Singapore and Indonesia to co-host Tiger Cup

Singapore and Indonesia to co-host Tiger Cup

MANILA (Reuters): The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has announced that Singapore and Indonesia will share the hosting rights for next year's Tiger Cup.

The regional body, which is responsible for running several events in South East Asia, had originally awarded the tournament to Indonesia at a committee meeting during last year's event in Thailand.

But following a conference held in the Philippines capital Manila at the weekend, the body, made up of the 10 member nations of the Association of South East Asian Nations, decided to alter the arrangement.

"It'll give more of our members the opportunity to stage competitions and added value to the spectators as the Tiger Cup will be played in two different countries," said AFF secretary Paul Mony Samuel.

Singapore previously hosted the first Tiger Cup in 1996 while Indonesia was originally due to host last year's event.

However, due to the repercussions of the regional financial downturn, Indonesia pulled out of the arrangement and Thailand stepped in.

Next year's event will see one group played in each country. The top two teams will qualify for the semifinals, with each nation hosting one match.

The third place playoff and the final will be held in Jakarta's Bung Karno Stadium.

The tournament will kick off on Aug. 30 with the final to be held on Sept. 14.

The Thais are the current Tiger Cup champions, lifting the trophy in November 2000 in Bangkok when they defeated Indonesia 4-1 in the final.

The ten teams taking part in the tournament are the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam.