Army United F.C.
Army United Football Club is a Thai football club based in the Din Daeng District of Bangkok and is one of the oldest continuing football club in Asia. The club was founded in 1916 and was known as Royal Thai Army until November 2010, they play in the second division in Thai football, the Thai League 2. Their home stadium is known locally as the Thai Army Sports Stadium and more known around Asian circles as the Royal Thai Army Stadium of, host to numerous international youth matches due to its central Bangkok location; the club play in red shirts with red socks. Despite finishing bottom of the Thai League 1 in 2010 they managed to regain their top-flight status after winning Group B of the Thai League Play-off in 2011. Army United represent the Royal Thai Army and have traditionally been Thailand's yo-yo club along with the Navy and Police clubs. Up until 2010 and the name change from the Royal Thai Army to Army United, the club lacked support and had dwindling crowds supported by Army personnel shipped in for the games.
The Army team has always been a mid ranking Thai team with their biggest successes coming in the Thai Division 1 League with a championship in the 2004–05 season and 2nd place in 2009. Both of these successes have of course come after relegation from the Thai League; the club are based in the Din Daeng District of Central Bangkok, the area that bases the Royal Thai Army. Up until the 2011 season, the club operated a policy of only playing home grown talent, but ditched this as the game became more professional and foreign players were brought into the team; the players would work for the Army during the week and play football on weekends, somewhat different from most clubs who operated on a full-time basis. In the 2010 season they were reprieved from relegation after an end of season relegation/playoff system was announced to expand the Thai Premier League, they came 16th. The 2011 rebranded Army United signed five Brazilians and surprised all expectations as they topped the TPL in the early weeks of the season.
Crowds rose from a few hundred hardy souls to a season average of 5,580. Leandro Dos Santos was hitting the back of the net yet the early season form petered out and Army finished in 13th position. In 2012, most of the Brazilians had moved on but were replaced with other rated foreign stars. Daniel Blanco was the most impressive performer as Army flirted with the Top 6 for long periods before finishing in 10th position; the 2012 season coincided with Army reaching the 2012 Thai FA Cup final. On the way to the final, Army were given a reprieve after they'd lost a penalty shoot out to regional league side Trat, it turned out that Trat had fielded an unregistered player and were booted out of the cup with Army reinstated. Army United took the scalp of runaway TPL leaders Muangthong United F. C. on the way to the final. The final itself was rather disappointing for the club with Army losing 2–1 to Buriram United F. C.. In the 2013 Season the club signed a strategic partnership deal with Thai-owned English club Leicester City F.
C.. Thai Army Sports Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road in the Din Daeng District of north Bangkok, Thailand, it is used for football matches and is the home stadium of Army United F. C; the stadium holds 20,000 and has a single stand with covered seating on one side and terracing on three sides. An athletics track surrounds the pitch, it is used by Thai club sides in international football competitions and was used by Bangkok University FC in the 2007 AFC Champions League and Osotsapa FC in the 2007 AFC Cup. Additionally, it has been used for matches involving national sides in international tournaments hosted by Thailand where the hosts are not involved. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. For details on former players, see Category:Army United F. C. players.
Coaches by Years Thai Division 1 League Winner:2004-05 Thai FA Cup Runner-up:2012 Kor Royal Cup Winner:1983 Queen's Cup Runner-up:1997 Official website Army United at Thai Premier League
Sneakers
Sneakers are shoes designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now widely used for everyday wear. The term describes a type of footwear with a flexible sole made of rubber or synthetic material and an upper part made of leather, synthetic substitutes or cloth; the shoes have gone by a variety of names, depending on geography, changing over the decades. The term "sneakers" is most used in the Northeastern United States, South Florida, North Carolina, parts of Canada and New Zealand; the British English equivalent of "sneaker" in its modern form is "trainer". In some urban areas in the United States, the slang for sneakers is kicks. Other terms include training shoes or trainers, gym boots or joggers, running shoes, runners or gutties, daps in Wales, runners in Hiberno-English, tennis shoes, gym shoes, sports shoes, takkies, rubber shoes or canvas shoes. Plimsolls are "low tech" athletic shoes, are called'sneakers' in American English; the word "sneaker" is attributed to American Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son.
