Buriram on a mission for Thai football

Buriram players limber up on the eve of their match against Bunyodkor.

Buriram United president Newin Chidchob says the pride of Thai football will be at stake when the Thai FA Cup winners take on Uzbek heavyweights Bunyodkor in their AFC Champions League last-16 second-leg game in Tashkent today.

After becoming the first Thai club to reach the knockout phase since BEC Tero Sasana in 2003, Buriram put themselves in a strong position to clinch a quarter-final spot in only their second campaign in the lucrative elite club tournament.

The northeast club head into the game with a slender advantage after goals from Anawin Jujeen and Ekkachai Samre last week brought a hard-fought 2-1 victory over opponents who topped their group with an unbeaten record. With his side only 90 minutes away from a first-ever appearance in the last eight, Newin is urging them to finish the job and prove that Thailand's football is a match for any national league on the continent.

"Tomorrow we're going to show all the people in Asia that Thai football is not inferior to that of any other country," vowed Newin, speaking on the club's website. "Bunyodgor are Uzbekistan's top side. All their players are in the Uzbekistan national team, their coach is manager of Uzbekistan and their stadium is the national team's home ground.

"To put it simply, Buriram are playing against Uzbekistan tomorrow. I have one more fact about our opponents for our fans: Uzbekistan are still in with a chance of being among the 32 teams to play in next year's World Cup in Brazil.

"We will visit one of the top teams in Asia, with millions of curious eyes eager to see just how good we are and how we could beat Bunyodkor at home. We are the visitors this time, but we are visitors who the hosts must respect.

"Now they know us better, and I think they fear us more than we fear them. There's no fear [among our players], only determination to get the job done. Tomorrow we will try to get Bunyodkor and footballs fans across the continent to know us even better. We'll let them know that Thai football is rising back to prominence in Asia again.

"For all Thai fans, who have always given us good support, I promise we'll do our utmost to regain the pride of Thai football."

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/23/buriram-on-a-mission-for-thai-football/