Latest news with #AFCWomen'sAsianCup
AsiaOne
15 hours ago
- Sport
- AsiaOne
Singapore women's football team withdraw from Asean Women's Championship, Singapore News
Six months after securing their first appearance at the Asean Women's Championship, the national women's football team will not feature in it after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on June 9 that they have withdrawn from the Aug 6-19 tournament. Fans and some players, however, were kept in the dark, and those who tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the tournament draw ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 9 were left wondering why Singapore were omitted from the draw — Timor-Leste were included instead. The FAS' statement on the withdrawal was issued only seven hours after the ceremony. In its statement, the national sports association said that the "decision-making process involved careful consideration of overlapping fixtures, team readiness and our broader commitment to key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions". The decision to pull out of the tournament was influenced by the need to manage player welfare, maintain performance standards and prepare the teams for the challenges ahead, added the FAS. Aside from the Asean Women's Championship, the Lionesses' schedule includes the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifers from June 23 to July 5, the AFC Under-20 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers (Aug 2-10) — which overlaps with the Asean tournament — and the SEA Games from Dec 9 to 20. The development comes after the team's gruelling qualifying campaign for the Asean Women's Championship in December 2024, when they had to endure fatigue, a packed playing schedule and injuries to the squad. After playing four games in nine days, a 1-0 victory over Timor-Leste in the third-place play-off saw them clinching the final qualifying berth for Singapore's first-ever appearance in the tournament. Captain Siti Rosnani Azman told The Straits Times: "Of course we're disappointed and we were looking forward to playing against strong regional teams, but we understand where they're coming from. "Our focus is being fully prepared for the Women's Asian Cup qualifiers and SEA Games." Many of the players are also "juggling school, work, club and national team duties" and taking time off from these commitments is challenging, added the skipper in a statement. Lionesses coach Karim Bencherifa said in a statement: "With important tournaments coming in quick succession — and some even overlapping — our priority must be to protect the health and well-being of our players." Noting that the FAS' technical department has decided to prioritise tournament participation, he added: "This is to ensure that our women's team has the best chance of staying fit and fresh, and able to perform at their best. "Our immediate focus is the Asian Cup qualifiers, then the U-20 qualifiers, followed by the SEA Games. These are major milestones for the team and we are committed to ensuring our players are in the best condition to perform at their highest level." The Asean Women's Championship in Vietnam will feature eight teams, with hosts Vietnam, four-time champions Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia to compete in Group A, while Group B comprises defending champions the Philippines, Myanmar, Australia and Timor-Leste. The matches will be played at Hai Phong's Lach Tray Stadium and Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri. The top two teams in each group will progress to the semi-finals on Aug 16, and the final will be held on Aug 19. [embed] [[nid:716956]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
New Paper
18 hours ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Singapore women's football team withdraw from Asean Women's Championship
Six months after securing their first appearance at the Asean Women's Championship, the national women's football team will not feature in it after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on June 9 that they have withdrawn from the Aug 6-19 tournament. Fans and some players, however, were kept in the dark, and those who tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the tournament draw ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 9 were left wondering why Singapore were omitted from the draw - Timor-Leste were included instead. The FAS' statement on the withdrawal was issued only seven hours after the ceremony. In its statement, the national sports association said that the "decision-making process involved careful consideration of overlapping fixtures, team readiness and our broader commitment to key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions". The decision to pull out of the tournament was influenced by the need to manage player welfare, maintain performance standards and prepare the teams for the challenges ahead, added the FAS. Aside from the Asean Women's Championship, the Lionesses' schedule includes the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifers from June 23 to July 5, the AFC Under-20 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers (Aug 2-10) - which overlaps with the Asean tournament - and the SEA Games from Dec 9 to 20. The development comes after the team's gruelling qualifying campaign for the Asean Women's Championship in December 2024, when they had to endure fatigue, a packed playing schedule and injuries to the squad. After playing four games in nine days, a 1-0 victory over Timor-Leste in the third-place play-off saw them clinching the final qualifying berth for Singapore's first-ever appearance in the tournament. Captain Siti Rosnani Azman told The Straits Times: "Of course we're disappointed and we were looking forward to playing against strong regional teams, but we understand where they're coming from. "Our focus is being fully prepared for the Women's Asian Cup qualifiers and SEA Games." Many of the players are also "juggling school, work, club and national team duties" and taking time off from these commitments is challenging, added the skipper in a statement. Lionesses coach Karim Bencherifa said in a statement: "With important tournaments coming in quick succession - and some even overlapping - our priority must be to protect the health and well-being of our players." Noting that the FAS' technical department has decided to prioritise tournament participation, he added: "This is to ensure that our women's team has the best chance of staying fit and fresh, and able to perform at their best. "Our immediate focus is the Asian Cup qualifiers, then the U-20 qualifiers, followed by the SEA Games. These are major milestones for the team and we are committed to ensuring our players are in the best condition to perform at their highest level." The Asean Women's Championship in Vietnam will feature eight teams, with hosts Vietnam, four-time champions Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia to compete in Group A, while Group B comprises defending champions the Philippines, Myanmar, Australia and Timor-Leste. The matches will be played at Hai Phong's Lach Tray Stadium and Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri. The top two teams in each group will progress to the semi-finals on Aug 16, and the final will be held on Aug 19.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Joe Montemurro appointed Australia Women's head coach after Lyon exit