In 1917, he used the term. The word was in use at least as early as 1887, as The Boston Journal made reference to "sneakers" as "the name boys give to tennis shoes." The name "sneakers" referred to how quiet the rubber soles were on the ground, in contrast to noisy standard hard leather sole dress shoes. Someone wearing sneakers could "sneak up" on someone. Earlier, the name "sneaks" had been used by prison inmates to refer to warders because of the rubber-soled shoes they wore; these shoes acquired the nickname'plimsoll' in the 1870s, derived according to Nicholette Jones' book The Plimsoll Sensation, from the coloured horizontal band joining the upper to the sole, which resembled the Plimsoll line on a ship's hull. Alternatively, just like the Plimsoll line on a ship, if water got above the line of the rubber sole, the wearer would get wet. Plimsolls were worn by vacationers and began to be worn by sportsmen on the tennis and croquet courts for their comfort. Special soles with engraved patterns to increase the surface grip of the shoe were developed, these were ordered in bulk for the use of the British Army.
Athletic shoes were used for leisure and outdoor activities at the turn of the 20th century - plimsolls were found with the ill-fated Scott Antarctic expedition of 1911. Plimsolls were worn by pupils in schools' physical education lessons in the UK from the 1950s until the early 1970s. British company J. W. Foster and Sons designed and produced the first shoes designed for running in 1895; the company sold its high-quality handmade running shoes to athletes around the world receiving a contract for the manufacture of running shoes for the British team in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell won the 100-m and 400-m events, kitted out with Foster's running gear; this style of footwear became prominent in America at the turn of the 20th century, where they were called'sneakers'. In 1892, the U. S. Rubber Company introduced the first rubber-soled shoes in the country, sparking a surge in demand and production; the first basketball shoes were designed by Spalding as early as 1907.
The market for sneakers grew after World War I, when sports and athletics became a way to demonstrate moral fiber and patriotism. The U. S. market for sneakers grew as young boys lined up to buy sneakers endorsed by football player Jim Thorpe and Converse All Stars endorsed by basketball player Chuck Taylor. During the interwar period, athletic shoes began to be marketed for different sports, differentiated designs were made available for men and women. Athletic shoes were used by competing athletes at the Olympics, helping to popularise athletic shoes among the general public. In 1936, a French brand, Spring Court, marketed the first canvas tennis shoe featuring signature eight ventilation channels on a vulcanised natural rubber sole. Adolf "Adi" Dassler began producing his own sports shoes in his mother's wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach, after his return from World War I, went on to establish one of the leading athletic shoe manufacturers, Adidas, he successfully marketed his shoes to athletes at the 1936 Summer Olympics, which helped cement his good reputation.
Business boomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II. During the 1950s, leisure opportunities expanded, children and adolescents began to wear sneakers as school dress codes relaxed. Sneaker sales rose so high, they began to adversely affect the sales of conventional leather shoes, leading to a fierce advertising war for market share in the late'50s. In the 1970s, jogging for exercise became popular, trainers designed for comfort while jogging sold well. Companies started to target some of their products at the casual fashion market. Soon, shoes were available for football, basketball, etc. Many sports had their relevant shoe, made possible by podiatrist development of athletic shoe technology. During the 1990s, shoe companies perfected their marketing skills. Sports endorsements with famous athletes grew larger, marketing budgets went t
Thailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international men's association football. Nicknamed the War Elephants, the team is controlled by the governing body for football in Thailand, Football Association of Thailand, a member of the Asian Football Confederation and the regional ASEAN Football Federation. With five ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast Asian Games titles, the team has a history as the most successful team in Southeast Asia. Thailand won third place in the 1972 AFC Asian Cup, competed twice in the Summer Olympics, won fourth place in the 1990 and 1998 Asian Games; the team was founded in 1915 as the Siam national football team and played its first unofficial match at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club Stadium on 20 December of that year. On 25 April 1916, King Vajiravudh established the Football Association of Siam; the team played its first international match in 1930 against the Indochina national team, which included both South Vietnamese and French players.
