Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam are competing in the 2010 ASEAN Futsal Championships at the Phu Tho sports complex in Ho Chi Minh City from April 5-11.

At a press conference on April 4, Tran Anh Tu, the Head of the national team said that Vietnam has aimed to enter the final match. However, it also hopes to win the title as the country has already qualified for the final round of the 2010 Asian Futsal Championships and was runner-up at last year’s ASEAN Futsal tournament. It also has the advantage of playing at its home ground and does not have to face tough rival Thailand.

The five teams will play in a round-robin format and the two best teams will play in the final. Matches begin at 14.00hrs and 16.00hrs local time. The final will take place at 16.00hrs on April 11. Vietnam Television (VTV) will broadcast live the Vietnamese team’s matches and the final on VTV3.

The Vietnamese Futsal team will include 14 players and will be coached by Italy’s Sergio Gargelli.

Indonesia and Malaysia will be the hardest rivals for Vietnam. They have both qualified for the 2010 Asian Futsal Championships and aim to reach the final. While the underdogs, Myanmar and the Philippines, see the event as an excellent chance for them to learn from their rivals.

The following are the championships’ fixtures:

April 5: Malaysia-the Philippines and Vietnam-Myanmar

April 6: The Philippines-Vietnam and Indonesia-Myanmar

April 7: Indonesia-Malaysia-Vietnam and the Philippines-Myanmar

April 8: Malaysia-Myanmar and Vietnam-Indonesia

April 9: The Philippines-Indonesia and Vietnam-Malaysia