Japan legend Honda leaves Cambodia after five years
![Honda left his post as Cambodia's general manager. AFP](https://cdn.resfu.com/scripts/tmp_images/afp_en_a5cdfc9e9cd04887908cefdf771da682ee47bc5a.jpg?size=1000x&lossy=1)
Honda, an Asian Cup winner with his country who also played for AC Milan, had previously said he would bring an end to his five-year tenure after the Games. In his swan song, the hosts came third in the five-team group after losses to Indonesia and Myanmar in the men's tournament, which is played by under-22 teams.
"A project in Cambodia that started in 2018 has ended," the 36-year-old former attacking midfielder wrote on Twitter, adding he "wasn't able to finish the last tournament with a satisfying result". The Cambodian football association also said it was "regretful" that Honda's team could not make it past the group stage.
Cambodia's SEA Games run started brightly with a 4-0 win over unfancied Timor-Leste. But a draw against the Philippines and two subsequent defeats meant they would not make the semi-finals. Because he lacked the requisite qualifications, Honda was never listed as official coach, but he led the team and was on the sidelines for matches.
As a player, Honda represented his country 98 times and turned out for clubs in Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Mexico, Australia and Brazil.