Both the Siam team and its governing association were renamed in 1949. Thailand appeared in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where they lost to Great Britain by a score of 0–9 and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. In 1965, Thailand won the first place in the Southeast Asian Games for the first time; the team made another appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1968, losing to Bulgaria 0–7, Guatemala 1–4, Czechoslovakia 0–8 en route to a first-round exit. This was Thailand's latest appearance in the Olympics. 1992 featured one of Thailand's signature victories. Playing in Bangkok against South Korea, who had qualified for consecutive FIFA World Cups in 1986 and 1990, being the strongest team in Asia at the time, the Thais upset the Koreans, beating them 2 to 1. Thailand would defeat Bangladesh 1–0, winning the group and therefore qualifying for the 1992 AFC Asian Cup; the War Elephants would put on a strong performance at the tournament, drawing with eventual 3rd place China and Qatar before losing to eventual runners up Saudi Arabia 4 to nil.
In 1994, team manager Thawatchai Sartjakul assembled a team, renounced as the "Dream Team" with key players Kiatisuk Senamuang, Tawan Sripan and Dusit Chalermsan. In 1996, Thailand defeated Malaysia 1–0 to win the ASEAN Football Championship for the first time. Thailand were favourites to regain the crown in 2007, 2008 and 2012 only to lose tight finals to Singapore and Vietnam respectively. Thailand football team has competed three times in the Asian Games, making the semifinals in 1990, 1998 and 2002; the 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam; the regional 1998 ASEAN Football Championship tournament was most infamous in respect to Thailand football history. In what was a sporting event, the group stage match between Thailand and Indonesia was marred with an unsportsmanlike attempt. At the time both teams had qualified for semi-finals, but with knowledge that winners would have to face hosts Vietnam, while the losing team would play the weaker Singapore.
There was technical incentive that facing Vietnam would mean moving training bases from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi – which none of the teams wished to do. The first half saw little action as both teams making attempt to score. During the second half both teams managed to score thanks to half-hearted defending, resulting in a 2–2 tie after 90 minutes; however the real infamy didn't take place until extra time, in which an Indonesian defender deliberately kicked the ball into his own goal with a Thai attacker running towards the ball. FIFA fined both teams $40,000 for "violating the spirit of the game". In the semi-finals, Thailand lost to Vietnam, Indonesia lost to Singapore, pitting the teams together once again for the third-place playoff. Indonesia won by penalty shootout; as for the final, the unfancied Singapore team made one of the competition's biggest shocks by defeating Vietnam. Thailand qualified to the 2000 AFC Asian Cup held in Lebanon, which made Thailand sharing group with host Lebanon and Iraq.
Thailand, performed poor in the tournament. After being defeated by Iraq 0–2, Thailand drew giant Iran 1–1 but again Thailand only drew Lebanon with the same result putting them in third place, superior to Lebanon on goal differences, but since Thailand failed to gain any win, they were eliminated, by becoming the worst third-placed team as the tournament only featured three groups. The final between Thailand and Indonesia, at a sold out and energised Rajamangala, was a carbon copy of their encounter in the group stages; the War Elephants again triumphed 4-1 with Worrawoot setting up camp at the opponents’ goal. The 28-year-old scored twice in their first match and in the final struck a hat-trick in the first 32 minutes. In the final match between Thailand and Indonesia, Thailand took a 2–0 lead against hosts Indonesia by the end of the first half. However, the Indonesians battled back to level the score and force the game into a penalty shootout, won 4–2 by the Thais. Thailand qualified to the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China, once again and Thailand was put into a tough group, which comprised Japan and debutant Oman.
