AFC 'overlooks' Dinh Bac

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) overlooked Nguyen Dinh Bac when announcing its list of 6 "promising stars" for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

The AFC does not consider Dinh Bac a promising star at the AFC U23 Asian Championship.

The AFC's move has sparked controversy among fans, particularly in Vietnam. The focus of the conflicting opinions is the puzzling absence of Nguyen Dinh Bac, despite the striker from Nghe An playing a crucial role in Vietnam U23's journey to the semi-finals.

The AFC selected Abdullah Radif (Saudi Arabia), Kang Sang Yoon (South Korea), Saif Eldeen Fadlalla (Qatar), Ryunosuke Sato (Japan), Sardorbek Bakhromov (Uzbekistan), and Behram Abduweli (China). Notably, many of these players were eliminated early with their national teams after the quarter-finals.

Conversely, Dinh Bac is still performing outstandingly and has every chance to shine with the Vietnam U23 team, but he is not mentioned. After a day of being posted, the AFC's post continues to cause controversy with a series of comments expressing frustration.

In fact, Dinh Bac has been one of the most effective players in the tournament. After 4 matches, the player born in 2004 has scored 3 goals, just one goal behind the leading group in the "Top Scorer" race. With his two direct rivals Ali Azaizeh (Jordan) and Leonardo Farah Shahin (Lebanon) both eliminated, the door is wide open for Dinh Bac to win this title.

Beyond just scoring goals, Dinh Bac also brought significant tactical value to coach Kim Sang-sik's system. His opening goal against the UAE U23 team in the quarter-finals is clear evidence of his ability to be in the right place at the right time and make a difference in crucial moments.

The AFC's list may be controversial, but on-field performance is the truest measure. Ahead of Dinh Bac and his teammates is the semi-final match against China U23 on the evening of January 20th. If he continues to shine, no one can doubt Dinh Bac's talent in this year's tournament.

All goals from the U23 Vietnam - U23 UAE match: In the early hours of January 17th, U23 Vietnam defeated U23 UAE with a score of 3-2 in the quarter-finals of the 2026 U23 Asian Championship.

Source: https://znews.vn/afc-bo-quen-dinh-bac-post1621049.html