, Spain
Group B: United States, Italy, Brazil, Egypt

2009 Confederations Cup Fixtures

GROUP STAGE:

Sunday, June 14th
South Africa vs.

Confederations Cup Trophy

As we look forward to an unexpected final between Brazil and the United States in the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup we look at how the competition was established and developed. Has a tournament with a troubled history finally 'made it'?

The Artemio Franchi Trophy and the King Fahd Cup

The precursors of the Confederations Cup as intercontinental international trophies were the Artemio Franchi Trophy and the King Fahd Cup.

One is Peter Reid. Stoke City say the Thai manager is as good as theirs. The man himself has said nothing but one story has quoted him as saying he is happy to be the number two with Stoke.
The other is Benny Dollo in Indonesia. In a wonderful example of compromise the FA said that no, he could not become the coach of Persija while he was still working with the national team.

The latest tale from Bangkok has Peter Reid doing two jobs at the same time. The Bangkok Post is reporting that Reid wants to be assistant manager at Stoke City and then returning to Thailand after the TPL season has ended to take charge of the Thais in their crucial Asian Cup qualifying games against Singapore.

What's the latest? Anyone know? Two articles in today's Bangkok Post, here and here. It's nonsense that this saga can be allowed to drag on for so long. In November the Thais face two crucial Asian Cup qualifiiers against Singapore but this confusion can't be helping.
Nobody, neither Reid with his silence nor the head of the Thai FA Worawi with his grandiose statements, is coming out of this smelling of roses.

With Benny Dollo now installed as Technical Director with Persija and his contract with the Indonesian FA set to expire at the end of January 2010 thoughts turn to who will succeed him. And there will be a succession even though no one has discussed it openly yet.
The favourite is Rahmad Darmawan, the hugely successful Sriwijaya coach.

While Omar and his boys from Bahrain were shooting down the Saudis in the Kingdom, New Zealand were in that other Kingdom kicking it with the Hashemites. It was an experience. New Zealand won the friendly 3-1. The Hashemites ain't got game no mo'.
New Zealand fancy their chances now.

And so, once again, it was a case of Tim Cahill to the rescue.
The Socceroo performance wasn't quite as bad as their last outing against Oman, but there were long periods of the game where Australia were dreadfully uninspired. And, let us remember, Oman were denied what looked like a plain penalty a few minutes from the close.

Asian Cup Qualifying 2011 Group B :- 14th October 2009 Final score :- Australia 1-0 Oman ( Tim Cahill 74′ goal) Everton's Tim Cahill scored in the 74th minute to allow Australia to beat Claude Le Roy's Oman in Melbourne. Cahill had also scored a late equaliser against Oman when the two sides met in 2007, and [.

After having trials with Roma and Persisam, former Perth Glory striker Matthew Mayora is know trying his luck with Arsenal Bandung.
If Arsenal do go ahead and sign the Aussie it will mean the international Thai Rangsan will not be joining them as Mayora would complete their allocation of five Foreigners.

Singapore takes on Thailand in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifying Group E match at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on 18 November. p>
In conjunction with the match, flight packages are available for fans to travel to Bangkok to watch the Lions battle it out with Bryan Robson's Thai in the Crucial AFC Asian Cup match.

In the (self-dubbed) newbie derby, Gold Coast have been defeated by a rampant North Queensland Fury side. Robbie Fowler lead the team from start to finish, getting on the scoresheet twice. The defeat has added to the horrible week that the Gold Coast have suffered, including a 6-0 whitewash by Wellington, and a huge condemnation by the public over club owner Clive Palmer's (right) decision to cap crowds at 5,000 to save money.

OK so Indonesia managed to score a goal against Singapore in their recently friendly but there remains an uncomfortable truth lurking beneath the surface that needs to be addressed.
Defending set pieces is shoddy.
Three goals conceded against Singapore but you can be sure Raddy knew what he was working on in training.

A shock 1-0 loss to Bahrain in Asian Cup qualifying has ramped up the pressure on Japan coach Takeshi Okada.
After struggling to see off Yemen 2-1 in their opening Asian Cup qualifier just over a week ago, Japan slumped to a disappointing defeat in Manama - not that anyone in Japan saw it.

