Sports Notes - Sports Academy - Cambodian Players In Vietnam - NBA's James # 1

Joachim Fickert with CFF president Ravy Khek during better days - Photo courtesy of Joachim Fickert

Kao "Blackie" Nisai - (James Loving NR photo) Kiatisuk Senamaung (center) claps after Thailand's 1998 Asian Games win over South Korea Kiatisuk Senamaung - (James Loving NR photo) Teerathep `Leesaw' Winothai is 18-years-old - (James Loving NR photo) Sensational NBA man/child rookie LeBron James @ 18-years-old - (NBA photo) A svelte young Kobe Bryant - (NBA photo) Asian Sports Academy Executive Director Mike lliff. Chiang Mai's 700th Anniversary Stadium in background - (James Loving NR photo) Asian Sports Academy's Astrid Scipio - (James Loving NR photo)

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Former Cambodia National Team Coach Fickert Lands On Feet & Hires Former Players - FIFA Top 20 (+) Plus - Thailand's Teerethep 'Leesaw' Winothai Denied Work Permit Dropped From Crystal Palace - Asian Sports Academy - DENNIS RODMAN QUERY - Laker Bashing? - CNN 'The War Channel'? - Cambodian Youth Football

Friday January 23, 2004

JOACHIM FICKERT HIRES CAMBODIAN PLAYERS

Former Cambodian national team coach Joachim Fickert has landed on his feet since the Cambodian Football Federation didn't renew his contract in February 2003. The German coach is now coaching the An Giang football club in Vietnam.

The side is off to a one loss two draw start in league play. Fickert says the league is balanced and any team is capable of defeating another on any given day.

Salaries in the league range from $600 to $1,200 plus room and board. The Vietnam government pays everything. There are some exceptions. If a club has a sponsor they can pay more. Thailand's Kiatisuk Senamaung is reported to be receiving $10,000 a month from Vietnam club Hong Ahn Gia Lai.

Vietnam club teams are permitted to have three foreigners on the roster. Fickert has signed two of his former Cambodian national team members Ung Kanyanith and Kao "Blackie" Nisai. Ung was an employee of Samart (a cell phone service company) and member of the Samart team in the Cambodian Premiere League coached by his former national teammate Hok Sochetra.

Joining a club team in Vietnam is a major step up from playing with their Cambodian national team. The players are being paid USD $600 a month. With the national squad they were once paid $100 a month then reduced to $60. There were months that the team wasn't paid at all and were owed money.

The players can now send more many home than they were supposed to make with the Cambodian national squad. In Vietnam they also receive $70 for each win and $35 for a draw.

Ung is currently injured. The side also has a foreign player from Cameroon and Poland. The Polish player is also injured.

The change appears to be good for Fickert. In his last THREE YEARS with the Cambodian squad the Cambodian Football Federation didn't arrange any practice/friendly games with national teams.

An Giang is in a twelve-team league that plays a 22 regular season game schedule. The club also has 12 friendly games scheduled so far THIS YEAR.

Apart from the money the Cambodian players will experience more competition than they did in their entire career with the Cambodian national side. That translates into more playing experience that should improve their skills and enhance their future earning power. Being able to earn enough money to help take care of their families is a dream for many Cambodians.

Though Fickert wasn't fully appreciated in Cambodia the value of that experience is being passed on to two of his former and current players Kao and Ung. Without Fickert it is safe to say they would have never had the chance to support their families playing a game they love and are working hard to learn.

When you read about professional athletes earning over $10 million a year complaining about not being the highest paid player or in their league or at their position one can appreciate a real value added story. If there is a value and benefit of football and sports this is one of those feel good stories.

THAILAND'S TEERATHEP 'LEESAW' WINOTHAI DENIED WORK PERMIT IN ENGLAND

Teerathep `'Leesaw' Winothai was unable to obtain a work permit and his contract was terminated by English 1st Division club Crystal Palace. The 18-year-old striker was a star on Thailand's 2001 Sea Games Gold medal winning squad.

Winothai didn't see much action in the 2003 Sea Games competition and was left off the Asian Cup side. To be eligible for a work permit a player must play in 75% of his countries national games in the past two years. Sea Games (U-23) squads are not recognized as being the senior national team.

The point now is what lies ahead in his future as a member of the Thai national team?

Shortly after Kobe Bryant came into the NBA as a rookie out of high school there was a meeting of reporters with NBA commissioner David Stern at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Basically it was all about what is this world coming to with all of these high school players jumping into the league. Stern spouted on about the Taft Hartley Law giving young people the right to work.

Taft & Hartley must be working overtime. Since that time LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire have joined the high school to NBA kiddy core. James looks and plays like a man at 18-years of age. His body is filled out and his stats are better than any other high school to NBA player in his rookie year.

Three years ago we proposed a high school to NBA all-star squad be put together to challenge NCAA all-star squads from the most successful universities that won NCAA championships (i.e.) North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and others that have a number of players currently in the NBA.

Now that squad can field a team with Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, James and Stoudemire. You pick your starting five.

Of the bench they can bring in Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender and Darius Miles. Does the San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker qualify? This team could probably defeat any all-star team the league could put together.

How many of these high schoolers will be selected to this years NBA all-star game?

After spending some time based in Hanoi, Vietnam the Asian Sports Academy relocated their headquarters to Chaing Mai, Thailand two years ago.

The organizations Executive Director Mike Iliff saw a tremendous opportunity to utilize the facilities in Chiang Mai at the 700th Anniversary Sports Complex.. The site has many athletic venues that have rarely been used since the Sea Games a decade ago including a football/athletic stadium, gymnasium and more.

