At a press junket held at the Vattanac Building by the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC), the news that were were all expecting happened, Fleix Dalmas will replaced Honda as national coach of Cambodia.
The end of the Honda era!
Despite, or perhaps due to his fame Honda, who won the European cup with AC Milan was a “volunteer” coach for Cambodia, while he controversially carried on his playing career.
Yet while this was popular is some quarters, to many his lack of time both in the country and at matches was above of contention. And of course results don’t lie and Cambodia have been poor, when during competitions they were expected to do well in, such as the ASEAN Under 22 Championship.
To reads about Mouzinho click here
The New Felix Dalmas regime
Coach Felix was quick to praise Honda, but also point out where he wanted to do things differently. When asked if he intended to engage more with club coaches by CSR he replied that he “Intruded to meet all coaches in Cambodia to get their opinion on things”.
Similarly he praised the new Cambodian Premier League (CPL), while also acknowledging the need for more youth competition within the country. Phnom Penh Crown recently set up the Smart Youth League, but this is independent of the FFC, with similar competitions in places such as Siem Reap also being set up independently.
To read about the Cambodian Premier League click here.
So, while it is far to early to be racking out the champagne, particularly as Honda still has to oversee the football at the SEA Games, simply having a coach living in Cambodia, engaging with coaches and watching matches is in itself a reason to celebrate.
