Much is made of the global appeal of football, with FIFA justifiably proud that there are more members of its organisation than there are of the UN: over 200 countries enter the World Cup competition.

What's perhaps not quite as well known is that many of these nations who enter quickly exit the competition and it's not surprising that many of these countries are Caribbean islands or micro-states.

Much is made of the global appeal of football, with FIFA justifiably proud that there are more members of its organisation than there are of the UN: over 200 countries enter the World Cup competition.

What's perhaps not quite as well known is that many of these nations who enter quickly exit the competition and it's not surprising that many of these countries are Caribbean islands or micro-states.

By Thera Reyes, getting her first taste of Beckham and MLS in Manila

Two years ago, it would have been unheard of to have an international football team come to Manila. Heck, football fans even recently travelled to Malaysia to watch Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool for their Asian tours.

Saturday The Galaxy play the Philippines National Team at 6:30am on Fox Soccer. EPL on ESPN2: Newcastle - Chelsea at 7:30am. On Fox Soccer: Manchester City - Norwich at 9:30am, Aston Villa - Manchester United at noon, and Spurs - Bolton at 5pm. On Fox Soccer Plus: Wigan - Arsenal at 10am and Blackburn - Swansea at 12pm.

By Chris Wright

David Beckham, to Robbie Keane, to Landon Donovan. Goal. Trophy. It sounds like something from a ridiculously tawdry soccer movie, but Donovan's goal was enough to snare the MLS Cup in front of a record crowd at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles landing Becks, who had to overcome injury and illness to play, with his first Stateside silverware in what is looking increasingly likely to be his last competitive match for the Galaxy (his contract expires next month, after a tour of Indonesia and the Philippines).

World Cup Qualifiers
Singapore v China 0-4 5,474
4 - Singapore 5 0 0 1-13 0
Thailand v Australia 0-1 19,400
3 - Thailand 5 1 1 3 4-6 4
Indonesia v Iran 1-4 (Bambang Pamungkas) 2,000
4 - Indonesia 5 0 0 5 3-16 0
I posted yesterday on Twitter my concerns over the likely attendance at the Bung Karno for the Iran game in a week when the Indonesian Under 23 team were wowing fans at the SEA Games.

Timor Leste surprised everyone at the SEA Games by winning their opening games against Laos and Philippines.
Now they need to ensure their locally based players, deprived of a league, get the chance to play competitive football on a regular basis.
And that is the main idea behind my latest column in the Jakarta Globe!

Finally added images from last night's SEA Games fixtures. Philippines get thumped by Myanmar while Lamnao stars for Laos against Timor Leste.
Check out Asian Football Pictures

No time for a match report but some pictures from an exciting game can be found on Asian Football Pictures.
Basically Philippines took the lead, Laos went 2-1 up then the Philippines scored two very late goals to secure the win

Like mentioned, I did not get to see the match that Cubs lost to the Indonesians due to work.
However, here's the Youtube clip of the match via a Vietnamese broadcaster.
General thoughts of the game gathered online lauded the performance of the Singapore side for keeping the scoreline respectable especially with their performance in the second half, after conceding two goals and a player sent off (Nigel Vanu)in the first half.

Timor Leste v Philippines 2-1
(second straight win puts them top of the table)
Previous results
Vietnam v Philippines 3-1Myanmar v Laos 3-2Myanmar v Vietnam 0-0
1 - Timor Leste 2 2 0 0 4-2 62 - Vietnam 2 1 1 0 3-1 43 - Myanmar 2 1 1 0 3-2 4
Singapore v Malaysia 0-0
(defeat in their first game would have been unbearable)

If you'd have told me when I was a teenager following the Arsenal round the country and the occassional European jaunt that in my later years I would have seen Chinese Taipei, Western Samoa, Brunei and Timor Leste play football against each other I would have scratched my head and picked up an atlas.

30/11 v Indonesian All Star03/12 v The Philippines06/12 v Melbourne Victory
Not many teams squeeze the Philippines into their football itinary...

SEA Games
Vietnam v The Philippines 3-1Myanmar v Laos 3-2
SLeague
Tanjong Pagar v Woodlands Wellington 1-1 (Patrick Paran; Moon Soon Ho) 425

I'm sat in the pub. Nothing odd in that except I should be watching the opening game of the SEA Gamess between Vietnam and the Philippines. But some smart alec with the IQ of a mentally retarded stick insect decided to increase the ticket prices and tell no one. 150,000, 350,000 and 500,000 for group games in a regional under 23 competition is taking the piss.