Working with a permanent staff of five Iliff and Sports Academy have trained and equipped teams. They then arranged athletic contests with teams in Thailand to participate with others in Asia and from the United States. The organization also brings in foreign coaches to coach or train athletes.

"We want to help develop sport here but we really want to help develop relationships. People want to come here to help (and to) have a cross cultural experience," the American said.

He went on to say that foreign coaches and athletes that have come to help have built and established relationships with their Asian students of sports. Some coaches visit ethnic schools in the area to teach sports.

Iliff noted that the smaller college programs with the NAIA in the United States have been most helpful assisting the associations program.

ASA has been most active in women's sports such as volleyball, softball, track & field, basketball and football.

Asian Sports Academy consultant Astrid Scipio was appointed the head coach of the Laos women's football team in November 2003.

In December she took a men's football team to China for some games and went to Laos to select the members of the women's football squad.

Scipio noted that some of the girls have never been out of their village. Through sport she hopes it will build the women's self-esteem and keep them away from prostitution.

This past year (2003) 16 teams have visited Thailand through the Sports Academy's efforts. In February the organization has invited PGA golf teaching pros to Thailand for a tournament to raise funds and teach the game.

During the interview over lunch Iliff repeatedly brought up two points that the Academy also hopes to achieve, for athletes to stay in school and not to use drugs. "These are things we can do," he said.

LETTERS TO NR - DENNIS RODMAN QUERY

Monday January 19, 2004

I believe I read an extensive interview that you did with Dennis Rodman, however the only thing I can find now is "Bad as I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story" on the National Radio website.

It seems to me that the interview started out much like this story, in that it described how you met him and how he hasn't turned you down for an interview since. But I really think that it had much more detail. If there is such a thing, could you please forward it to me?

There is much interest in Dennis right now in the reality TV community from seeing him on Celebrity Mole: Yucatan, and I would love to be able to share your insightful comments! I wonder if you have watched Dennis on The Mole?

We are all so surprised to see such a quite, unflamboyant personality, but I remembered reading your take on him and it made more sense. If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks so much for your time!

Anita Caraker

NR

We have published several stories on Dennis Rodman that are listed on the Dennis Rodman stories page. We've never heard of the TV show you're referring to. Any information on the show would be appreciated.

LAKER BASHER?

I beg your pardon but... I thought I was walking in a Rose garden.

I was taken to task by reader that calls himself Super Dude regarding my, in his view, negative stories about the Los Angles Lakers. After dusting off my hurt feelings I decided to see what the Super Dude was talking about.

After a review of the National Radio Archives on the Lakers I may plead partially guilty with an explanation.

The explanation being that those stories didn't come out of a head hunting mission. In some cases it comes from someone on the street…. They bring the subject up and we follow through. In future columns an explanation will be made of how a Laker story and my opinion came about.

CAMBODIAN FOOTBALL FAN WRITES NR

I am a mad keen football fan from England and have watched games of varying standards in just about every country I've ever visited. Normally I plan holidays at times I know matches are on (i.e: I'm in Tunisia when the African Nations Cup is on next month) but for Cambodia I've booked my flight already.

I've found absolutely nothing about football in Cambodia except for a couple of delightful articles by yourself . Do you know if I am likely to catch any games in May (for the Premiere League)?

Any info you can give me will be most gratefully received! Ian Bruce

NR

At present there is no information regarding when the Premiere League will start. Former Cambodian national team star Hok Sochetra said the league did play last May but there is no schedule for the coming season.

Sochetra is currently an executive with the cell telephone company Samart. He is a player/head coach for the side that won the Premiere League title last season. The squad is currently playing practice games in preparation for the new season. We'll keep you posted.

You would think that you could escape the world's problems by watching a half hour sports news show. Not so with CNN who seem to be trying to be recognized as the WAR CHANNEL. CNN repeatedly unnecessarily interrupts their sports news program with a hair trigger breaking news bulletin. Sometimes it occurs several times during a half hour telecast.

This month the ultimate disruption came when the show was interrupted with a breaking news bulletin that a bomb had exploded on a bus in Israel. After several minutes of a repetitious exaggerated report of that they THOUGHT HAPPENED they returned to programming. Five minutes later interrupted again. During that intervention they repeated what they had already reported earlier. During that break they discovered that it was ONLY a sonic boom.

CNN should be more careful and responsible with their alarming reports. It would be more appropriate to check out the facts carefully before interrupting programming and alarming the public. CNN founder Ted Turner wrote a book titled 'Lead Follow Or Get Out of The Way.' It's time for CNN to get out of the way and leave the tiny bit of sports programming alone. As John Lennon sang: 'Give Peace A Chance.'

MILO UNDER 14 COMPETITION IN CAMBODIA

Milo has picked up the tab to sponsor the Cambodian Under 14 football competition. Hats off to the company. According to Tola May the Director of Youth Football for the Cambodian Football Federation; Milo was the ONLY company to offer support.

FIFA TOP 20 (+) BONUS PLUS

Rank/Team/Points

1. Brazil - 848

2. France - 826

3. Spain - 798

4. Netherlands - 752

5. Argentina - 744

6. Czech Republic - 742

7. Mexico - 740

8. England - 738

8. Turkey - 738

10. Italy - 733

11. United States - 732

12. Germany - 729

13. Denmark - 714

14. Ireland Republic - 712

14. Cameroon - 712

16. Belgium - 696

17. Costa Rica - 682

17. Portugal - 682

19. Sweden - 677

20. Croatia - 673

22. Korea Republic - 664

29. Japan - 646

60. Thailand - 545

85. China PR - 484

99. Vietnam SR - 452

178. Cambodia - 148