Singapore to host ASEAN Cup

Singapore to host ASEAN Cup

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Eight Southeast Asian countries will
compete in the inaugural ASEAN Cup soccer tournament in Singapore
in the first two weeks of September, a Football Association of
Singapore (FAS) spokesman said yesterday.

They comprise the top eight teams from last month's 10-nation
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The FAS
spokesman said the actual dates have not been fixed yet.

Under the ASEAN Football Federation's rules, the eight
countries automatically qualify for the biennial competition
which alternates with the SEA Games.

The eight are Thailand, the winner of the SEA Games gold
medal, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the
Philippines, all members of the seven-nation Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, and non-ASEAN members Laos and Myanmar.
Brunei, also an ASEAN member, and Cambodia did not qualify for
the ASEAN Cup.