Myanmar’s silver-medal winning footballers salute the crowd after the SEA Games final in Korat, Thailand, on December 14. Pic: AFP

MYANMAR’S head football coach, Marcos Falopa, who led the team to a well-deserved silver medal at the 24th Southeast Asian Games, said he was delighted with the team’s performance and now wants to build a strong future with the national side.

“I saw that the tournament was a hard competition to win and I’ve learned a lot from the Games,” Falopa said of the football tournament won by SEA Games hosts Thailand.

After spending Christmas and New Years in his native Brazil, Falopa plans to get to work on a number of areas he says the team must improve
on if they are to start winning tournaments.

He said the difference between Myanmar and other teams at the SEA Games was obvious.

Marcos Falopa says Myanmar have the talent and determi-nation to succeed and must now build up experience. Pic: AFP

“After playing against Thailand in the final, the [Myanmar Football Federation] officials I spoke to said they recognised how important international exposure is to becoming a regional champion,” Falopa said.

He pointed out that some of the Thai players had trained in Brazil and England, while several Indonesian players had trained in Argentina.

The Myanmar team, he said, only had exposure to the domestic competition, which does not prepare them for the speed and skill required for internationals.

Falopa said he was satisfied with the team’s preparation for the tournament but winning future editions would require even more.

“My players are physically fit and have loads of talent and determination. I think that if we matched the level of preparation that other regional sides put in and played more international games, we could be the SEA Games champions in future,” he said.

Falopa added that in 2008 he will be keeping his eye on the domestic league for talented new players and perhaps work on changing some attitudes about slightly older players along the way.

“For 2008, I’m going to work with the player base that I’ve already got and will probably pick out for further development any outstanding players that I see during league games,” he said. “In Brazil, players over 30 are still playing top football and their efforts are well regarded in the national team. Cafu is a good example of this: He’s 38 and still regularly playing for the national team.

“But players here who are over 28 never get a spot on the team. I think the federation should give these guys the chance to play because they bring a lot of experience to the national team,” he said.

Falopa clearly indicated he was keen to stay on with Myanmar but admitted he didn’t know if the job would be offered to him again after his contract with the Myanmar Football Federation expires in April.

“I haven’t discussed with the federation yet whether there will be an extension of my contract; it’s just too early to know right now,” he said.

But for Myanmar football fans relishing seeing their side finish the SEA Games above the likes of Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, there is unlikely to be any question as to whether Falopa should continue.