Friday, October 31, 2008

They're going nuts in Dili

So fans in Philadelphia thought they knew all there is to know about losing? Well the fans of East Timor's National Soccer team would like to differ. East Timor, who gained its independence just 6 years ago, had lost every single game they had played since 2002. Well that all ended in Phnom Penh with a 2-2 draw (they were up 2-1 with 10 miuntes left) against Cambodia and helped the national team earn its first point. Certainly this will also help them climb up in FIFA's world rankings as they were, in 2006, ranked 198 out of 200.

What does make this a remarkable story is that the national team receives little to no funding, plays on surfaces that are mostly dirt, and their players have to mantain full time jobs as they themselves receive no money. While FIFA has said it will help countries like East Timor, it would seem that any progress made will have to be of the grassroots style.

0 comments:

ShareThis

CMSB Search

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Maine Sports Media is part of the CMSB Media Group. Not all thoughts and posts directly represent our sponsors, followers, or fans.