CTFA International Tournament

{{Infobox International Football Competition | tourney_name = CTFA International Tournament<br>2017中華足協國際邀請賽 | year = 2017 | othertitles = | image = | size = | caption = | country = Taiwan | dates = 1–5 December | num_teams = 4 | confederations = 1 | venues = 1 | cities = 1 | champion_other = {{fb|TPE}} | count = 1 | second = PHI | third = TLS | fourth = LAO | matches = 6 | goals = 17 | attendance = | top_scorer = {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Li Mao (footballer)|Li Mao]] (4 goals) | player = | prevseason = | nextseason = }}

The '''CTFA International Tournament''' ({{zh|2017中華足協國際邀請賽}}) was a [[International A Match|tier 1 international]] football competition held in [[Taipei]], [[Chinese Taipei|Taiwan]] from 1-5 December 2017, organized by the [[Chinese Taipei Football Association]] (CTFA).<ref>{{cite news|title=2017中華足協國際邀請賽吹響明年進攻號角|trans-title=|url=http://www.ctfa.com.tw/tournament/world/3724-2017.html|accessdate=20 November 2017|publisher=Chinese Taipei Football Association|date=10 November 2017|language=Chinese|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043917/http://www.ctfa.com.tw/tournament/world/3724-2017.html|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Results involving the [[Philippines national football team]] led to strong reactions by Filipino football fans, and disputes between football administrators.<ref name="conflict">{{cite news|title=Football: Conflict erupts after Azkals' losses in Taiwan tilt|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/07/17/football-conflict-erupts-after-azkals-losses-in-taiwan-tilt|access-date=9 December 2017|work=ABS-CBN News|date=7 December 2017}}</ref> The six games in the tournament were authorized by [[FIFA]] as [[International A Match|International “A” Matches]].<ref name="rappler" />

==Participating nations== Four nations participated in the tournament.<ref>{{cite news|title=Philippines in Four Nations meet|url=http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/2017/11/philippines-four-nations-meet/|accessdate=20 November 2017|publisher=ASEAN Football Federation|date=20 November 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Nation !! FIFA ranking !! Notes |- | style="white-space: nowrap;" | {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Chinese Taipei national football team|Chinese Taipei]] || style{{=}}"text-align:center;" | 135 || Hosts |- | {{flagicon|LAO}} [[Laos national football team|Laos]] || style{{=}}"text-align:center;" | 184 || |- | {{flagicon|PHI}} [[Philippines national football team|Philippines]] || style{{=}}"text-align:center;" | 118 || The Philippines were initially planning to send the national under-23 squad, but decided to include national team players from [[Davao Aguilas F.C.|Davao Aguilas]] and [[Stallion Laguna F.C.|Stallion Laguna]]. Most of the coaching and backroom staff were from the national under-23 team.<ref>{{cite news|title=Philippines National Team In CTFA International Tournament|url=http://pff.org.ph/2017/11/28/philippines-national-team-ctfa-international-tournament/|accessdate=30 November 2017|publisher=Philippines Football Federation|date=28 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201015813/http://pff.org.ph/2017/11/28/philippines-national-team-ctfa-international-tournament/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="rappler">{{cite news|last1=Guerrero|first1=Bob|title=Azkals to join pocket tournament in Taiwan|url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/football/189817-azkals-to-join-pocket-tournament-in-taiwan/|access-date=30 November 2017|work=Rappler|date=28 November 2017}}</ref> |- | {{flagicon|TLS}} [[Timor-Leste national football team|Timor-Leste]] || style{{=}}"text-align:center;" | 196 || |}

==Venue==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto;" ! [[Taipei]] !! [[Taiwan]] |- | [[Taipei Municipal Stadium]] |rowspan=7|{{location map+ |Taiwan |float=right|width=150 |places= {{location map~ |Taiwan |marksize=10 |mark=Red pog.svg |lat=25.0496|long=121.5514|label=National Stadium}} }} |- | Capacity: 20,000 |- | [[File:Taipei Municipal Stadium 20150616.jpg|200px]] |}

