The 4th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL Malaysia 2012

Thailand's team won its second consecutive championship title

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) joined with its Malaysian distributor Hong Leong Yamaha Motor to hold the 4th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL Malaysia 2012 international youth football tournament with the cooperation of the Football Association of Malaysia. The tournament was held over the three days from July 13 to 15 at the Stadium PJ Kelana Jaya in the state of Selangor, Malaysia and attracted a total of some 3,000 spectators (1,500 for the July 15 final) to see Team Thailand come from behind to win its second consecutive ASEAN CUP championship.

The tournament was competed by six under-13 teams, including two from the host country of Malaysia and one each from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The six teams were divided into two groups, A and B to compete in a round-robin, from which the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in each group qualified to compete in the final tournament for the title of "No. 1 in the ASEAN region."
The two teams that went on to compete in the championship final were Team Malaysia Yellow that took 1st in the group B round-robin and last year's champions Team Thailand. In each of the three previous tournaments, a home team had always won the championship, a fact that brought big hopes for a victory for one of the Malaysian teams this time. Those hopes were heightened by the fact that a previous meeting of the two finalist teams had ended in a 2-1 victory for Team Malaysia Yellow.
In the final game, both teams attacked relentlessly with fast pass work and aggressive dribbling in an exciting match worthy of the final, but neither was able to score initially. Eventually, it was Team Malaysia Yellow that scored first shortly after the 20th minute of the first half on a well taken penalty kick resulting from a foul and yellow card to a Thai player in the penalty area. Just after that a ball coming from a corner kick on the right side was knocked into the goal only to be ruled a foul. The first half ended with the score still at 1-0.
Again in the second half the two teams fought on aggressively but unable to penetrate their rival's defenses. As it began to look like Malaysia would go on to claim its first championship, another penalty kick resulted from a foul in the penalty area, this time by a Malaysian player in the 27th minute of the half. Successfully converted by the Thai kicker, this penalty kick became the equalizer. It looked as if the game would go into extra time until the Thai team launched a swift attack and added another goal in additional time to take an exciting come-from-behind victory and win the three-day YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament for the second consecutive time.
Prior to the final, Team Malaysia Blue had faced off against Team Vietnam in the match to determine 3rd place and Team Malaysia Blue had won 1-0. This gave the host country 2nd and 3rd places in the tournament.

One of the big aims of this tournament is to help build friendships in the region, and that is why the Welcoming Party before the tournament, the Farewell Party on the evening after the competition's end and other exchanges are also important parts of the program. One of these is the trip for all the players to Petaling Jaya's Sunway Lagoon Theme Park on the day after the tournament, the 16th, as the final event of the schedule. Here, with all the intense competition behind them, the players enjoyed a day of fun together in a relaxed mood.

The YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament is organized with the aim of becoming a symbol of the Yamaha Motor group's sport promotion in the ASEAN region that football-playing youth in the region will long to compete in and will contribute to the spread of the sport and elevating the competitiveness of the players and teams. The tournament is hosted by the participating countries on a rotating basis and plans call for the fifth tournament in 2013 to be held in Vietnam, the first country to host the tournament.

Winners comment: President of Assumption College Thonburi, Chamnan Laoruckphon

"I am proud of how diligently our team's members played. This team is made up of underclassmen of the team that won last year's tournament. I am glad to see that all of their hard work to follow in the footsteps of last year's team and win a second title have paid off. To prepare for this tournament, we had many practice matches with neighboring schools. The secret of this team's strength is the individual skills of all the players plus their good teamwork. Another strength is the support of so many people, including the families that came all the way to Malaysia to cheer them on. Their support was so strong that it almost gave this tournament the feeling of a home game. To be able to experience this kind of exchange with players from other countries at this young age of 13 makes this tournament an important opportunity for all the participants, I feel. I hope we will be able to win next year's qualifying tournament in Thailand and return to this event again next year."

Winning team player comment: Team Thailand Captain, #4 Kongdech Bornay

"I am very happy that we won. It was very exciting. In the final, Team Malaysia Yellow got the lead first and there was a long time when we were trying to catch up and couldn't, but as the team representing Thailand we had practiced hard, so we believed strongly that we could win. I kept saying to myself over and over, "We are going to win," like a prayer. And I told my teammates to just stay calm and concentrate on playing our own game. I learned a lot from playing in this tournament, but the most important thing for me was the new friends I made. During the matches the players on the other teams were rivals, but off the field we became good friends. In the future I want to play on the Thai national team and go to the World Cup, and it would be great if I will be able to meet the friends that I made here again someday in the World Cup."

