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.

20.12.2011 - Comenzada la "Copa Presidente", una especie de Copa Argentina en Dubai (donde participan equipos de ascenso), el Al Wasl hizo su presentación goleando (4-0) como local a Al Ahli para pasar a cuartos de final del torneo.
Dos goles de Mariano Donda y otros dos del uruguayo Juan Manuel Olivera sentenciaron el marcador final antes de que Easa Ali Al-Bloushi desperdiciara un penal a minutos del final.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have won the lottery to acquire winger/forward Lee Nguyen, who most recently played professional football in Vietnam.

The Whitecaps beat out FC Dallas, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, the Houston Dynamo, and Real Salt Lake to Nguyen's services.

Vancouver had a 47.6 percent chance of landing Nguyen in the lottery, the best odds of all of the teams who participated.

The SLeague may have just finished but teams there are already looking to next season. Tampines Rovers, champions, are looking at another trip to Thailand at the end of January in what is becoming an annual event while SAFFC are considering options reportedly including Vietnam, Malaysia or Australia.

Vietnam is having another one of its little tournaments. The Navibank Cup 2011 is due to be held in Ho Chi Minh City 2-10 December and, according to Viet Football, will feature Geylang United and Chonburi as well as T&T Hanoi, Navibank Saigon and Binh Duong.
Which is all well and good. But according to the Thai Premier League fixture list, admittedly as reliable as an English red top, Chonburi are playing Army United on 3 December.

By Chris Wright

Soooo...this guy showed up to cheer on Indonesia in their SEA (Southeast Asian) Games semi-final against Vietnam in Jakarta a couple of days ago and he bought what appears to be his talcum powder with him though surely chafing isn't going to be a problem when you turn up to a match in nothing but a slathering of red body paint and your pyjama bottoms?

VVIP - 1,000,000 IDR (approx $110)VIP West - 700,000 IDRVIP East - 500,000 IDRCategory 1 - 300,000 IDRCategory 2 - 200,000 IDRCategory 3 - 100,000 IDR
Nope, these prices aren't to go and see Brazil play Spain. It's for the SEA Games UNDER 23s in Jakarta. The first game is Malaysia v Myanmar followed by Indonesia v Vietnam tomorrow night at the Bung Karno and the Final, expect similar prices, is on Monday.

SEA Games
Singapore v Thailand 2-0Indonesia v Malaysia 0-1
Laos v Vietnam 1-3
Malaysia meet Myanmar in the first semi final on Saturday while Indonesia have to play Vietnam. We're in for a repeat of the 2009 SEA Games final or the 2010 AFF Cup final!

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.

Group E
Thailand v South Korea 1-0Thailand v Chinese Taipei 1-0Thailand v Guam 13-0Thailand v Japan
1 - Thailand 3 3 0 0 15-0 92 - Japan 2 2 0 0 31-0 63 - South Korea 2 1 0 1 18-1 6
Group F
Malaysia v Vietnam 0-0Laos v Myanmar 2-2Laos v Malaysia 1-4North Korea v Laos 2-0Vietnam v Myanmar 2-2Vietnam v Laos 4-0Malaysia v North Korea 1-4
1 - North Korea 2 - Vietnam3 - Malaysia4 - Myanmar5 - Laos
Group G
Indonesia v China 0-0Indonesia v Macau 3-0Indonesia v Australia 1-4

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.

Singapore international Agu Casmir is in Vietnam currently trialling with Hanoi FC. Casmir spent last season with Persija.

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.

While Indonesia Under 23s defeated Mitra Kukar 5-1 in their latest friendly, holders Malaysia were in Ha Noi, Vietnam competing in the VFF Cup alongside Vietnam, Myanmar and Uzbekistan's Under 23 squads.
Malaysia started the campaign poorly, losing 3-1 against the Uzbeks. Next up was Myanmar and they won 2-1 with a late winner from Baddrol Bakthiar.

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

Former Persiba Bantul striker Udo Fortune had a phenomenal season last year, scoring more than a goal a game and helping his team earn promotion to the top tier of Indonesian football. But while Persiba Bantul prepare to play the Indonesian Under 23s tonight in Jakarta, Fortune now plays in Vietnam and is still scoring.

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.

Former Indonesian national team coach Alfred Riedl has returned to coach Laos for the SEA Games. Riedl is a familiar figure in South East Asia having also coached Vietnam and last year he led Indonesia to the ASEAN Football federation Cup Final, losing to Malaysia.
He was sacked by the new PSSI leadership for some strange reason, was it something like they couldn't find the contract, and there have been calls for his return as Indonesia's World Cup campaign fizzles but it won't be happening now!

Following football in Vietnam is so confusing. Putting aside the fact that 83.982% of the players are called Nguyen they have all these pre season competitions which are nigh on impossible to keep track of.
According to Viet Football, who is able to keep track of these things, the following have been organised including one featuring an Indonesian team!

I think it was 2009 when people in the region were suggesting that Vietnam would be the best league in the region, whatever that means. Certainly in that particular year the average attendance in the VLeague was just over 10,500, a bit below the Indonesian Super League.
For the just finished 2011 season average attendances are down by a startling 30 odd % with just 7,395 going per game.