Once again I got an email from my Brazilian friend, Renato Andreão.
This time round, Renato conducted an interview with Tampines Rovers star striker Noh Alam Shah.
In this interview, "Ah Long" shares his thoughts with Renato on his ambitions for this season and gave his opinion what could have led the current trophy drought at Tampines, despite at a time boasted one of the potent striking line-up in the league.

Indonesia Super League
Persita v Persipura 1-2 (Yulian Hontong; David Da Rocha, Ernest Jeremiah) 1,000
Persijap v Persiwa 0-0
Singapore Cup
Balestier Khalsa v Home United 0-3 (Norikazu Murakami, Shahril Ishak, Kengne Ludovick)
AFC Challenge Cup
Myanmar v Cambodia 1-0 (Yaza Win Thien)
Bangladesh v Macau 3-0
Both Myanmar and Bangladesh qualify to the next stage of this Asian Cup lite

Arnie speaks the truth

"I take all the responsibility," concluded Arnold of the Beijing Olympics. "I was the coach. I'll tell you honestly, and people might not believe it, but we got the maximum out of that playing group.

Speaking in FourFourTwo Graham Arnold discusses the Beijing Olympics and the disastrous Asian Cup campaign 2007.

Inter are expecting 50,000 at the Beira-Rio for tomorrow's Copa do Brasil quarter final with club legend Fernandão expecting to be in attendance to watch his former club.
It will be the first time Fernandão who now plays for Al-Gharafa in Qatar, will watch Inter at the Beira-Rio since leaving the club almost a year ago.

We've made it!
With a fairly colourless draw against Qatar early this morning, enlivened at times by Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell, the Socceroos have qualified for their third World Cup. Congratulations to Pim Verbeek and the squad.
Of course, as many have already pointed out, there wasn't quite the sense of occasion this time; no penalty from John Aloisi or rocketing shot from Jim Mackay to stir the blood.

FFA have said they will be back..but when?
Before the World Cup? I doubt it.
Indonesia (h) Asian Cup
Oman (h) Asian Cup
Holland (h) expected in October.
Blockbuster in Melbourne for Socceroos send-off.
Away games v Ireland (Aug) Kuwait, Oman.
And probably three other games before the World Cup, so maybe one more at home.

The United States soccer team has enjoyed very few days like today. There were the 2002 World Cup victories over Portugal and Mexico, the 1989 victory at Trinidad to send the States to its first World Cup in 40 years, and the 1950 1-0 stunner over England. We won't know the full impact of today's 2-0 upset of Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals for a few years, but the win over FIFA's top-ranked team has a chance to surpass any past glory in terms of signifigance for the program.

And now we come to the two teams I saw the least of in this tournament. (It was a scheduling issue, not deliberate avoidance!)
New Zealand. You know, as a sometime-supporter of the US team and an always-supporter of the Portland Timbers, I have an inkling of what it felt like to be a New Zealand fan in this tournament.

Think of the countries that have hosted World Cups in the past and you'll soon find yourself contemplating some of the legendary names from football history. Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Argentina... the list goes on, but can you imagine that same list featuring Indonesia? If FIFA's committee of representatives decide to take a more adventurous and imaginative line, you might just find them on it in the years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated the Westham United at the Worker's Stadium 1-0 today July 29th, 2009. It was a race for the Asia Trophy in Beijing, China and the lone goal was made by none other than Jermaine Defoe.

Tottenham Hotspur`s Jermain Defoe(L)shots a goal dribbling past Westham United`s Julien Faubert (R)during the Barclays Asia Trophy soccer match at Worker`s Stadium, Beijing.

Harry Redknapp's side win the Barclays Asian Cup with a pretty straightforward win over Hull, Robbie Keane netted twice and perhaps helps his case to be part of a three man attack for the upcoming season.

• Tottenham to Offer Player + Cash for £8m Hull City Defender (1)
• Spurs Agree £10m Peter Crouch Deal With Portsmouth (0)
• Tottenham Set to Complete £15m Negredo Signing!