Bandar Seri Begawan: The AFC U-14 Regional Festival of Football 2016 for the ASEAN zone was officially opened at the Hasanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex on Tuesday.
Twenty matches will be played over four days of the festival with 10 nations - Brunei Darussalam , Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam - participating.
HRH Prince Sufri Bolkiah, President of the National Football Association of Brunei Darusssalam (NFABD said during the opening ceremony: "We need the AFC's continuous support to build the capacity of NFABD as the football governing body in this country.
"With continuous efforts and hard work, as well as by having excellent grassroots and youth football programmes, I am confident that the NFABD will be able to deliver and bring football in this country, to where it should be.
"The festival is an excellent opportunity and venue for young footballers to play in the international atmosphere. With the experience in hosting last year, I am confident we will organise a better and more successful edition this year. To all AFC officials and visiting teams, welcome to Brunei Darussalam and enjoy the festival."
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Hj Awang Halbi Hj Mohd Yusof was also present during the opening ceremony.
Dr. Shamil K. Mohammed, AFC Manager of Youth Development, said: "The festival aim is to provide a platform to discover and develop talented players. I'd like to encourage all players to enjoy playing and take this opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and personal values such as confidence, honesty, tolerance and respect. We have the same objective and goal to achieve success in the festival.
A match between hosts Brunei and Myanmar followed the opening ceremony of the festival which will end on July 30, 2016.
Source: the-afc.com