Nonetheless, with vast experiences in the Asian Cup, Thailand was, expected to pass through if they didn't lose to Iran and defeated Oman. However, Thailan
Uzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan's home ground is Milliy Stadium in Tashkent and their current head coach is Héctor Cúper. Uzbekistan is the most successful national team from Central Asia. Although has never qualified to the final stages of the World Cup, the team has qualified to every AFC Asian Cup since its declaration of independence. In the Asian Cup in 2011, the Uzbekistan national team reached the semi-finals of the tournament. Uzbekistan won the Gold Medal in the football tournament at the Asian Games 1994 in Japan, was runner-up in the Afro-Asian Cup of Nations in 1995; the year of birth of football in Uzbekistan is 1912, since it was that football teams were created in Kokand, a little in Ferghana, Tashkent, Samarkand and Urganch, between which began to be held long-distance matches. The first championship of Ferghana valley was held in 1914, the Championship of the Uzbekistan SSR began to be played since 1926, the drawing of the Uzbekistan SSR Cup began to be carried out since 1939.
From 1924 to 1991 Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union as the Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1928, the national team of Uzbekistan was created for the first time, which took part in the Spartakiade, which included representatives of some European countries. At this tournament, the national team of Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist Republic held its first international match against team of jobs Switzerland and won with a score of 8:4; until mid-1991, Uzbekistan was part of the USSR and had its own national team as well as the rest of the Union republics, which played matches within teams and teams of the USSR, in particular in football tournaments of the Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR. The national team of the Uzbekistan SSR participated in all draws of the football tournament of the Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR, in the 1986 tournament reached the final, lost to the Ukrainian SSR team with a score of 0:1, thereby winning the silver medal of the tournament; the most powerful football clubs, as well as semi-professional and professional clubs of the Uzbekistan SSR participated in the USSR Football League and USSR Cup.
Nonprofessional clubs of the Uzbekistan SSR participated in the Uzbekistan SSR Championship and the Uzbekistan SSR Cup. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan gained independence, the national team of Uzbekistan of the new convocation was organized; the national team held its first matches in 1992. The first game of the national team of Uzbekistan was a match against Tajikistan, in the framework of the Central Asian Cup 1992 initiated by FIFA; these matches are registered by FIFA on the basis of the fact that the national team of Uzbekistan has been allowed since 1992 to participate in tournaments held under the auspices of FIFA. At the drawing of this tournament in the format of the league, the national team of Uzbekistan was the second after the national team of Kazakhstan. In the first year of existence, the national team of Uzbekistan held matches only with the teams of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. In 1993, the team has not played a single match. In 1992, Uzbekistan was a member of the CIS national football team, which existed for one year and replaced the USSR national football team and instead participated in the Euro 1992.
Most of the former Soviet republics became members of UEFA, Uzbekistan wanted to become a member of UEFA. But like the rest of the republics of Central Asia, chose AFC. In 2002, Kazakhstan became a member of UEFA for better development of its football, but Uzbekistan chose to remain in the AFC. Anyway, there are many supporters of Uzbekistan’s membership in UEFA. Since they believe that Uzbekistan shows European football, Soviet Uzbekistan, part of the USSR, has long been a member of UEFA. In 1994, the Uzbekistan Football Federation was adopted by the AFC and FIFA. In the same year Uzbekistan won in the international tournament the Cup of Independence of Uzbekistan, at the end of the year the national team won in the ending the national team of China with the score 4:2, became the winner of football tournament of the Asian Games of 1994 which took place in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Uzbekistan won the 1994 Asian Games tournament as debutants. Uzbekistan failed to make further impact on the continental stage until they reached the last eight of the 2004 Asian Cup, where they were beaten by Bahrain after a penalty shoot-out.
That performance was followed by victory over Iraq in the second qualifying round for World Cup 2006 in Germany, with goals from Maksim Shatskikh and Alexander Geynrikh sending them through to the last eight. They were knocked out in the final stage of the Asian qualification to the 2006 World Cup after losing on the away goals rule to Bahrain; the result was subject to controversy as three games were played. The replay ended 1–1, after the return finished 0–0, Uzbekistan were eliminated. In the 2007 Asian Cup, Uzbekistan was able to get past the group stage by beating Malaysia 5–0 and China
Clothing
Clothing is a collective term for items worn on the body. Clothing can be made of animal skin, or other thin sheets of materials put together; the wearing of clothing is restricted to human beings and is a feature of all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depend on body type and geographic considerations; some clothing can be gender-specific. Physically, clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements and can enhance safety during hazardous activities such as hiking and cooking, it protects the wearer from rough surfaces, rash-causing plants, insect bites, splinters and prickles by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothes can insulate against cold or hot conditions, they can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. Clothing provides protection from ultraviolet radiation. Wearing clothes is a social norm, being deprived of clothing in front of others may be embarrassing, or not wearing clothes in public such that genitals, breasts or buttocks are visible could be seen as indecent exposure.
