Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Yangon: AFC Challenge Cup 2014 qualifiers Myanmar have appointed three-time AFF Suzuki Cup-winner Radojko Avramovic as their new head coach.
The 64-year-old Serbian, who spent almost ten years at the helm of the Singapore national team, leading the Lions to regional titles in 2004, 2007 and 2012, replaces Korean coach Park Sung-wha, who was dismissed by the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) in December after the U23s disappointing showing on home soil at the 2013 SEA Games.
“Raddy is a very experienced coach who knows ASEAN football very well. We believe he is the man who can take Myanmar football to a higher level,” MFF Media Department Director Soe Moe Kyaw told the Straits Times.
First on Avramovic’s agenda is the AFC Challenge Cup 2014, with the draw for the eight-team competition taking place on Wednesday at the Paradise Island Resort in the Maldives.
Joining Myanmar and the tournament hosts are two-time runners-up Turkmenistan, 2013 SAFF champions Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Palestine and Laos, who will be making their debut in the AFC Challenge Cup finals after booking their place as one of the two best runners-up from the qualifiers.
The fifth edition of the tournament for emerging nations will be held in the Maldives from May 19 to 30 with the winners also earning a berth at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
Photo: AFP