Miserable old bugger

Spot the miserable so & so in the shorts

Nick Sells captures a candid moment during Saturday's football as the television cameras and a miserable looking old bugger in shorts (that's me) await the arrival of the teams onto the pitch at Olympic Stadium. I claim that the sun was in my eyes hence my scrunched up face. Others claim I'm just a miserable old sod. You decide.

It seems that an administrator from a local expat forum has already made his choice in the matter. This was a post he put up a few days ago:
Some people have a fondness for Andy 'boring' Brouwer (if there was ever a Cambodian anorak-wearing trainspotting blog then Andy would run it and he'd probably have a packed lunch of processed cheese sandwiches lovingly made by his old mum) and say that he runs the best blog in town, but my own personal blogspot fave is...
I'm instructing my lawyers as I type. I have never worn an anorak in my life but I was a trainspotter in my youth.

Sells' sights

The latest exhibition at the 4Faces Gallery in Siem Reap will be 'Olympic - Sights from the Stadium' by Nick Sells which will give even greater exposure to the football and sports activities that take place at Phnom Penh's Olympic arena. Nick's photos appear in the Phnom Penh Post a few days each week, accompanying the football reports (that I often write) and other sports. His exhibition, at the gallery-shop run by another pal of mine Eric de Vries, will begin tomorrow and last until 25 September. Get along to the exhibition if you are in Siem Reap over the next month, as Nick captures some great sporting action at the stadium and deserves your patronage.

Referees take note

Phnom Penh's Ousmanou Mohamadou (blue, 99) can't believe the referee's decision - neither could I. pic - Nick Sells

In the same incident, referee Duong Socheth brandishes the red card to Kun Kuon (orange, 6) with everyone looking bemused by the decision. pic - Nick Sells

The three dismissals on Saturday afternoon at Olympic during the CPL games left me seething. Well, perhaps that's too strong a word for it. They left me bemused and disappointed that both games, played in an open and entertaining style with goals aplenty, should end on such a sour note because of the over-reactions of the man in the middle. Take the Phnom Penh v Post Tel game for starters. We saw five goals, the game was played in a good spirit and referee Duong Socheth had only felt the need to brandish two yellow cards in the 90 minutes. However, with his final decision in the match in time he'd added on, Socheth decided to send off two players, 1 per side, for what looked like an innocuous tussle 25 yards from goal. Two-goal Crown striker Ousmanou Mohamadou and Post Tel's skipper Kun Kuon were shown yellow and then red cards for bugger all in my opinion. Okay, I was sat in the stand and didn't hear if the players reacted to the initial yellow card but for his part Mohamadou had walked away and the referee rushed after him to hold the red card aloft with a flourish. Why? The game was virtually over, the result settled, the initial tussle between the two players was essentially handbags at ten paces, there was simply no obvious need for the referee to react in such a dramatic fashion. Common sense should've prevailed. Instead both players will now miss their next games. Maybe the referee was hoping to send a signal to the CPL teams that he won't stand for any messing - its a close-knit community of match officials and teams - but instead he sends a message that he's officious and overzealous and is happy to spend the rest of the next day writing his match report. In the second game, Khemara versus BBU, the referee, Thong Chankethya, dismissed Khemara's Sophal Udom for what he deemed a second bookable offence in time added on at the end of the game. Why? In my opinion the challenge was not even worthy of a yellow card let alone the over-reaction of the man in the middle who has now cost Khemara the services of one of their players for the next game. He blew the final whistle immediately after he sent the player off, so why couldn't he have just ticked him off with a wagging finger and let it go. I like match referees that sail through a match without you knowing they're even there. I detest referees who want to make statements by their decisions, and both officials on Saturday appeared to be of that ilk. Very disappointing.

The match officials for the Khemara v BBU match, Thong Chankethya is 2nd from left. Come on guys, more common sense please!

Ony on target

Ony Onyemerea, two more goals from the striker gave Preah Khan the points. Photo: Nick Sells
Preah Khan looking mean and hungry for that CPL league title

Preah Khan Reach stay top of the Cambodian Premier League after a 2-nil win over Ministry of Defense, with a workmanlike if unspectacular performance this afternoon. With the Army missing three of their best players, Preah Khan did most of the pressing and it was two goals from Nigerian striker Olisa 'Ony' Onyemerea that won them the points. He tapped in after 17 mins and again in injury time to make his mark on the game, whilst his fellow striker Ekene Ikenwa did everything but score. PKR now have 26 points from 11 games. In the 2nd game, Spark started like a train in the pouring rain and led by two goals after just fifteen minutes. Seng Komsen and Sun Sovanrotha getting on the scoresheet leaving fellow striker and the league's top marksman Justine Prince a frustrated figure. Their opponents, Build Bright, snatched a late consolation with a Prom Puthsety penalty in time added on. Today's games marked the last matches to be covered by my pal Dene for the Phnom Penh Post as he's joining the paper full-time to work on their Lifestyle section and won't be able to make future matches. There are two more matches tomorrow and a juicy encounter on Wednesday, when Naga take on Phnom Penh Crown.

The Ministry of Defense adopt one of the more unusual line-up poses before the match

PKR skipper Sam El Nasa, shakes hands with Defense's Rang Borin (in red)

An Apsara TV cameraman's view of the game

The successful Spark FC team pose before their 2-1 win today

Spark's opening goal came from Seng Komsen

Teammate Sun Sovanrotha netted Spark's 2nd goal

A frustrating afternoon for Justine Prince (blue), the league's top scorer. Photo: Nick Sells

Delight and despair

Delight for Defense Ministry's Um Kumpheak and his colleagues after his last minute equaliser against a despairing Kirivong. Nick Sells

Kirivong's Juliuos Chukwumeka tries an acrobatic overhead kick against the Defense Ministry. Nick Sells

Here are some photos from the weekend's football action at the Olympic Stadium. As always the photographer for the Phnom Penh Post, Nick Sells, was on hand to capture the best of the activity, though there wasn't too much to shout home about to be honest. This Wednesday the Khemara Keila v Naga match-up looks like an encounter that may well entice me away from the office for a couple of hours. Don't tell anyone. Link; Nick Sells.

Phnom Penh Crown's 17 yr old wonderkid Keo Sokngorn in action (blue shirt). Nick Sells

Preah Khan's Sok Rithy blocks this cross-shot from a BBU striker. Nick Sells

Caught on camera

This is the moment before each game when the competing teams line up for a team photo - I'm the one in the middle with the stylish shorts. Nick Sells

Here are some photos from Saturday's action at the Olympic Stadium. My thanks to photographer Nick Sells who is the resident snapper at the Cambodia Premier League games played at the stadium every weekend. His pictures regularly appear in the Phnom Penh Post newspaper as well as the popular Pocket Guides. Link; Nick Sells

A titanic tussle between Preah Khan Reach's Saidu and Naga's Sunday Patrick Okonkwo (11) Nick Sells

The Naga players are sent away by the referee as he discusses a disputed goal in Saturday's match. The protests worked as the goal was given. Nick Sells