== Matches ==

*All times are [[Time in Taiwan|National Standard Time]] – [[UTC+8]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- ! width = 165 | Team ! width = 20 | Pld ! width = 20 | W ! width = 20 | D ! width = 20 | L ! width = 20 | GF ! width = 20 | GA ! width = 20 | GD ! width = 20 | Pts ! width = 30 | Tiebreaker |- bgcolor=ccffcc | style = "text-align:left;" | {{fb|TPE}} | 3 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 8 || 1 || +7 || '''9''' ||— |- | style = "text-align:left;" | {{fb|PHI}} | 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5 || –2 || '''3''' ||3–2 |- | style = "text-align:left;" | {{fb|TLS}} | 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5 || –2 || '''3''' ||2–2 |- | style = "text-align:left;" | {{fb|LAO}} | 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3 || 6 || –3 || '''3''' ||3–4 |}

{{footballbox | date = 1 December 2017 | time = 16:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|LAO}} | score = 1–3 | team2 = {{fb|PHI}} | goals1 = [[Phithack Kongmathilath|Phithack]] {{goal|90+5}} | goals2 = *[[Phil Younghusband|P. Younghusband]] {{goal|35}} *[[Ángel Guirado|Guirado]] {{goal|47}} *[[Kintaro Miyagi|Miyagi]] {{goal|89}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Yu Ming-Hsun ([[Chinese Taipei Football Association|Chinese Taipei]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-01/laos-vs-philippines/1195671/ }} ---- {{footballbox | date = 3 December 2017 | time = 16:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|LAO}} | score = 2–1 | team2 = {{fb|TLS}} | goals1 = *[[Nonmany Chiu|Nonmany]] {{goal|2|pen.}} *[[Soukchinda Natphasouk|Soukchinda]] {{goal|41}} | goals2 = [[Henrique Cruz|Cruz]] {{goal|84}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Chen Hsin-Chuan ([[Chinese Taipei Football Association|Chinese Taipei]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-03/laos-vs-timor-leste/1195673/ }} {{footballbox | date = 3 December 2017 | time = 19:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|TPE}} | score = 3–0 | team2 = {{fb|PHI}} | goals1 = *[[Li Mao (footballer)|Li Mao]] {{goal|38||63}} *[[Chen Ting-yang]] {{goal|81}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Pranjal Banerjee ([[All India Football Federation|India]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-03/chinese-taipei-vs-philippines/1195674/ }} ---- {{footballbox | date = 4 December 2017{{refn|Originally scheduled for 1 December but postponed because the Timor Leste team could not arrive in Taiwan on time due to the eruption of [[Mount Agung]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Timor-Leste Men's Football Team Meet Natural Disaster Delay in Arrival Time and Chinese Taipei Men's Football Schedule Delayed|url=http://www.ctfa.com.tw/hotnews/ctfa-news/3765-20171201-1.html|accessdate=2 December 2017|publisher=Chinese Taipei Football Association|date=1 December 2017|language=zh-tw}}</ref><ref name="phi v lao">{{cite news|last1=Pan|first1=Jason|title=Philippines down Laos, East Timor delayed|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2017/12/02/2003683289|accessdate=2 December 2017|work=Taipei Times|date=2 December 2017}}</ref>|group="note"|name="agung"}} | time = 19:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|TPE}} | score = 3–1 | team2 = {{fb|TLS}} | goals1 = *[[Wen Chih-hao]] {{goal|20}} *[[Chen Ting-yang]] {{goal|63}} *[[Chen Po-liang]] {{goal|77}} | goals2 = [[Rufino Gama|Gama]] {{goal|58}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Ali Al Samaheeji ([[Bahrain Football Association|Bahrain]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-04/chinese-taipei-vs-timor-leste/1195672/ }} ---- {{footballbox | date = 5 December 2017 | time = 16:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|TLS}} | score = 1–0 | team2 = {{fb|PHI}} | goals1 = [[Silveiro Garcia|Garcia]] {{goal|89}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Kao Jung-Fang ([[Chinese Taipei Football Association|Chinese Taipei]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-05/timor-leste-vs-philippines/1195675/ }} {{footballbox | date = 5 December 2017 | time = 19:00 | team1 = {{fb-rt|TPE}} | score = 2–0 | team2 = {{fb|LAO}} | goals1 = [[Li Mao (footballer)|Li Mao]] {{goal|9||12}} | stadium = Taipei Municipal Stadium | location = Taipei | referee = Pranjal Banerjee ([[All India Football Federation|India]]) | report = https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2017-12-05/chinese-taipei-vs-laos/1195676/ }}

