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.