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Officially apply regulations on using U22 players at SEA Games 33

PV (synthesis) 26/01/2025 - 16:28

At the 33rd SEA Games, participating teams will not be allowed to use the additional U22+3 slots that have been applied in many previous SEA Games.

Chú thích ảnh
At SEA Games 33, only U22 players will be used for men's football.

On January 26, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) informed that with the aim of promoting the development of youth football, the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand has proposed applying the regulation of using only U22 players for men's football. This regulation was approved after a recent meeting of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

Thus, at the 33rd SEA Games, participating teams will not be allowed to use the additional U22+3 slots that have been applied in many previous SEA Games. The host country's Organizing Committee said that this decision was made to ensure sustainable development and create opportunities for young talents to have more chances to compete and develop, while creating a fairer playing field for all participating teams.

SEA Games 33 will take place from December 9-20, 2025 in Thailand, with all four football events: men's football, women's football, men's futsal and women's futsal.

At the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, the rule of using only U22 players in men's football was also applied. With the victory over U22 Thailand in the final match, U22 Indonesia won the Gold medal for the third time and the first time in 32 years, since 1991. Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam won the Bronze medal after a 3-1 victory over U22 Myanmar in the third-place match.

Regarding the preparation plan for the 2025 SEA Games, the Vietnam Football Federation 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. Most recently, in September 2024, the Vietnam U22 team was also given the opportunity to gather, train and participate in an international friendly tournament in China.

Next, in the preparation for the ASEAN Cup 2024, young players with the potential to become the core of the SEA Games squad were also invited to join the training camp with the national team, such as: Goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, midfielder Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, striker Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet and Bui Vi Hao. Among these players, there are even players who will compete in the ASEAN Cup 2024 such as Khuat Van Khang, Bui Vi Hao and have performed very well.

Along with the preparation of personnel, the Vietnam Football Federation continues to closely coordinate with the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) in arranging the competition schedule for the 2025 season, 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.

According to the plan, at the first gathering in 2025 on the occasion of FIFA Days next March, the Vietnam U22 team will participate in the international U22 football tournament in China, with the participation of 4 U22 teams, including host U22 China, U22 Vietnam and two other quality guest U22 teams that will be officially announced by the Organizing Committee in the near future.

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Officially apply regulations on using U22 players at SEA Games 33