==Goalscorers== {{Goalscorers |goals=17 |matches=6

|4 goals= * {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Li Mao (footballer)|Li Mao]]

|2 goals= * {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Chen Ting-yang]]

|1 goal= * {{flagicon|PHI}} [[Phil Younghusband]] * {{flagicon|PHI}} [[Ángel Guirado]] * {{flagicon|PHI}} [[Kintaro Miyagi]] * {{flagicon|LAO}} [[Phithack Kongmathilath]] * {{flagicon|LAO}} [[Chiu Nonmany]] * {{flagicon|LAO}} [[Soukchinda Natphasouk]] * {{flagicon|TLS}} [[Henrique Cruz]] * {{flagicon|TLS}} [[Rufino Gama]] * {{flagicon|TLS}} [[Silveiro Garcia]] * {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Chen Po-liang]] * {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Wen Chih-hao]] }}

==Aftermath== After the 1-2 win–loss result by the Philippines national football team, particularly the loss to 196th-ranked Timor-Leste on the seventh anniversary of the "[[Miracle in Hanoi]]", Philippines fans reacted with disappointment and anger.<ref name=panic>{{cite news|last1=Guerrero|first1=Bob|title=Why Azkals fans shouldn't panic about the losses in Taiwan|url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/football/190711-azkals-fans-dont-panic-about-taiwan-losses/|access-date=8 December 2017|work=Rappler|date=7 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> Former national team manager [[Dan Palami]] joined in criticism of team selection, although the Philippines Football Federation was limited by player commitments to teams involved in the [[2017 Philippines Football League#Finals series|2017 Philippines Football League finals series]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cabatbat|first1=Erel|title=PFF still silent on Taiwan 'debacle'|url=http://fastbreak.com.ph/pff-still-silent-on-taiwan-debacle/|website=fastbreak.com.ph|accessdate=9 December 2017|date=6 December 2017}}</ref> The decision to send a team to the tournament during the [[Philippines Football League|PFL]] finals was also questioned, along with concern about the expected effect on the Philippines national team's [[FIFA World Rankings|FIFA World Ranking]],<ref name=panic /> which subsequently dropped six spots in the December 2017 FIFA rankings.<ref>{{cite news|title=PH Azkals drop six spots in FIFA rankings|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/21/17/ph-azkals-drop-six-spots-in-fifa-rankings|access-date=21 December 2017|work=ABS-CBN News|date=21 December 2017}}</ref> [[Vietnam national football team|Vietnam]] surpassed the Philippines as top national men's team in [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Azkals drop six spots in latest FIFA World Rankings|url=https://sports.abs-cbn.com/football/news/2017/12/21/azkals-drop-six-spots-latest-fifa-world-rankings-35084|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051802/https://sports.abs-cbn.com/football/news/2017/12/21/azkals-drop-six-spots-latest-fifa-world-rankings-35084|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2017|accessdate=21 December 2017|work=ABS-CBN News|date=21 December 2017}}</ref> [[Jefferson Cheng]], manager of the CTFA International Tournament team and owner of [[Davao Aguilas FC]], defended selection decisions, asking that supporters consider the value of giving young players experience in [[International A Match|International “A” Matches]].<ref name="conflict" />

In contrast, the [[Chinese Taipei Football Association]] reacted enthusiastically to the Chinese Taipei 3-0 tournament victory, reporting it as a high point in their history.<ref>{{cite web|title=Football Association Invitational / 59-year championship taste of the Chinese team kicked victory glory|url=http://www.ctfa.com.tw/hotnews/ctfa-news/3771-59.html|website=www.ctfa.com.tw|accessdate=8 December 2017|language=zh-tw|date=6 December 2017}}</ref>

The Timor-Leste national team was reported by the [[Taipei Times]] to be "delighted" by their unexpected win over the Philippines after losing each of their earlier games by one goal.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pan|first1=Jason|title=Taiwan beat Laos, claim CTFA17 title - Taipei Times|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2017/12/06/2003683509|accessdate=8 December 2017|work=Taipei Times|date=6 December 2017}}</ref> Timor-Leste rose five spots in the December 2017 FIFA rankings on the strength of this win.<ref>{{cite web|title=Men's Ranking|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/index,page=4.htmx|website=FIFA.com|date=21 December 2017|accessdate=21 December 2017}}{{dead link|date=October 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of sporting events in Taiwan]]

==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:2017 in Taiwanese football|CTFA International Tournament]] [[Category:International association football competitions hosted by Taiwan]] [[Category:December 2017 sports events in Asia]] [[Category:Men's international association football invitational tournaments]]