Different choice of Vietnam team
A month ago, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) announced the competition plan for phase 1 of V.League 2024-2025, when the 3 rounds 7, 8, 9 will still take place at the same time as the international friendly matches of FIFA Days in November 2024.
The origin of the conflict began when the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) changed the schedule of the 2024 ASEAN Cup (formerly the AFF Cup) from mid-November to December 9, to avoid conflicts with the AFC Champions League Two and AFC Champions League Elite schedules of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Faced with this situation, VFF and VPF decided to adjust the V.League organization plan. Instead of taking a break as scheduled for FIFA Days, the Vietnam National Championship will organize 3 consecutive rounds 7, 8, 9 until November 20. From November 22, the Vietnam National Team can gather, practice and compete until the end of the AFF Cup 2024 journey.
This means that while other teams are playing international friendlies or the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the Vietnamese team will be "inactive". In return, when the national championships of Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia... return and even take place throughout the 2024 AFF Cup, the V.League will take a break to help the Vietnamese team focus on everything, from the 3-week preparation stage to the competition in the Southeast Asian tournament.
The right decision?
This is the unique path of V.League and the Vietnam National Team. This different decision is considered suitable for the practical context of the "Golden Star Warriors". First, even without playing international friendlies, the current ranking and points of the Vietnam National Team ensure a firm position in the No. 1 seed group, before the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup is drawn.
With the poor results in recent friendly matches, continuing to enter FIFA Days with the problem of how to choose the right team is enough to give coach Kim Sang-sik a headache. Not to mention, if the results are not good, the pressure from fans on the Vietnam team will be even greater. Or through these competitive matches, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates are at risk of unwanted injuries.
Therefore, the Vietnamese team's choice to be different from the majority can be understood, considering both objective and subjective factors. On the contrary, during this period, coach Kim Sang-sik will attend matches of some opponents such as the Philippines and Indonesia, and at the same time assign assistants to check the players' performance for the last time. On that basis, after 1 week, the Korean coach will announce the list of 30 players preparing for the AFF Cup 2024.
Another advantage is related to the personnel issue. Thanks to the V.League being organized right during the FIFA Days period, the entire time for the Vietnam National Team (from the end of November 2024 to the beginning of 2025) is guaranteed. Coach Kim Sang-sik can focus on training to the maximum, and at the same time can train the players exactly as he wants.
This is something that other strong teams in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and Thailand cannot do. Because the AFF Cup is not included in the FIFA Days schedule, clubs are not interested in "releasing players" to the national team when the important task of the professional season continues. This is also the reason why coach Masatada Ishii did not call Theerathon Bunmathan or Chanathip Songkrasin to the Thai team. Both of these players are likely not agreed by their home clubs Pathum and Buriram to play in the AFF Cup 2024.
A similar story is playing out in Indonesia. Unlike the third qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup, which falls under the FIFA Days, coach Shin Tae-yong will have difficulty fielding high-quality players when the Indonesian team enters the AFF Cup. This is also the reason behind Shin’s recent statement, when he hinted at using a young squad in the Southeast Asian tournament, with 19- and 20-year-old players instead of Indonesia’s naturalized players.