2nd Place: Team Malaysia Yellow, Head Coach Mohamad Haris Bin Lajid

"Although it wouldn't be honest to say that there was no pressure on us as the host country's team, the players of our team were able to remain focused and play as always. We weren't able to win but I think our players did a great job. Even though they are young and healthy, it is still very demanding to play a schedule of four games in three days, and I think that the fatigue was a factor that might have caused them to lose concentration after the tying goal was scored in the second half. There are no other big tournaments like this for 13-year-olds in the ASEAN region. I think this YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament is a wonderful opportunity that brings talented young players a real sense of the potential of their dreams for the future. I really hope this tournament will continue and more countries will participate in the future."

3rd Place: Team Malaysia Blue, Head Coach Matt Holland

"The match for 3rd place against Team Vietnam was a great game where all the players played hard but always in the spirit of fair play. My team is made up of outstanding players selected from the clubs participating in the league that is directly sponsored by Hong Leong Yamaha. Considering the fact that we were able to come this far as a team in a period of just under one month in which I revised the training methods, diet and everything during a period of training camps and practice matches, I think that 3rd place is an excellent result. I think that all the things these 13-year-olds experienced in this tournament, from the atmosphere of the stadium and the big cheering of the spectators to the high-level skills of players from the other countries and the great hospitality they received in all aspects will be a tremendous asset for them in the future. I hope they will take the things they experienced here back to their own clubs and it will help raise the level of the entire league."

Comment by Leong King Choon, Sales and Marketing General Manager,
Hong Leong Yamaha, representing the host country

"I want to first of all thank all the players and team staff, and the good weather, for helping to make this first holding of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament in Malaysia such a pleasant and successful one. I am also grateful to the people of 1MCC (1 Malaysia Cardiff City) for running the tournament so smoothly. We were hoping that one of the Malaysian teams would win the tournament, but technical skills alone are not always enough to win in football. I felt how important mental strength and control of the mind and spirit are as well. This event has been held four times now and we have seen the levels of the participating teams and players rise every year. Physically as well, many of the children have gotten bigger and stronger. Football is a popular sport today in Malaysia and throughout the region. We look forward with great anticipation to the day when great players from the ASEAN region will be playing at the top international level. And, I hope this tournament will continue to contribute to youth development as an event that serves as a first step to that world stage through competition against players from other countries as representatives of one's own country."

Comment by Yutaka Terada, YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL Malaysia 2012
Organizing Committee Director / General Manager of Marketing & Sales Division
1st Business Unit, Motorcycle Business Operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

I am very grateful for the fact that the first holding of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament in Malaysia has come to a successful conclusion without event or injury. We owe this success to the people at the Football Association of Malaysia and 1MCC (1 Malaysia Cardiff City) who worked so hard to run and support the tournament and help in the promotion and development of sports, as well as everybody from all the participating countries and of course all the players and team staff with their passionate love of the sport of football. I also want to give our heartfelt thanks to the people of the host country of Malaysia, who have shown us such warm hospitality.
I was deeply moved to see how hard everyone played. I was especially impressed by the way the team from Vietnam overcame their height disadvantage and never gave up until the match was over. Their example and the sight of all the teams playing with such determination made me appreciate anew the importance of taking on challenges and never quitting. Unexpected things always happen in sports, don't they? In a match you have to play until there is a winner, but watching you all play, I think you are all champions.
In the ASEAN region today, Yamaha is focusing its marketing on the themes of "Bonds" and "Reverberation (Kando*)" because we believe in the ultimate importance of the bonds between the customers and society and the bonds with our dealers. The YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament is a perfect example of this philosophy because it helps build a growing circle of "Bonds" and "Reverberation (Kando)" between the players who may be hard-playing rivals on the field but become good friends when the game is over. I hope all of you who played in this tournament will meet again someday as players on the world stage."

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.

Press conference held jointly with the Football Association of Malaysia

On July 12th, the day before the start of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament, a press conference was held jointly with representatives of the Football Association of Malaysia to present the aims of the tournament and its past achievements. It was attended by the Malaysian press as well as members of the press accompanying the teams of the participating countries.
Along with the press conference, the lottery was held to divide the six participating teams into two groups for the round-robin stage. The result put Team Malaysia Blue in Group A with Team India and Team Vietnam and Team Malaysia Yellow in Group B with Team Indonesia and Team Thailand to begin competing the next day (13th) for spots in the final tournament.

