The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2020
will be stopped as the organisers of the premier football tournament has
decided to cancel in light of the ongoing health crisis caused by the
coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament was temporarily halted in March
due to the coronavirus outbreak. It was supposed to restart in late September,
with matches to be held at a centralised location. The AFC had even already
announced the schedule for teams playing in Group G, including PKR Svay Rieng
FC.
PKR Svay Rieng FC has three remaining matches
against Than Quang Ninh FC of Vietnam, United City FC (formerly Ceres-Negros
FC) of the Philippines and Bali United FC of Indonesia.
The Cambodian team is currently ranked number
three in Group G, but football observers see the team as having a good chance
of advancing to the next round, especially after beating powerhouse Bali United
FC during their first match in February.
PKR Svay Rieng FC could have benefited from the
turmoil faced by United City FC, which saw several key players leaving the team
and new management taking over a few months ago when businessman Leo Rey Yanson
was forced to sell Ceres-Negros FC to MMC Sportz Asia after severe business
losses due to the pandemic.
Despite the advantage, organisers decided to
cancel the tournament a few days ago.
“In view of the logistics in coordinating the
five zones of the AFC Cup and completing the Inter-Zone matches, the AFC
Executive Committee agreed that the pandemic created complexities which
constituted a Force Majeure event and, with sadness, result in the cancellation
of the 2020 competition,” the AFC said in a statement.
Conor Nestor, head coach of PKR Svay Rieng FC,
told the Cambodian National Competitions Committee (CNCC) that while he is sad
that the tournament will not push through, it would also be good for his team
as it will allow them to focus on the domestic competition.
“We will have time to focus on the local
competition. We will try to get the opportunity to represent Cambodia once more
next year,” he said.
PKR Svay Rieng FC is currently neck-and-neck
with Boeung Ket FC for the top spot and the title in the Metfone Cambodian
League (MCL) with a few games remaining before Cambodia’s top football league
concludes in late October.
The Svay Rieng province-based team is also
competing in the Hun Sen Cup, Cambodia’s premier knockout tournament.
Jonny Campbell, one of the key players of PKR
Svay Rieng FC, said he is upset but understands the reasons for the cancellation.
“I understand the reasons behind it, but of
course it’s very upsetting. We want to compete, show our level of football and
represent Cambodian football. We will do our best to retain our title and
represent Cambodia next season. Three very important matches are still left in
the league,” he said.
Starting next year, Cambodia will be
represented by two teams (the champions of the Cambodian League and Hun Sen
Cup) in the AFC Cup. In the past, only the MCL champions represented the
Kingdom in the continental championship.