Joe Montemurro has been appointed head coach of the Australia Women's national team. It was announced on Sunday that Montemurro, 55, would be departing Lyon after a single season in charge, and he will officially begin his position at Australia on June 16. Advertisement Australia have been without a permanent manager since Tony Gustavsson resigned following the side's group stage elimination at the 2024 Olympics. Former USWNT head coach Tom Sermanni has led the team on an interim basis. Montemurro will oversee the team for the first time in a pair of friendly double-headers against Slovenia and Panama in June and July as Australia build towards the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup on home soil. Football Australia interim chief executive officer Heather Garriock described Montemurro's appointment as coming at a 'critical time' for the team ahead of the Asian Cup next year, 2027 World Cup in Brazil and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Montemurro takes the role after almost a decade coaching in Europe with Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon, winning league titles at all three clubs. He moved to Europe following spells in charge of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, and the national team job marks his return to his home country Australia and first position in international management Advertisement 'I'm here because of the love of the game here and the love of the opportunity to come back,' he said. 'All these years that I went through the coaching journey in Australia, all these years through the A-League… to be given the opportunity to lead one of the best brands in the world, one of the most exciting teams in the world, and to do it at home, it's something quite emotional.' Australia reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Women's World Cup, which they co-hosted with New Zealand, and were beaten in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They exited the Paris Olympics at the group stages after winning just once at the tournament. 'Every one of the criteria, Joe ticks,' Garriock added. 'That's the reason why we fought so hard to get Joe back to Australia. He's Australian, and Australian-based. He loves football, he loves the nation. He wants to develop the next generation, and he knows how to win a few trophies.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Australia, UK Women's Football, Women's World Cup, International Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Joyous Arsenal trio to bring a great ‘vibe' into Matildas camp ahead of games against Argentina
The 'vibe' around the Matildas' trio of UEFA Women's Champions League winners is set to lift Australia in its two-match series against Argentina starting on Friday night in Melbourne. Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were all part of Arsenal's squad that beat Barcelona 1-0 in the weekend's Champions League final in Lisbon. Catley, Foord and Cooney-Cross aren't set to arrive in the Matildas camp until Wednesday night, but the buzz they will bring will be appreciated by their national teammates 'They must be on cloud nine and hopefully they come into camp and bring that positive energy with them,' veteran Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond said. 'There will be a massive positive vibe around them. The girls will probably just want to ask them a bunch of questions about how it all went. 'It's a huge credit to them. They've worked so hard and I'm just really happy for the girls to be able to experience that. 'Not a lot of people in their careers would even get to play Champions League, so to be able to come out and say that you're a winner is amazing.' Van Egmond was expecting the Argentines to provide the Matildas with a 'physical' test in the series that concludes next Monday night in Canberra. 'It'll be a physical game,' the Birmingham City star said ahead of Friday's battle at Marvel Stadium. 'They're quite street savvy, so it's a good opportunity for us to get two other friendlies under our belt before the (2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup). 'To play against different opposition is always nice.' The games against Argentina are expected to be the final matches of interim coach Tom Sermanni's tenure, with Joe Montemurro set to be appointed Matildas boss next month. 'He (Sermanni) has brought through a lot of the girls that are in the team now, including myself … and he's been fantastic whenever he's been in the role,' van Egmond said of the veteran mentor, who has had two previous spells as Matildas coach.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Champions League winners to bring energy to Matildas
The 'vibe' around the Matildas' trio of UEFA Women's Champions League winners is set to lift Australia in its two-match series against Argentina starting on Friday night in Melbourne. Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were all part of Arsenal's squad that beat Barcelona 1-0 in the weekend's Champions League final in Lisbon. Catley, Foord and Cooney-Cross aren't set to arrive in the Matildas camp until Wednesday night, but the buzz they will bring will be appreciated by their national teammates 'They must be on cloud nine and hopefully they come into camp and bring that positive energy with them,' veteran Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond said. 'There will be a massive positive vibe around them. The girls will probably just want to ask them a bunch of questions about how it all went. 'It's a huge credit to them. They've worked so hard and I'm just really happy for the girls to be able to experience that. 'Not a lot of people in their careers would even get to play Champions League, so to be able to come out and say that you're a winner is amazing.' Van Egmond was expecting the Argentines to provide the Matildas with a 'physical' test in the series that concludes next Monday night in Canberra. 'It'll be a physical game,' the Birmingham City star said ahead of Friday's battle at Marvel Stadium. 'They're quite street savvy, so it's a good opportunity for us to get two other friendlies under our belt before the (2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup). 'To play against different opposition is always nice.' The games against Argentina are expected to be the final matches of interim coach Tom Sermanni's tenure, with Joe Montemurro set to be appointed Matildas boss next month. 'He (Sermanni) has brought through a lot of the girls that are in the team now, including myself … and he's been fantastic whenever he's been in the role,' van Egmond said of the veteran mentor, who has had two previous spells as Matildas coach.