Winners
Malaysia - 1977, 1979, 1989, 2009Thailand - 1981, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009Indonesia - 1987, 1991
Runners' Up
Thailand x 2Indonesia x 2Malaysia x 3Singapore x 3Myanmar x 2Vietnam x 5
Indonesia have hosted the SEA Games on three occasions, 1979, 1987, 1997, and reached the final on each occasion.

Two venues being used in Jakarta for this year's SEA Games. These are the prices for the Group Stage at each venue
Bung Karno Stadium (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand)
VVIP - 250,000 IDRWest VIP - 150,000 IDREast Vip - 100,000 IDRCategory 1 - 75,000 IDRCategory 2 - 50,000 IDRCategory 3 - 25,000 IDRCategory 4 - 15,000 IDR
Lebak Bulus Stadium (Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, Vietnam)
Class 1 - 100,000 IDRClass 2 - 75,000 IDRClass 3 - 50,000 IDRClass 4 - 25,000 IDR
Opening games are at Bung Karno with Vietnam v Philippines at 4pm and Laos v Myanmar kick off 7pm.

Two venues being used in Jakarta for this year's SEA Games. These are the prices for the Group Stage at each venue
Bung Karno Stadium (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand)
VVIP - 250,000 IDRWest VIP - 150,000 IDREast Vip - 100,000 IDRCategory 1 - 75,000 IDRCategory 2 - 50,000 IDRCategory 3 - 25,000 IDRCategory 4 - 15,000 IDR
Lebak Bulus Stadium (Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, Vietnam)
Class 1 - 100,000 IDRClass 2 - 75,000 IDRClass 3 - 50,000 IDRClass 4 - 25,000 IDR
Opening games are at Bung Karno with Vietnam v Philippines at 4pm and Laos v Myanmar kick off 7pm.

03/11
Vietnam vs Philppines Bung Karno
Laos vs Myanmar Bung Karno
05/11
Brunei vs Timor Leste Bung Karno
Myanmar vs Vietnam Bung Karno
07/11
Timor Leste vs Philippines Lebak Bulus
Laos vs Brunei Lebak Bulus
09/11
Myanmar vs Brunei Lebak Bulus
Vietnam vs Timor Leste Lebak BulusSingapore v Malaysia Bung KarnoIndonesia c Cambodia Bung Karno
11/11
Filipina vs Laos Lebak Bulus
Brunei vs Vietnam Lebak BulusMalaysia v Thailand Bung KarnoSingapore v Cambodia Bung Karno
13/11
Philippines vs Myanmar Lebak Bulus
Timor Leste vs Laos Lebak BulusThailand v Cambodia Bung KarnoIndonesia v Singapore Bung Karno
15/11
Myanmar vs Timor Leste Lebak Bulus
Philippines vs Brunei Lebak Bulus
Malaysia v Cambodia Bung KarnoIndonesia v Thailand Bung Karno
17/11
Laos vs Vietnam Lebak BulusThailand v Singapore Bung KarnoIndonesia v Malaysia Bung Karno
19/11Winner A v Runner Up B Bung KarnoWinner B v Runner Up A Bung Karno
21/11Semi Final Loser v Semi Final Loser Bung KarnoSemi Final Winner v Semi Final Winner Bung Karno

Australia v Malaysia 5-0 Match ReportIndonesia v Saudi Arabia 0-0 Match ReportSingapore v The Philippines 2-0 (Shaiful Esah, Aleksander Duric)Thailand v Jordan 0-0 (Match Comments)

SINGAPORE, 7th October 2011: Singapore beat Philippines 2-0 in an International friendly that was played at Jalan Besar Stadium on 7 October 2011.

Simon McMenemy is to be confirmed as coach of Super League new boys Mitra Kukar. The former Philippines national team who has also coached in Vietnam is expected to finalise everything today before taking charge of the ambitious club from East Kalimantan.
Mitra Kukar have also signed Hamka Hamzah, Isnan Ali and Jajang Maulyana ahead of the new season which starts next month.