There is no easy way to determine when clothing was first developed, but some information has been inferred by studying lice which estimates the introduction of clothing at 42,000–72,000 years ago. The most obvious function of clothing is to improve the comfort of the wearer, by protecting the wearer from the elements. In hot climates, clothing provides protection from sunburn or wind damage, while in cold climates its thermal insulation properties are more important. Shelter reduces the functional need for clothing. For example, hats and other outer layers are removed when entering a warm home if one is living or sleeping there. Clothing has seasonal and regional aspects, so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing are worn in warmer regions and seasons than in colder ones. Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual and gender differentiation, social status. In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of modesty, religion and social status.
Clothing may function as a form of adornment and an expression of personal taste or style. Clothing can be and has in the past been made from a wide variety of materials. Materials have ranged from leather and furs to woven materials, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics. Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn, worn on a single part of the body and removed, worn purely for adornment, or those that serve a function other than protection, are considered accessories rather than clothing, except for shoes. Clothing protects against many things. Clothes protect people from the elements, including rain, snow and other weather, as well as from the sun. However, clothing, too sheer, small, etc. offers less protection. Appropriate clothes can reduce risk during activities such as work or sport; some clothing protects from specific hazards, such as insects, noxious chemicals, weather and contact with abrasive substances. Conversely, clothing may protect the environment from the clothing wearer: for instance doctors wear medical scrubs.
Humans have been ingenious in devising clothing solutions to environmental or other hazards: such as space suits, air conditioned clothing, diving suits, bee-keeper gear, motorcycle leathers, high-visibility clothing, other pieces of protective clothing. Meanwhile, the distinction between clothing and protective equipment is not always clear-cut, since clothes designed to be fashionable have protective value and clothes designed for function consider fashion in their design; the choice of clothes has social implications. They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, serve other social purposes. Someone who lacks the means to procure reasonable clothing due to poverty or affordability, or lack of inclination, is sometimes said to be scruffy, ragged, or shabby. Serious books on clothing and its functions appear from the 19th century as imperialists dealt with new environments such as India and the tropics; some scientific research into the multiple functions of clothing in the first half of the 20th century, with publications such as J.
C. Flügel's Psychology of Clothes in 1930, Newburgh's seminal Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing in 1949. By 1968, the field of environmental physiology had advanced and expanded but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little. There has since been considerable research, the knowledge base has grown but the main concepts remain unchanged, indeed Newburgh's book is still cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development. In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing is considered appropriate; the differences are in styles and fabrics. In Western societies, skirts and high-heeled shoes are seen as women's clothing, while neckties are seen as men's clothing. Trousers were once seen as male clothing, but can nowadays be worn by both genders. Male clothes are more practical, but a wider range of clothing styles are available for females. Males are allowed to bare their chests in a greater variety of public places.
It
Qatar
Qatar the State of Qatar, is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Whether the sovereign state should be regarded as a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy is disputed, its sole land border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. An arm of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby Bahrain. In early 2017, Qatar's total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates. Islam is the official religion of Qatar; the country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a country of high human development and is regarded as the most advanced Arab state for human development. Qatar is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves. Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status.
Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, with 98% in favour. In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a significant power in the Arab world both through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring. For its size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence in the world, has been identified as a middle power. Qatar is the subject of a diplomatic and economic embargo by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which began in June 2017. Saudi Arabia has proposed the construction of the Salwa Canal, which would run along the Saudi-Qatar border turning Qatar into an island. Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, documented the earliest account pertaining to the inhabitants of the peninsula around the mid-first century AD, referring to them as the Catharrei, a designation which may have derived from the name of a prominent local settlement.
