Phnom Penh, 15th September, 2018 – The AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 Trophy Tour kicked off on Saturday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, marking the start of the countdown to the region’s most prestigious football tournament.

Cambodia’s National Team players, including midfielders In Sodavid, Sin Kakada. Brak Thiva and defender Ouk Sovann, attended the festive occasion, along with VIPs, officials, sponsors and fans at Aeon Mall 1, Lively Plaza.

Suzuki Motor Corporation and Cambodia Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. with OMC Co., Ltd. also took the opportunity to unveil two of their latest bikes: the Let’s 2019 and nex 2019.

Fittingly, the Trophy Tour started in Cambodia as the Cambodian team play Malaysia on the opening round of matches on November 8.

Next month the Trophy Tour heads to Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Manila and Yangon.

Midfielder In Sodavid paid homage to Cambodia’s new national team coach, Japanese star player Keisuke Honda, and said the new coach was already sharing some of his wisdom.

“Our national team is ready to compete in the tournament as we are equipped with strategic advice from our coach Mr. Honda. We train very hard and learn from our mistakes in order to get ready to compete in the game,” In Sodavid said.

Despite a recent 1-3 home loss in a friendly to Malaysia, their first AFF Suzuki Cup opponent, Cambodia’s assistant coach Oung Kanyanith said the national team, known as the Angkor Warriors, had been making steady progress in recent years.

“Cambodian football has made tremendous progress. We have gathered all the players to train for the AFF Suzuki Cup meaning that our players will be ready for the game. The AFF Suzuki Cup tournament encourages national and international players to play harder,” Oung Kanyanith said.

The appointment of Keisuke Honda as national team coach has sparked fresh interest in the Cambodian national team and the AFF Suzuki Cup will be the first major showcase of his talents as a coach.

Nobuo Kidokoro, Managing Director of Suzuki Cambodia, said Honda, who played at the highest level including a stint at Italian powerhouse AC Milan, had agreed to coach the Angkor Warriors without a salary and was deserving of respect. And, he has two goals.  One is to create a clear Cambodian national style of football.  The second point is to help spread Cambodia’s culture to the world.

“Keisuke Honda has been assigned to be the general manager of the Cambodia national team without payment and he accepted it.  As a Japanese, I respect him for that,” said Kidokoro.

The AFF Suzuki Cup stirs the emotions of football fans across the region and a strong turnout of support is expected when the games kick off in November.

One young fan who attended the Trophy Tour event said the recent home reverse against Malaysia was not a cause for concern.

“The Cambodian team is much better now. The previous international friendly match against Malaysia was meant to get some experience. In the next match against Malaysia on November 8, we will win,” said Orng Mengsung.

Defending champions Thailand have been drawn in Group B in this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup alongside Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

In Group A, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos will battle it out in what will be the 12th staging of the AFF Suzuki Cup.

An exciting new format is being used for the first time this year that will see each team play two matches at home and two matches away in the Group stages.

Fans can follow the Trophy Tour as it travels around the region in the build-up to the tournament and other AFF Suzuki Cup news on @affsuzukicup