It was only last December that pacy winger Oktavianus Maniani was being talked about as the great new hope of Indonesian football along with Irfan Bachdim. The Sriwijaya winger was a bit of an unknown and thrown against Malaysia and Laos in the AFF Cup he created an immediate impact and, along with Bachdim and Riedl, helped make Indonesian football 'sexy' with the masses.

All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Ganesh Thapa and Nepal National team coach, Graham Roberts have confirmed that Nepal team would tour ASEAN region before competing in SAFF Championship scheduled in December in India.
President Thapa said that Nepal National team is all set to tour Philippines on October 11 before going to Cambodia to take on Cambodia U-23 on October 28.

Local reports suggest for Philippines national team coach Simon McMenemy is in the frame for the Sriwijaya job.
The team from Palembang had appointed Kashadarti to run the team alongside veteran Keith Kayamba but now have realised K doesn't have the correct license.
he report also suggests Drago Mamic, formerly of Churchill Brothers and the Myanmar national team, is in the frame for the job

I don't think that the modern football lacks goals or attacking football. It is just at big games and big competitions the football is more tactical and conservative than the old one. Last two days, there were so many wonderful goals that worth admiring, here are some of them:
The best goes without a doubt for Neymar from Santos in a 4-5 defeat to Flamengo.

After being in Malaysia for two weeks to cover the three EPL teams with Futbolita.TV, our lens have shifted to the World Cup qualifiers! Tomorrow, key games in the World Cup qualifiers will be played out including Palestine vs Thailand, Philippines vs Kuwait, Hong Kong vs Saudi Arabia, Yemen vs Iraq and Malaysia vs Singapore.

Chinese Taipei v Malaysia 3-2 (4-4 on aggregate. Malaysia go through on away goals)Laos v Cambodia 6-2 (Laos win 8-6 on aggregate)Vietnam v Macau 7-1 (Vietnam win 13-1 on aggregate)Nepal v Timor Leste 5-0 (Nepal win 7-1 on aggregate)Myanmar v Mongolia 2-0 (Myanmar win 2-1 on aggregate)Philippines v Sri Lanka 4-0 (Philippines win 5-1 on aggregate)
2nd Round Draw (23 & 28 July)
Thailand v PalestineChina v LaosTurkmenistan v IndonesiaKuwait v PhilippinesOman v MyanmarQatar v VietnamSingapore v Malaysia

In its first meeting for its 2011-2015 term, the Vision Asia Committee of the Asian Football Confederation recommended revisions to the program to the AFC Executive Committee. Following a request from the All India Football Federation, Visian India projects will be started with the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh in the first phase, rather than in collaboration with State football

Available tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Azkals - the Philippines' national football team - and Sri Lanka on 3 July 2011 in Manila were sold out within two hours of being on sale. The game, which is the second leg of the first round World Cup qualifiers, will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Available tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Azkals - the Philippines' national football team - and Sri Lanka on 3 July 2011 in Manila were sold out within two hours of being on sale. The game, which is the second leg of the first round World Cup qualifiers, will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Available tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Azkals - the Philippines' national football team - and Sri Lanka on 3 July 2011 in Manila were sold out within two hours of being on sale. The game, which is the second leg of the first round World Cup qualifiers, will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Available tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Azkals - the Philippines' national football team - and Sri Lanka on 3 July 2011 in Manila were sold out within two hours of being on sale. The game, which is the second leg of the first round World Cup qualifiers, will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, May 24: An inspection team of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is arriving on Nepal on Tuesday to study infrastructure and feasibility for organizing AFC Challenge Cup 2012 finals in Kathmandu after Nepal expressed interest to host the tournaments.

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, May 24: An inspection team of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is arriving on Nepal on Tuesday to study infrastructure and feasibility for organizing AFC Challenge Cup 2012 finals in Kathmandu after Nepal expressed interest to host the tournaments.

VIENTIANE (19 Feb 2011) – Laos and Indonesia will each host two tournaments of the AFF this year – following the decisions of the AFF Council this afternoon in Kuala Lumpur.

Laos, who had successfully organised the qualifying round of the AFF Suzuki Cup last year, will host the AFF Under-16 Championship and also the AFF Women's Football Championship.

If you are then Jakarta is the place to be. The Liga Primer Indonesia team Jakarta 1928 have reportedly signed Philippine internationals Phil and James Younghusband. So that means, girls, you get two young husbands for the price of one!
Jakarta 1928 are slated to play their first LPI game on Saturday when they host Bogor Raya at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.