Manchester United have signed two new lucrative commercial deals, including the announcement of logistics company DHL as their first training kit sponsor.

Yes you read that right. DHL will sponsor United's training kit in a four-year deal worth a reported £40 million. I am not aware of any other sports team in the world that has been able to sell sponsorship on the club's playing kit and training kit to different sponsors.

Manchester United sign £40m training kit sponsorship deal - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Manchester United have confirmed two new commercial partnerships, including an extension of their existing partnership with logistics firm DHL, who will be their first training kit sponsor.

The new four-year-agreement sees the DHL logo included on the Club's training kit worn by all first, reserve and youth team players during domestic competitions and builds on DHL's relationship behind the scenes at the club, who have been Manchester United sponsors for over an year and were the official sponsors for United's pre-season tour of the United States this summer.

Vietnam Football is reporting that former Persiba striker Fortune Udo is presently trying his luck with V League side Binh Duong. Fortune hit 34 goals last season helping Persiba Bantul earn promotion to the ISL.
This story however suggests Fortune is happy to stay with Persiba!

A dozen footballing figures which caught my eye this week...0 - The number of times Bolivia were caught offside in this month's Copa America.3 - The number of Zinedine Zidane's sons enrolled in Real Madrid's academy.7 - The goals netted by the 2014 World Cup's top gunner so far, Vietnam's Lê Công Vinh.

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

Soccer24 Preliminary journey kicks off in Asia - http://www.fifa.com/worldcu... 1 hour ago from FIFA.com - News - Comment - Like The first round of qualifying for 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ kicked off in Asia on Wednesday, with Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh convincing in their respective openers.

Short News Vietnam convince on preliminary road - http://www.fifa.com/worldcu... 1 hour ago from FIFA.com - 2014 FIFA World... - Comment - Like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia are in comfortable position to advance to the second round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ in Asia, with respective wins over Macau, Pakistan and Laos.

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

JCB International, the international operations subsidiary of JCB, the only global payment brand based in Japan, has signed with the Vietnam Football Federation to sponsor Vietnam's national football team. Apart from branding opportunities available through the team and stadium, JCBI and VFF are also discussing the issuance of co-branded cards.

Thai FA head Worawi Mukadi has hinted that former national team coach Peter Withe could be considered to replace Bryan Robson who stepped down earlier this week for health reasons. Withe is currently without a job and was very successful during his last spell with the club.
Mind you Mukadi, in an unusually perceptive moment said that Thai fans wanted a Thai coach.

Falko Goetz has signed a two-year contract to manage Vietnam's national football team. He will lead the team through the qualifying rounds for the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup and will also oversee the under-23 squad in November's South East Asian Games in Indonesia. Goetz's playing career included stints at Bayer Leverkusen and other German clubs as well as Turkish side

Falko Goetz has signed a two-year contract to manage Vietnam's national football team. He will lead the team through the qualifying rounds for the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup and will also oversee the under-23 squad in November's South East Asian Games in Indonesia. Goetz's playing career included stints at Bayer Leverkusen and other German clubs as well as Turkish side

Language is a significant barrier to raising coaching standards to international levels in women's football in East and South East Asia. This was noted by the Asian Football Confederation's project manager, Dr Shamil Kamil, who conducted a Head Coach Workshop for the AFC U-14 Girls' Festival of Football at Vietnam's Thanh Long Sports Centre.

Fifteen football stars will join Manchester United's Park Ji-sung in an Asian "Dream Cup" match against V-League club, Navibank SaiGon, in HCM City's Thong Nhat Stadium on 15 June. Korean Wave stars JYJ will perform during half-time and actress Han Hye-jin will attend. Park will also hold a clinic for young footballers.

With Henrique Calisto moving to Thai champions Muang Thong United, Vietnam are looking for a new coach and already it is being reported quite a few coaches have thrown their resumes in to the hat including Peter Taylor, David Booth and Simon McMenemy.

O segundo jogo da semifinal da AFF Suzuki 2010, foi realizado no dia 18/12/2010, na cidade de Hanoi-VIE, no My Dinh National Stadium, onde jogaram as seleções do Vietnã (137º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da Malásia (144º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções nunca haviam jogado.

The ASEAN Football Federation have decided that Thailand and Malaysia will co-host the 2012 AFF Cup. Malaysia of course are the holders having defeated Indonesia in the 2010 event.
ASEAN's premier football event has boomed over the last couple of years with high profile sponsors and increased media coverage.

With the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers fighting for a Super Bowl championship, children around the country are rooting for their football heroes to win it all. However, those football heroes can't hold a candle to the biggest hero on the field in Dallas on Super Bowl Sunday. Salvatore Giunta is a true hero.

The San Siro posts will not be receiving a Christmas card from Zlatan.

• Fernando Torres' wheels will be safe this weekend. (The DA)
• Vietnamese crests. (The Best Eleven)
• January in review. (The Spoiler)
• Less to review in La Liga. (La Liga Loca)
• Finding the wispy line.