Monte Carlo FC (Macau) 1:2 Taichung Futuro (Taiwan) 1,238 fans attened the game. This must be the best attended match in Macau this year.
Macau will play Bhutan today in Macau Stadium as they prepare for their World Cup qualifiers against Myanmar. Macau will also travel to Cambodia to play against the hosts next Monday. So rare to see Macau lining up friendlies. It just goes to show that when a big important match comes up, the Macau govt is happy to release resources for Macau FA. I really hope Macau finds a way to beat Myanmar and progress to the group stage, so the Macau players can benefit.
https://www.tdm.com.mo/zh-hant/news-detail/876590?date=2023.09.06 Macau 0:1 Bhutan Macau just did not have any luck in attack. They sorely miss Leong Ka-Hang. I guess he is still not playing for the national team after the Sri Lanka fiasco.
Cambodia 4:0 Macau Macau captain Almeida actually hit the post twice. I still lament the missing Leong Ka-Hang. He would have provided much needed fire power upfront.
AFC Cup MUST CPK 0:1 Taichung Futuro Duarte tried to chest the ball back to goalkeeper Ho Man-Fai, but it was too powerful for Ho to catch. It turned out to be the only goal of the game. What a pity. In the second half CPK fought hard but to no avail. Given Ulaanbaatar won its match against Tainan, Ulaanbaatar and Taichung must now be favourites.
2026 FIFA World Cup + 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier round one Myanmar 5-1 Macau Macau just collapsed towards the end of the match and leaked goals galore. They had defenders at the back ghost walking and getting into each other's ways. They really need to improve player fitness.
AFC Hub will live stream MUST CPK vs FC Ulaanbaatar tonight. MUST CPK hopes to score its first win in the competition.
Lost. I'm not convinced by their foreigners. The nr 7 Uzbek player is good, but Patriota and the other players no.
FC Ulaanbaatar vs MUST CPK at 2pm HK time today. It is already snowing in Ulaanbaatar, so I'd imagine it would be a very, very difficult away game for MUST CPK players who have never experienced these playing conditions. But this what playing away is about, experiences that you don't get at home.
The draw for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play off round took place today in which Macau had been drawn to face off against Brunei in a two legged fixture that will take place in September.
Macau will play against Brunei for a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup qualification group stage. They will have new shirts for the two matches.
http://www.macaodaily.com/html/2024-08/26/content_1777013.htm Bad bad news for Macau as their 4 "foreign" players have been banned by AFC (and FIFA) from representing Macau national football team in the upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers against Brunei. They are captain Niki Torrao, Filipe Manuel Cordeiro Duarte, Vitor Almeida and Kaewchang, Capelo Iuri. They have all resided for more than 7 years in Macau and hold permanent Macau permenant citizen ID cards. This is going to be a major blow to Macau. https://sports.happymacao.com/sport/view/3549.html AFC claims that the 4 players do not have Macau SAR passports and they have asked FIFA for guidance. FIFA said they cannot represent Macau without valid Macau passports. Macau FA is still working to seek a solution with AFC and FIFA.
https://appapi.tdm.com.mo/zh-hant/n...o=true&lang=zh-hant&shortvideo=0&category=all TDM reports with interview of Macau NT coach Oliveira.
Macau NT actually played a training match with BC Rangers yesterday (25 Aug). But it was not disclosed what the score was. Macau NT will travel to Brunei on 4 Sep to play their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/p9rEwpCdHMYidgVp/ Pictures of the traning match between Macau NT and BC Rangers. It was clear the match was played in Lin Fung Stadium in Macau.
