Before U22 Cambodia withdrew from men’s and women’s football, the Cambodian sports delegation had already pulled out of muay and billiards. By this evening, they continued to request withdrawal from 8 more sports, including judo, karate, pencak silat, petanque, wrestling, wushu, football, and sepak takraw, bringing the total number of non-participating sports for Cambodia to 10.
In the men’s football event, U22 Cambodia was placed in Group A alongside host U22 Thailand and Timor Leste. With the young Cambodian team’s withdrawal, Group A is left with only two teams, forcing the Organizing Committee (OC) to consider re-drawing the groups.
U22 Cambodia (in blue jerseys) withdraws from SEA Games 33 (Photo: VFF)
One scenario being considered is transferring a team from Group C (currently with 4 teams) to Group A. Excluding seeded team U22 Indonesia, the three teams potentially subject to a group transfer are U22 Singapore, U22 Philippines, or U22 Myanmar.
Furthermore, the men’s football event faces another obstacle as a new venue has not yet been determined for Group B, which includes U22 Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos. Initially, the group stage was scheduled to take place at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, but due to severe flooding affecting the area, matches will be moved to Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok) or Thammasat Stadium (Pathum Thani).
The change in Group B’s venue, along with U22 Cambodia’s withdrawal, will likely necessitate adjustments to the men’s football schedule compared to the initial plan.
In the women’s football event, Cambodia was also in Group A with host Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. They were scheduled to play their opening match against Singapore on December 4th.
