'Football is a bridge that connects'

Formerly Deputy Director General of the Cambodian Sports Department, Mr. Prum Buny has been the Head of the Cambodian Sports Delegation for many years, participating in many SEA Games since 1995, including 2003 when Vietnam hosted the Southeast Asian Games for the first time. In particular, the first time Mr. Prum Buny was involved in university sports was the 2006 Southeast Asian University Sports Festival held in Hanoi. He recalled: "I still especially remember the Games in Hanoi, because that was the first time I was the head of the university sports delegation. It was a beautiful memory when Vietnam was full of enthusiasm after successfully organizing the 2003 SEA Games, possessing facilities and a team of experienced officials. Therefore, in 2025, I am very happy to return to Vietnam when Life University represents Cambodia to participate in a Southeast Asian student football tournament".

Mr. Prum Buny at the 2025 International Youth Championship - THACO Cup

Photo: Quoc Viet

Always present in the stands of Ton Duc Thang University to watch the Life University team practice and compete, as well as follow the matches, Mr. Prum Buny seemed very happy in the fresh atmosphere of student football. The experienced head of the delegation thanked the Organizing Committee for building a friendship bridge for ASEAN student football: "This is a very good tournament for young people and students when football has been used to connect ASEAN universities. As a member of the guest delegation with Life University (Cambodia), we would like to thank the Organizing Committee for opening a playground for student football teams in the Southeast Asian region. This tournament is clearly a very good opportunity for students of Life University. Hopefully, the Organizing Committee will continue to maintain this tournament every year, to develop the student football movement in the region".

Among the three guest teams that made it to the semi-finals, only the Cambodian representative used students from Life University. Mr. Prum Buny said that the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Sports and Tourism had discussed and agreed with Life University and the Cambodian Football Federation on this solution, instead of creating a joint team from many different schools. This trip abroad of the Life University team was also the first time a Cambodian university had "brought the bell to strike abroad". Mr. Prum Buny said that Life University had gained a lot of useful experience, had a clear view of the differences between the teams, to better prepare for the next return. In particular, he revealed: "Cambodia is making progress in football in general and school football in particular. The Life University football team is the champion of the 2024 Cambodian high school football tournament held every two years. It is very likely that from next year we will organize a national student tournament every year, instead of students having to wait 2 years. In this year's tournament, Life University played very well, with an impressive performance, showing that a small football team can still produce good results. Thai, Vietnamese or Indonesian football is still leading Southeast Asia, but the rest are still trying to do their best to develop."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-la-cay-cau-ket-noi-185250328234440049.htm