Youth of hope

A group of Myanmar teenagers have not only made themselves proud by winning the under-19 Asean Youth Football Championship-Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in Brunei but also spurred the aspirations of all their compatriots.

The historic victory made the headlines of every Myanmar newspaper and journal. Huge crowds turned up at Yangon International Airport to greet the triumphant squad of 18 when they returned home on August 24.

Hundreds of people awaited their return, holding jasmine garlands with eugenia leaves at the airport. Many gathered along the road from the airport, as the team rode back to the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) headquarters at Thuwanna Stadium.

“It was really wonderful to see Myanmar people welcome us and give us their support. I will remember this victory all my life and we will try to win more laurels for the country,” said midfielder Than Paing.

Myanmar, in the past, has enjoyed its moments of glory in international tournaments. The national squad won the Asian Games gold medal twice, in 1966 and 1970, and also finished runners-up in the AFC Asian Cup in 1968. It also enjoyed a monopoly in the Southeast Asian Games, winning the football gold on five successive occasions – 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1973. Since then, there has been a slide and the best performance by the national team was a silver medal at the 1993 SEA Games.

The country suffered a heart-break when the team was beaten by Indonesia in the 27th SEA Games,  All fingers were pointed at Korean coach Park Sung-hwa, who was criticised for lacking understanding of the head-to-head qualification rule. 

The coach made the controversial move of benching main striker Kyaw Ko Ko as a disciplinary action for being critical of his methods and techniques. The MFF said the striker had apologised to the coach for his indiscretion but he was still not allowed to take the field. The team was also criticised for lack of team spirit.

The loss frustrated fans at home, followed by a mini riot.  After the frustrations of the last few years, Myanmar seems to be on the way to regaining its rightful place as a formidable footballing nation, demonstrated by the performance of the under-19 squad against  in the Asean Youth Football Championship. During the tournament, the Myanmar youngsters scored 19 goals against rivals like Thailand, Timor-Leste, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Striker Aung Thu, who scored the winning goal in the final against Vietnam, said “I’m very glad I could score the important goal for my country. For this, I have to thank my team-mates. Every match was difficult even though it was an Asean-level tournament, especially the matches against Thailand and Vietnam. I’m happy that we won the championship.” 

Myanmar had topped Group A, winning all four matches while Thailand were second. Vietnam topped Group B, ahead of Malaysia. 

Experts have showered praise on the U-19 team’s fighting spirit.

A football writer from First Eleven Sports Journal, Soe Nyi, said: “Although the team had no outstanding player, the team spirit was very strong. I’m not saying it was a flawless performance. However, there were no serious blunders. What is more, the team was mentally strong.  against Vietnam,  they kept on fighting.”

Head coach Gerd Friedrich was also satisfied with the team’s quality. All the weaknesses he has spotted are expected to be fixed before the Asean Cup and the AFC U-19 Championship, which will be held in Myanmar from October 9-23. The finest of young Asian footballers will showcase their talents at the tournament.

“The AFC U-19 is the biggest tournament in Asia,” said MFF president Zaw Zaw. “We will have to take on world-class rivals like Japan, Korea and Australia. The team will really need public support.”

Urging the team to devote all their strengths to the task, Zaw Zaw himself is ready to do all he can to push the team forward.The Myanmar business tycoon, who is the founder and executive chairman of Ayeyarwady Bank, has served as MFF president since 2005. He has secured funds for the team and introduced campaigns to boost public support.

When the under-19 team celebrated the victory at home, he announced that the championship would make them richer by more than Ks 200 million (US$200,000), raised from the general public and the business sector.

“Honestly, I can’t find words to say thanks to all,” said team leader Nanda Kyaw.“I can only promise that we’ll not be complacent with this championship, prizes and financial awards given by the public.”