After the match between Vietnam and Thailand at Viet Tri Stadium on the evening of January 2, there is only one more match left for the Southeast Asian Championship to end. That is the second leg final at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, which is also the 26th match of the tournament. For a tournament with 10 teams, nearly 1 month (from December 8, 2024 to January 5, 2025) is considered too long.
Or to be more precise, it is too cumbersome. The cumbersomeness is shown right from the group stage, when although each team plays 4 matches, they are not at a centralized location but 2 home matches, 2 away matches. Some teams do not play at home - like Timor Leste, but rent Hang Day Stadium, so they have to move constantly.
With an average match schedule of 3 days/match, the teams having to travel has significantly affected the players' physical and mental health. Timor Leste alone traveled from Hanoi - Kuala Lumpur - Hanoi - Phnom Penh in 9 days, contributing to their loss of all 4 matches, scoring only 3 goals and conceding 18.
A total of 11 cities host matches in this tournament, although it is explained in the direction of sharing or earning income for the Federations, people see it as wasteful and more impactful than positive. Some coaches have complained about this and proposed to change the format, playing centrally in the group stage.
Furthermore, if it is reasonable to organize the semi-finals in two legs, then it is considered unreasonable to play the final in two legs - home and away.
There have been a number of tournaments in world football that have played two legs in the finals, but now almost none follow this format. The latest changes include the Copa Libertadores, which switched to a single-leg final in 2019, and the AFC Champions League, which will last play two legs in 2023.
Not stopping there, while the regulation on removing cards after the group stage is understandable, removing cards after the semi-finals makes many people feel uneasy, although they know that the Organizing Committee wants to aim for the best human resources in the final. However, even if not affected by penalty cards, both teams are still full of sick soldiers due to the schedule and intense matches.