A century Ptolemy produced the first known map to depict the peninsula, referring to it as Catara. The map referenced a town named "Cadara" to the east of the peninsula; the term'Catara' was used until the 18th century, after which'Katara' emerged as the most recognised spelling. After several variations -'Katr','Kattar' and'Guttur' - the modern derivative Qatar was adopted as the country's name. In Standard Arabic, the name is pronounced. Human habitation of Qatar dates back to 50,000 years ago. Settlements and tools dating back to the Stone Age have been unearthed in the peninsula. Mesopotamian artifacts originating from the Ubaid period have been discovered in abandoned coastal settlements. Al Da'asa, a settlement located on the western coast of Qatar, is the most important Ubaid site in the country and is believed to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment. Kassite Babylonian material dating back to the second millennium BC found in Al Khor Islands attests to trade relations between the inhabitants of Qatar and the Kassites in modern-day Bahrain.
Among the findings were 3,000,000 crushed snail shells and Kassite potsherds. It has been suggested that Qatar is the earliest known site of shellfish dye production, owing to a Kassite purple dye industry which existed on the coast. In 224 AD, the Sasanian Empire gained control over the territories surrounding the Persian Gulf. Qatar played a role in the commercial activity of the Sasanids, contributing at least two commodities: precious pearls and purple dye. Under the Sasanid reign, many of the inhabitants in Eastern Arabia were introduced to Christianity following the eastward dispersal of the religion by Mesopotamian Christians. Monasteries were constructed and further settlements were founded during this era. During the latter part of the Christian era, Qatar comprised a region known as'Beth Qatraye'; the region was not limited to Qatar. In 628, Muhammad sent a Muslim envoy to a ruler in Eastern Arabia named Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi and requested that he and his subjects accept Islam. Munzir obliged his request, accordingly, most of the Arab tribes in the region converted to Islam.
After the adoption of Islam, the Arabs led the Muslim conquest of Persia which resulted in the fall of the Sasanian Empire. Qatar was described as a famous camel breeding centre during the Umayyad period. In the 8th century, it started benefiting from its commercially strategic position in the Persian Gulf and went on to become a centre of pearl trading. Substantial development in the pearling industry around the Qatari Peninsula occurred during the Abbasid era. Ships voyaging from Basra to India and China would make stops in Qatar's ports during this period. Chinese porcelain, West African coins and artefacts from Thailand have been discovered in Qatar. Archaeological remains from the 9th century suggest that Qatar's inhabitants used greater wealth to construct higher quality homes and public buildings. Over 100 stone-built houses, two mosques, an Abbasid fort were constructed in Murwab during this period. However, when the caliphate's prosperity declined in Iraq, so too did it in Qatar. Qatar is mentioned in 13th-century Muslim scholar Yaqut al-Hamawi's book, Mu'jam Al-Buldan, which alludes to the Qataris' fine striped wov
Vietnam national football team
The Vietnam national football team is the national football team representing Vietnam in international football competitions and is managed by the Vietnam Football Federation. During the late 1950s, known by the name South Vietnam national football team, it was one of the four teams to advance into the final round of 1956 AFC Asian Cup, 1960 AFC Asian Cup, finishing fourth both times; the team won 10th Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia, 1966. While Vietnam was split into North and South Vietnam, two national teams existed and both were controlled by similar Vietnam Football Associations. After the two countries unified in 1976, the Vietnam Football Associations was renamed to VFF; the introduction of football into Vietnam traced its roots in 1896 during the era of colonial French Cochinchina. At the early stage, the sport are only played among French civil servants and soldiers; the French encouraged local Vietnamese to played football and several other sports that were introduced to them to divert their interest from politics which resulting the sport being spread to other regions the northern and central region.
