Manila last stop of Suzuki Cup show

MANILA, Philippines - Manila will be the last stop of the four-city tour of the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup trophy roadshow, which kicked off last Wednesday at the Sedona Hotel in the former Myanmar capital of Yangon.

“The AFF Suzuki Cup stirs the emotions of football fans across the region and we are therefore expecting a strong turnout of support when we take the trophy on the road,” said AFF general secretary Lt. Gen. Dato Sri Azuddin Ahmad of Malaysia at the tour launch.

“Everyone is eagerly awaiting the start of the AFF Suzuki Cup and so the trophy tour will whet the appetite of fans in Southeast Asia for what promises to be one of the finest editions of the tournament,” Ahmad added in a story posted on the tournament’s official website.

“The AFF Suzuki Cup trophy tour is the perfect way to raise the curtains on this year’s tournament, which heads here to Myanmar very soon,” Takayuki Sugiyama, Suzuki Myanmar Company managing director, said at the same event.

“We are proud that Yangon has launched the trophy tour on its four-city swing in the region,” Sugiyama said. “This is a wonderful way to celebrate this popular tournament in this region and show the passion that the Suzuki has for the AFF Suzuki Cup.”

Sugiyama used the occasion in showcasing the latest edition of the Suzuki Ciaz, which will be manufactured for the first time in Myanmar.

Present at the unveiling of the glittering golden trophy were Burmese star players Than Paing, Win Min Htut, Maung Maung Iwin and Set Phyo Wai. The Suzuki Cup trophy tour is scheduled to touch down in Jakarta, Indonesia tomorrow before moving on to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Nov. 10 before winding up in Manila two days later.

Southeast Asia’s premier football tournament is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2016 with Myanmar and Philippines selected as co-hosts of the competition opening on Nov. 19 with two Group A matches at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.