Honda Keisuke, the general manager of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FCC), praised the progress of football in the past five years despite not being able to secure a place in the semi-final at the 32nd SEA Games.

Honda made the remarks during a farewell dinner on Thursday with players and Sao Sokha, the head of FFC. Cambodia exited from the SEA Games after losing 2-1 to Indonesia on Wednesday.

Impressed by the overwhelming support from Cambodian fans, Honda said he is optimistic about the future of Cambodian football and he encouraged the team to set ambitious goals, and train harder.

Honda said, “There is no magic, you have to start from where you are and work hard to achieve your goals. Also, please eat healthy and practice frequently.

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“Unfortunately, we did not achieve our targeted goal last Wednesday. But, it is the reality that we have to accept,” he said.

Honda praised the progress the national team made in the past five years by competing in many regional football tournaments, such as the AFF Championship, the SEA Games, the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and the qualification stages for the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup.

“The Cambodian football team’s process is still an ongoing one, and I have never seen any countries be successful in five years,” he said.

Under Honda’s leadership, at the group stage in AFF Championship in December 2022, the Cambodian national football team defeated the men’s national football teams from the Philippines and Brunei by winning 3-2 and 5-1, respectively.

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However, the Cambodian national football team did not advance to the knockout stage. AFF Championship a.k.a AFF Suzuki Cup is a biennial regional football competition where 10 national teams from South East Asia compete in the group stage and the knockout stage.

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