Friendly Match Held

On the second day of the tournament, Saturday July 14th, after the two semi-final U-13 matches were over, a friendly match was held between the "F.T. & SELANGOR Motorcycle Association" team made up of motorcycle dealers and a "Combined Yamaha Team" made up of managers and coaches from the participating country teams, referees and staff from Hong Leong Yamaha, the event's sponsor. Although it was a "friendly match," once the play started, everyone was in serious mode. There was some hard contact and plenty of tricky passing to get past the opponents in a match that turned out to be every bit as spirited as the U-13 players'. Although they may have been struggling for breath at times, it was clear that everyone was enjoying the chance to play. The U-13 players, having finished their own matches, now had a chance to cheer vigorously from the stands for the fine plays of their team coaches and managers. The game ended in a 3-4 victory for the "Combined Yamaha Team" and the managers and coaches were able to put on a good show in front of their players.

Off the field friendships take root

In addition to helping improve the skill of young players, the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP is an event that aims to foster friendship between youths who love football. The Welcoming Party on the day before the tournament (July 12th) and the Farewell Party on its last day provided venues for this purpose. At the farewell party, the players congratulated each other on their play while looking at photos and videos taken during the competition. They also danced to music and overcame language barriers to reach out and share good times together, fueled by the feeling of liberation after the competition. Then, the next day (16th) they all were taken to the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park at Petaling Jaya to enjoy the pool and attractions to their hearts' content. Later, as they parted, it was clear that many hoped they would meet again as members of their respective national teams.

Supporters travel 24 hours from Thailand to cheer on their team

From the loudness of the cheering for Team Thailand you might have thought it was a home game. You could probably say with certainty that this group of supporters that came all the way from Thailand were a big factor in helping their team to score a come-from-behind victory in last year's final match as well.
One member of this group commented: "Many of us don't even have a son on the team, but since we are supporting this team we took time off from work and loaded our drums and other cheering items on the bus and rode for 24 hours to get to Kelana Jaya. We spent all our time going back and forth between the hotel and the stadium, so we didn't even have time for any sightseeing. We just came here to Malaysia to cheer for our team. And tonight we get on the 10:00 bus to go back to Thailand. But, since our team won, it was certainly worth the trip."

Yamaha Motor employees serve as volunteer referees again this year

At Yamaha Motor in Japan, there are a good number of employees who are constantly involved in youth football as instructors and referees. Since last year, a group of leading YMC employees who have official referee qualifications have volunteered to come and referee the tournament's matches as neutral third-nation referees so that the players can enjoy the tournament even more. More volunteer employees came to this year's tournament and refereed all ten matches in order to help the players play in the best possible environment.

Comment by Gobi Nair, 1MCC Operating Director

"I believe in the motto that 'There are no losers in football, everyone is a winner.' Even when you lose a match, there is always something that you can learn from the experience. The YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament is marvelous not only as an opportunity to improve one's competitive level but also because it is a meeting of people who love football, and even rivals on the field share this bond and can inspire each other on to new heights. I hope other ASEAN nations will also join the tournament and help expand this circle of people working together. Having employee volunteers do the refereeing is a new experiment, isn't it? You will always hear complaints about refereeing no matter what the level, from grass-lot football to the European championship to the World Cup and the Olympics. Just as the level of play improves year by year, having the referees work to improve their skills will surely help make this an even better tournament.

Comment by referee Kenji Miyagi, Engine Manufacturing Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

"Last year I was also asked to come and referee, but my work schedule made it impossible. Normally I only referee matches in tournaments in our prefecture, but I have long been interested in international events, so I decided to come this year. I truly love football. I started refereeing when my son started playing football and I want to continue to stay involved with the sport in some way.
I find that the children here show their emotions honestly when they are happy or when they are sad. And their desire to win shows itself in their play. I was really moved to see this honesty. Since the players in this tournament are the same age as my own son, it made me aware of many comparisons. I served as head referee in the final match, and since the quality of my refereeing determines whether or not the children can play at their very best and truly enjoy the game, I practiced a number of simulations the day before. My desire was to judge with a "Players First" attitude. I am very pleased if the players were able to genuinely enjoy the game. I also enjoyed my role as referee. In Japan the players are getting better all the time, but quite honestly I feel that the refereeing hasn't kept pace. This tournament has been a good experience for me and I want to continue to work to help improve the quality of refereeing."

Results
Match 1 (Group A) July 13 16:50 — 18:00

Match 2 (Group B) July 13 18:10 — 19:20

Match 3 (Group A) July 13 19:30 — 20:40

Match 4 (Group B) July 13 20:50 — 22:00

Match 5 (Group A) July 14 9:00 — 10:10

Match 6 (Group B) July 14 10:30 — 11:40

Group Results Win = 3 points; loss = 0 points; tie = 1 point
Group A

Group B

Final Tournament

Final tournament match 1 July 14 15:00 — 16:10

Final tournament match 2 July 14 16:50 — 18:00

Playoff for 3rd July 15 15 :00 — 16:10

Final championship match July 15 16:50 — 18:00