https://macaonews.org/life/sports/macau-football-fifa-foreign-players-ban-coach-macao/ Oliveira: Macao’s football team will ‘do its best’ despite losing its top players The Macao squad suddenly lost five of its most valuable players after FIFA ruled that non-SAR passport holders would not be permitted to play for the city Head coach Lázaro Oliveira says the focus will be on preparing for next month’s Asia Cup match against Brunei, in spite of the shocking news UPDATED: 27 Aug 2024, 3:13 pm Although admitting that it was “very difficult to accept,” FIFA’s decision last week to ban foreign players from representing Macao is just something the team will have to cope with, says head coach Lázaro Oliveira. FIFA’s announcement has deprived the team of several of its most valuable players, including captain Niki Torrão, whose history with the team stretches back 20 years, as well as Filipe Duarte, Vítor Almeida, luri Capelo and David Kong Cardoso. Despite being Macao permanent residents, the players are not SAR passport holders, which makes them ineligible according to the ruling. Speaking to public broadcaster TDM, Oliveira said Macao nevertheless had to do its best in the upcoming Asia Cup match against Brunei, which is scheduled to take place on 6 September. “We are preparing for the match, training two times a week,” Oliveira said. “We are going to do our best. For me it’s 50-50. They [Brunei] have a new coach, he’s a Portuguese also.” Oliveira praised the Brunei squad as a capable and fast team that was able to counterattack well. The banned players have meanwhile voiced confusion and dismay over the international football body’s decision, with Capelo, a Macao resident with Thai and Portuguese ancestry, stating that he was born and raised in the city. Oliveira said that lodging an appeal against FIFA’s decision would be “too late” and that he would have to select other individuals to replace the four banned players. Nonetheless, efforts to appeal are underway, with the Macau Football Association (known by its Portuguese initials AFM) stating that it had sought counsel from legal experts. The chances of a reversal in the decision seem slim, with an AFM representative who spoke to Tribuna de Macau saying that “we can do little.” The association, however, is seeking further clarification on the matter from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. It argues that the SAR’s unique situation and its history of having Portuguese players in its team was not taken into consideration when FIFA made the decision. Currently, the Macao team is ranked a lowly 185 on FIFA’s leaderboard, putting it among the bottom rung.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/nati...on-chinese-from-macau-football-team-fifa.html ‘Nationality rule’ in question following exclusion of non-Chinese from Macau football team: FIFA An amendment to the rules regarding eligibility for representative teams, which was adopted by the FIFA Congress on Sep. 18, 2020, is causing all non-Chinese nationals listed to play for the Macau Football Association (MFA) to become ineligible for the team. This information was confirmed to the Times by a FIFA representative based in Beijing. The changes at issue pertain to the so-called “nationality rule,” which FIFA implemented to promote fairness and equal treatment among all stakeholders. The goal is to ensure that players have a genuine connection with the teams they represent and to prevent abuse of the system. FIFA stated, “In adopting these reforms, FIFA developed the following core principles that underpin its eligibility rules: ‘no nationality, no eligibility.’ Eligibility must be based on objective criteria (i.e. the player’s nationality); all Member Associations (MAs) must be treated equally; there must be a genuine link between the player and the MA they intend to represent; cases of undue severity or hardship should be avoided; abuse (e.g. ‘nationality shopping’) should be prevented; and the sporting integrity of international competition must be protected.” FIFA also highlighted that these reforms “followed a comprehensive working group process involving delegates from several member associations.” This group reviewed the entire regulatory framework and considered submissions from the MAs. The new rules are also said to result from the “established practices which had developed over the course of more than 20 years of jurisprudence.” In short, the nationality rule essentially means what is stated as the primary criterion for regulating player eligibility: “no nationality, no eligibility,” according to FIFA. As first reported late last week by the Portuguese-language newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau, this means that four current players, along with one who was set to join the pre-selected squad for the MFA’s upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifiers, are now ineligible to play because they are not of Chinese nationality. The players affected include Vitor Almeida, Iuri Capelo, Nicholas Torrão, and Filipe Duarte, as well as a fifth player whom Coach Lázaro Oliveira had considered for the team but who could not be added for the same reason. FIFA vs Macau on nationality rules Although much has been discussed about the new FIFA rules on player eligibility for representative teams, the issue has two sides, with the core problem lying in the rules for acquiring a Macau passport. According to the Identification Services Bureau (DSI), local regulations restrict the eligibility for a Macau passport to “applicants who fulfill all of the following conditions: [be] a permanent resident of the Macau SAR with Chinese nationality [and a] holder of a Macau SAR permanent resident identity card.” The problem with the players stems from their failure to meet FIFA’s requirement for Chinese nationality, which can only be obtained under very specific conditions related to ancestry. FIFA’s document on eligibility rules also clarifies in Article 