When ASEAN Cup 2026 had not yet played the semi-finals, Hanoi Police Club had to start the 2026-2027 season with the AFC Champions League Elite play-off match. And when the ASEAN Cup ended, according to plan, only 9 days later would the new V.League season kick off. Although "expected" it may be delayed, the possibility of a few weeks of delay is not high.
According to the regulations of the International Professional Footballers Association, players after the end of the season or participating in a tournament with the national team need to have a "compulsory" vacation of at least 21 days. Although the "compulsory" factor does not mean rigid framing - because players can still decide to shorten their vacation to return, but returning also requires at least 1 week of training to reach a ready state, Hanoi Police and some teams such as Hanoi FC, Thap Xanh Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh can hardly use players in 1 to 2 season matches.
Because remember, on September 24, the first FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will kick off, lasting for another 2 weeks.
Coach Mano Polking of Hanoi Police said: "If the organizing units can arrange a more suitable schedule, then our club will also benefit a lot." But in fact, it is not just the matter of the organizers. It is true that ASEAN Cup semi-finals and finals are played both times, showing the cumbersome organizational thinking, but the way personnel are selected is a private matter of each Federation.
The national championships of Thailand and Indonesia are also expected to kick off in early September, but while quite a few young players of theirs have accumulated experience from the ASEAN Cup, before the key players will compete at the FIFA ASEAN Cup, it is unlikely that the Vietnamese team will have major changes for the tournament (at least 3 matches) in Indonesia soon.
Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problem of the schedule, calculate goals and choose personnel, in the context that key players are exhausted from playing too much, while young players are longing for their turn. And the goal is still aimed at the future.
If Hanoi Police loses the play-off match and goes down to play in AFC Champions League Two, isn't it too regrettable? They have the right not to release players!?
