SPORTS NOTES: Cambodian Manager Fickert's Tenure Ends

Cambodian football manager Joachim Fickert and CFF president Ravy Khek during better days. - photo courtesy of Joachim Fickert

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Joachim Fickert Ends Seven Year Tenure As Cambodian Football Manager. Fickert had to find and train coaches and teach players the fundamentals of the game in his effort to help the Cambodian football program to rise from the ashes. The 55-year-old German coach was in a situation where he had to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear without the support of the Cambodian Federation - No Khmer Women's Football Team

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Friday January 24, 2003

FICKERT'S CONTRACT NOT RENEWED

After seven years at the helm coaching and helping resurrect the Cambodian football program manager Joachim Fickert will leave the squad when his contract expires at the end of January.

With three decades of civil conflict carved in the Khmers history, football was a low or no priority. It could be argued that Cambodians were more concerned about eluding land mines, hand grenades and AK-47 bullets than playing football.

The talent pool was slim to none. Fickert had to find and train coaches and teach players the fundamentals of the game in his effort to help the Cambodian football program to rise from the ashes. The 55-year-old German coach was in a situation where he had to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear without the support of the Cambodian Football Federation. Regardless what he taught the players the CFF didn't arrange any International matches for the squad to improve their skills to be competitive.

There were no International test matches for the squad since their last International match in the World Cup Qualifiers 17 MONTHS prior to the Tiger Cup in December. To prepare the squad for the event Fickert had to scramble around the entire year of 2002 looking for test matches. The results were matches against the likes of NAGA Security Company and a 13-0 victory over a team from Svay Rieng province.

Svay Rieng finished last in the 10 team Cambodian professional league. It's a league consisting of part time players that has been out of business for over a year. The matches proved to be a good sweat but served nothing in the way of improving the side to learn how to play against international competition.

During the Tiger Cup Cambodia won only one of four matches, a 1-0 win over the Philippines. Fickert was very disappointed since he felt that this was the best squad he had in seven years. He was proud of the effort the side put forth in a 4-2 loss to eventual finalists Indonesia.

With no qualified test competitions and the lack of CFF support Fickert fought a losing battle. The battle happens to be in a country that has yet to learn how to work together in harmony in order to win and leave behind their Killing Fields reputation and ways.

With no help from the CFF in acquiring test matches to develop and improve the squad Fickert was beating a dead horse. Fickert also had to endure being slandered by a highly respected English language newspaper in Phnom Penh (more on that later).

If there was one lesson to be learned from the experience it was futility. Fickert and CFF president Ravy Kehk decided to part company. Full story coming: Cambodian Football Hits The Wall.

 

Tola May - NR photo

NO WOMEN'S FOOTBALL IN CAMBODIA

A reader E-mailed NR wanting to know if there was a woman's football team in Cambodia. She currently lives in the US but would return to Cambodia if there were a women's team that she could play for.

Tola May the CFF's Director of Coaching and Youth Development said there isn't a women's team or program. There is no plan to establish one in the near future. May said the focus at this time is to develop the men's program.

NATIONAL RADIO PUBLISHED IN 5 LANGUAGES

National Radio text is published in five languages, English, Thai, French, Russian and Khmer (Cambodian language). Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns is legally available ONLY on our National Radio site. Our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations.