The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) have approved a regulation to only use U22 players for men's football. This means that participating teams will not be allowed to use players over 22 years old - a rule that has been applied in many previous Games.
In fact, at the 32nd SEA Games held in Cambodia 2 years ago, this regulation was applied to ensure sustainable development, create opportunities for young players to compete and build a fairer playing field for participating teams.
This is also a big challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik in the process of preparing the team to compete for the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.
Previously, under his predecessor Park Hang-seo, Vietnam won two consecutive gold medals at the 30th (2019) and 31st (2022) SEA Games. Notably, those were the times when the host countries Philippines and Vietnam allowed the teams to add overage players.
In 2019, the two overage players selected by Mr. Park Hang-seo were midfielders Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Trong Hoang. At that time, they were in good form, significantly increasing the strength of the midfield and contributing greatly to the historic achievements of U22 Vietnam.
Coming to the tournament taking place at home, Mr. Park continues to have the service of Do Hung Dung and two other quality over-age players, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Tien Linh. Therefore, U23 Vietnam is more favorable in successfully defending the throne in this arena.
Park Hang-seo's two gold medals will put invisible pressure on coach Kim Sang-sik. The 1976-born coach needs to continue the success of his "senior" as well as meet the expectations of fans after winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
Another pressure that Mr. Kim has to face comes from his predecessor Troussier. At the most recent SEA Games in Cambodia, although he did not have the best performance, coach Troussier and the U22 Vietnam team brought home the bronze medal.
It is worth noting that this squad does not use over-age players. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik needs to set a minimum goal for himself, which is to bring U22 Vietnam to the final of the 33rd SEA Games.
Regarding the preparation plan for the 2025 SEA Games, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Kim Sang-sik proactively developed a plan very early, the most obvious of which was the call-up of many players of SEA Games age to the national team during the FIFA Days in 2024.
In September 2024, the Vietnam U22 team was also given the opportunity to gather, train and participate in an international friendly tournament in China.
In addition, during the preparation for the ASEAN Cup, young players with potential - the core of the SEA Games squad - were also allowed to participate in training, such as goalkeeper Trung Kien, midfielder Van Khang, Van Truong, Thai Son, striker Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, Vi Hao. Among them, Vi Hao and Van Khang were also given the opportunity to compete and perform well.
One advantage for coach Kim Sang-sik is that the VFF will continue to closely coordinate with the VPF Company to arrange the 2025-2026 season schedule on the principle of ensuring the best for the team and harmonizing and balancing the interests of the clubs.
Basically, the U22 team will continue to be given the opportunity to gather and train at the same time as the national team's FIFA Days.