On 20 July 1908, the newspaper Southern Luc Tan Van reported the match between two local Vietnamese teams for the first time. A first football guidebook published in 1925 by a local Vietnamese doctor named Pham Van Tiec to attract the interest among Vietnamese youngsters. By 1928, the Vietnamese had established the Annamite Sports Bureau and in the same year they sent a Vietnamese football team to compete in Singapore. More local football clubs established in both northern and southern Vietnam although it was not until after the World War II that football clubs in the region started to become more organised, it was the time Vietnam played their first international match, against Korea in Saigon which they lost 2–4. Two national football teams existed when Vietnam was divided into South Vietnam and North Vietnam; the team from the South participated in the first two AFC Asian Cup finals and finished in fourth place both times. They won the first Southeast Asian Games in 1959 in Thailand; the team entered qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, beating Thailand 1–0 to qualify the classification matches before losing their group opening matches by 0–4 to Japan and 0–1 to Hong Kong.
The team played their last game against Malaysia in 1975 where they lost 0–3. Meanwhile, the team from the North was less active, not being a member of either AFC and FIFA playing against other Communist states between 1956 and 1966, they had their first match against China PR. They participated in the first GANEFO competitions at Indonesia in 1962 and Cambodia in 1966. Both team ceased to exist when the North and South regions were combined together into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam following the end of the Vietnam War, but North Vietnam remained not a member of AFC and FIFA before 1975. Due to South Vietnam was a member of FIFA, the unified Vietnam team is classified as successor of South Vietnam by FIFA. Vietnamese professional football league known as the All Vietnam Football Championship was launched in 1980 to redevelop Vietnamese football after a long period of civil war. In 1989, following the Đổi Mới reforms, a new football federation was formed. Vietnamese sports began to return to international events.
After three months of preparation, in August 1989, the First Congress of the new football federation took place in Hanoi, declaring the formation of the Vietnam Football Federation. Trịnh Ngọc Chữ, deputy minister of General Department of Sports, was elected president of VFF; the reunified Vietnam national football team played their first match against the Philippines in 1991 where they had a draw. In 1996, Vietnam participated in the first Tiger Cup where they finished in third place and hosted the second Tiger Cup in 1998 where they lost 0–1 to Singapore in the final. Vietnam hosted the 2007 AFC Asian Cup along with Indonesia and Thailand. In the group stage, Vietnam defeated UAE 2–0, drew 1–1 with another Gulf team, lost 1–4 to Japan and were the only Southeast Asian team to reach quarter-finals, where they lost to Iraq 0–2. Since 2007, after two unsuccessful attempts for 2011 and 2015, Vietnam qualified to the AFC Asian Cup again as they obtained four draws with Afghanistan and Jordan and two wins against Cambodia during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification.
Vietnam won the first AFF Championship title in 2008, which they were held in Group B with Thailand and Laos. After losing Thailand 0–2 in the opener, Vietnam defeated Malaysia 3–2 and Laos 4–0. In semi-finals, Vietnam hold the defending champion Singapore by 0–0 in home match before winning 1–0 away. Vietnam met Thailand again in the finals and defeated them 3–2 aggregated, won the away match 2–1 drew 1–1 at home; the 2018 AFF Championship is Vietnam's second AFF Championship title. In Group A, Vietnam managed 3 victories against Laos, Cambodia and a draw with Myanmar. In semi-finals, they defeated the Philippines twice by 2–1 both home and away hence progressed towards the finals, where they defeated Malaysia 3–2 aggregated, drawing 2–2 away and winning 1–0 home. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Vietnam managed to qualify into the Round of 16 after beating Yemen in their final group matches despite had earlier lose to Iraq by 2–3 and Iran by 0–2, they beat Jordan by 4–2 in penalty shoot-out after drawing 1–1 with the latter until the end of the match.
In the quarter-finals, Vietnam meet Japan but failed to continue the success after their opponent being awarded a penalty kick which being decided through the video assistant referee
Sri Lanka 2015-
Uzbekistan 1999
Qatar 1997-2002
Kyrgyzstan 2006-2007
Thailand 2011-2016
Vietnam 2014-2022
Kazakhstan 1998-1999[1][2][3]
F.C. Ryūkyū 2013
Yangon United 2013-2017
B.G. Sports Club 2014-
Hoàng Anh Attapeu 2014
Ceres–Negros 2019-
