Cambodia Women's Team: Head Coach Admits He Does Not Hold the Most Power

tuyển nữ Campuchia - Ảnh 1. — Coach Gyotoku Koji of the Cambodian women's team admitted that he does not hold the highest professional responsibility - Photo: NGOC LE

"I have only been leading the Cambodian women's team for about 10 days. Actually, the team's previous coach (Mr. Conor Nestor) is still participating in this tournament, but in a different capacity. He is the main person in charge of technical skills, and I only support, because I don't know much about the Cambodian women's players. It is difficult to know the ability of each player and who can do what on the field," coach Gyotoku Koji honestly shared.

Coach Gyotoku Koji was recently appointed as head coach of the national women's team by the Cambodian Football Federation a few days before the start of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship.

Mr. Gyotoku Koji was the head coach of the national men's and U23 teams. With limited knowledge of women's football, this strategist only set modest goals.

"Group A is full of strong opponents, our goal is just to get 3 points. It sounds very modest but it is a huge challenge for us," said coach Koji.

Mr. Koji also just experienced 2 defeats against the Vietnam national team and U23 Vietnam in just a few months, at the FIFA Days in March and the group stage of U23 Southeast Asia 2025 last July.

"As head coach, I also want to win the match, but it is very difficult, especially against the Vietnamese women's team in tomorrow's match. We want to focus on playing well, not saying we will win 1 or 3 points or limit the number of goals conceded," said the Japanese strategist.

At the press conference, the Thai women's team also had a strange response, when the players declared their goal of winning the championship, while the head coach said they only dared to compete.

"We aim to win the championship and I personally want to be part of that journey," said Chachawan Rodthong, a Thai women's player.

But a few minutes later, head coach Futoshi Ikeda of the Thai women's team spoke up to clarify. "Because the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship is not included in FIFA Days, we cannot call up the best players from the clubs, we can only call up young players (U20). We do not aim to win the championship, but only consider this an opportunity for the players to compete," coach Futoshi Ikeda answered a question from Tuoi Tre Online .

tuyển nữ Campuchia - Ảnh 2. — Coach Mai Duc Chung warmly greeted the opponent's captain - Photo: NGOC LE

Regarding the Vietnamese women's team, coach Mai Duc Chung said: "We respect each opponent. Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia have all made certain progress through their performances in recent friendly matches. We can only strive to achieve our goals in each match."

He continued: "Playing at home is clearly a big advantage for the Vietnamese women's team. Hopefully the audience can come in large numbers to cheer for the whole team."

Attending the press conference, veteran striker Huynh Nhu shared: "The Vietnamese women's team will try to show the best performance to dedicate each match to the home audience. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. The Vietnamese women's team won the 2003 SEA Games at home in Hai Phong . We will strive to continue writing that history."

The Vietnamese women's team will compete in Group A matches of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship with Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand at 7:30 p.m. on August 6, 9 and 12, respectively, all at Lach Tray Stadium.

In Group B, the teams of Philippines, Myanmar, Timor Leste and U23 Australia will compete in matches on August 7, August 10 and August 13 at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ).

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals (taking place on August 16).

NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-nu-campuchia-hlv-truong-thua-nhan-khong-nam-quyen-luc-cao-nhat-20250805163614966.htm