6, paragraph 3, specifically in number 41, which outlines the criteria for representing multiple associations based on nationality. One of these “special cases” involves Macau. According to number 41.3, “Chinese nationality: China PR; Hong Kong; Macau,” players holding Chinese nationality are eligible to represent the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, or Macau, based on criteria including whether the player was born in the territory of the relevant association, whether their biological mother or father was born there, whether their grandparents were born there, or whether the player has lived there for at least five years. Associations also have the option to amend this last criterion by either removing it or extending the time limit. While FIFA’s criteria are indeed stricter than before, the main issue in the current Macau case revolves around the difficulties players face in acquiring Chinese nationality. Consequences, immediately and in the long term To assess the immediate and long-term impact on the local representative team, the Times interviewed an experienced football coach who has worked extensively in Macau’s football scene. At the interviewee’s request, their identity will remain confidential. Regarding the current situation, the former coach told the Times, “This issue revolves around the nationality rule, which has seen some changes in recent years. From a coach’s perspective, you always aim to have the best possible group of players. However, these new rules provide a clear picture for the future, and I believe we need to quickly learn from this situation.” The same interviewee added, “What I’m emphasizing is that according to this rule, only local players who hold or are eligible for a Macau passport will be able to join the teams from now on. This has become the new baseline and starting point.” He continued, “What the MFA should do is start immediately identifying new talents who meet this profile and begin working with them so that, in a relatively short time, there will be a team ready to represent Macau effectively.” Despite this clear path for the present and future, the professional acknowledged that challenges remain. “It might sound straightforward, but finding and developing new talent is not as simple as it seems. Nevertheless, it is essential to address this, or there will be no improvement.” When asked about the real impact on the team from not being able to use the players in question, the coach responded, “I don’t think it’s a major issue. The significance of these players to the team’s overall performance is not that great… That’s honestly how I feel. Let’s consider this from an objective perspective, without personal attachments. Have these players made a significant difference over the years? Has Macau qualified for any rounds or achieved noteworthy performances because of them? I don’t believe so, and the results support that. This seems more like an emotional reaction than a reflection of their actual value to the team.” He added, “I am still saddened that we’ve reached this point. Personally, it feels somewhat disrespectful, but that’s just our emotions speaking. Sports performance can be objectively measured, and I believe the Macau team will not suffer due to their absence. We might as well consider this as if they have retired and use their knowledge and experience to train a new generation of players. They certainly have skills and insights that could benefit future players, if they choose to help. However, dwelling on what’s lost will not solve any problems.” Appeal from MFA is to ‘save face’ When asked about the MFA’s recent statement that they had appealed the decision to exclude the players, the coach remarked that he believes this is merely an attempt to “save face.” He added, “They knew there would be criticism for not addressing the problem sooner, which is not unusual. So, they are making the usual claims that they are doing their best and trying their hardest. I believe the appeal will likely be dismissed, as the rules are quite clear. Granting a special exemption would set a precedent that could lead to other associations seeking similar exceptions.” The Cambodian example Expanding on the topic, he referenced the situation in Cambodia. “Facing a similar issue, the Cambodian Football Association is addressing it by including six new players in their squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers – Playoff Round. Of these six, three are naturalized players and the other three have Cambodian ancestry. Two of the naturalized players—Yudai Ogawa (Japan), Hikaru Mizuno (Japan), and Mohammed Faeez Khan (South Africa)—completed their naturalization process in August and July 2024, with Ogawa’s process finishing in October or November of the previous year. The three players with Cambodian ancestry are French-Cambodian Thierry Chantha Bin, New Zealander-Cambodian Lucca Lim (a young talent with great potential), and American-Cambodian Nick Taylor,” he detailed. “This demonstrates how other nations quickly adapt to rule changes, unlike in Macau, where the local sports community often suffers due to a lack of timely response and decision-making.” The Times also reached out to the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) to inquire if they have faced any issues with FIFA’s new rules, given their similar status to Macau. However, no responses were received from HKFA by the time of publication.
Tickets for the second match between Macau and Brunei will be available for free at the Macau Stadium office. Tickets must be collected in person. Each person may collect 4 tickets maximum. It is free seating. Office hours: 08-09-2024 Sun 14:00 - 18:00 09-09-2023 Mon 10:00 - 18:00 One can probably collect a ticket right before the match.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1772528093281270 AFC U20 qualifiers Macau 1:1 Palestine What a goal from Lei Cheng Lam. This is good performance from the perennial underdogs.