With the deadline looming for the Cambodian-hosted World Cup football qualifiers and with Olympic Stadium undergoing a massive renovation, government officials are scrambling today to find suitable accommodations for the April matches.
Officials had thought that the only venue capable of hosting the qualifiers was Olympic Stadium, but the complex is in shambles, with broken glass, litter and bat guano covering the grounds. Its main football field is without grass.
In a Monday meeting with Tol Loh, head of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Keo Sarath, the general secretary of the Cambodian Football Federation, said he suggested the government have the Taiwanese-owned Yuan Ta Group focus on re-sculpting the stadium’s main football field in time for the matches.
However, Keo Sarath said Tol Loh assured him that would be a violation of the $40 million contract, which the government awarded last year.
“I had hoped the company was going to renovate the stadium on time. But we have no choice,” Keo Sarath said.
Last week, government officials criticized Yuan Ta for a perceived lack of action on the stadium renovation, but a company spokesman said the company sorted out what it called a “misperception,” and the stadium grounds would probably be completed in eight to nine months—ahead of the contract’s schedule, but not near enough time for the World Cup matches.
Part of the problem, the company has said, was that the government only handed over the stadium in mid-December.
Although a rehabbed football field would be a big boost for the country’s morale, Keo Sarath said he was skeptical that the qualifiers would generate money, because admittance is free and he doubted that many foreign tourists will come.
The limbo status of Olympic Stadium has left officials looking for a stadium that meets World Cup standards, even if it means shipping athletes, referees and fans out into the provinces.
As a result of the crises, Ministry and federation officials were meeting today to find a suitable place. Keo Sarath said he was skeptical about the search.
“In Kampot province, there’s a stadium, but the road from Phnom Penh is not good. There is also a stadium in Kampong Cham province and the road is better, but the stadium is too small. Siem Reap might be okay, but we’ll have to check,” he said.
Overall, Cambodian sports has a long road ahead of it, Keo Sarath said. It will take “at least 10 years” for Cambodians to enjoy the level of competition and skills they enjoyed before the Khmer Rouge.
“The problem is that we have no money, no equipment—we lack everything,” he said.
As a result, Keo Sarath said, sporting officials are already planning far beyond the April games. “For the older generation, it’s already too late. But we must train our young,” he said.
Despite the bleak outlook, Cambodia’s football skills have improved dramatically over a short period of time, winning praise even from its Vietnamese arch-rivals, Keo Sarath said.
That does not mean that people should bet too heavily on the Cambodian squad this April.
“For these matches, I do not have much hope for success,” Keo Sarath said. “We just want to play, anyway, so we can learn from our experiences…to give our fans some hope for the future,” he said.
