Coach Diego Giustozzi and his team are also the last "warriors" of Vietnamese sports participating in the football and futsal events at this Southeast Asian Games.
As assigned by the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Mr. Tran Anh Minh - Member of the Executive Committee of VFF will take on the role of Team Leader of the Vietnam futsal team at the 33rd SEA Games.
Before leaving, coach Diego Giustozzi announced the official list of 14 players, in accordance with the regulations of the SEA Games 33 Men's Futsal Regulations.
Six players not on the registration list will stay to continue training at their home clubs, while watching and cheering for their teammates on the small screen, including goalkeeper Luu Thanh Bao, Ala Nguyen Tien Hung, Nguyen Hoang Quan, Tran Thai Huy, Chau Doan Phat and pivo Nguyen Van Tuan.
Notably, the absence of two experienced actors, Tran Thai Huy and Chau Doan Phat, received much attention. Both are not currently in the best form due to the impact of injuries in the recent preparation period.
At the 33rd SEA Games, the men's futsal event has the participation of 5 teams including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. The teams compete in a round-robin format, calculating points to determine the final rankings.
According to the competition schedule, the Vietnam futsal team will go through a big challenge when they have to compete in 4 consecutive matches in 4 days. The team will play their opening match against Malaysia on December 16, then face Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar on December 17, 18 and 19.
Evaluating the tight schedule and high competition of the tournament, coach Diego Giustozzi said: With a round-robin format, each upcoming match is a final, no mistakes allowed. The opening match against Malaysia is the most important, because they are improving very quickly and getting closer to us. The team must concentrate to the maximum for each match".
With an evenly matched force, high determination and careful preparation in the past time, the Vietnam futsal team entered the 33rd SEA Games with the goal of striving to be in the top 2 teams, thereby continuing to affirm the position of Vietnam futsal in the regional arena.
