According to Khaosod , immediately after the incident, the Football Association of Thailand sent an apology to the VFF and the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF). On October 29, FAT President Nualphan Lamsam (Madame Pang) assigned Mr. Adisak Benjasiriwan, FAT representative, to go to Vietnam to directly apologize to show goodwill.
At the headquarters of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the FAT leader affirmed that the incident happened due to personal error and had absolutely no intention of offending the nation or people of Vietnam. Mr. Adisak expressed regret for this incident and emphasized that the FAT absolutely respects the countries in the region.
FAT leaders come to VFF headquarters, hand over apology letter after incident of mistakenly displaying Vietnam's national flag
The meeting between FAT and VFF took place in a spirit of friendship.
In Hanoi , FAT Vice President Adisak Benjasiriwan met with Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan - President of VFF, Mr. Nguyen Van Phu - General Secretary of VFF, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha - Deputy General Secretary of VFF and Ms. Huong Hieu - Head of VFF External Relations Department. The meeting was attended by Mr. Winston Lee - General Secretary of AFF as a witness.
Both Khaosod and Today.line (a news site of the social network Line in Thailand) commented that the exchange went smoothly, and the VFF understood that this was an unexpected incident. Both sides expressed their desire to continue to maintain a cooperative relationship and mutual respect between the two football cultures.
Photo of the meeting posted by FAT: From left, Vice President of FAT, President of VFF and President of AFF
PHOTO: FAT
The Khaosod article was titled “clearing the stalemate with Vietnam” – showing that the Thai press appreciated the quick response and the way the FAT showed sincerity. The newspaper emphasized that the incident was closed in a spirit of understanding and friendship, with the VFF accepting the apology, and the FAT pledging not to repeat similar mistakes in the future.
Meanwhile, 3plusnews TV channel called the incident of using the wrong national flag at the draw ceremony for the 2025 Southeast Asian U.19 men's futsal championship a serious mistake and caused great controversy, but FAT also quickly took actions to fix it.
After the meeting at the VFF headquarters, both federations (FAT and VFF) officially informed and confirmed that the meeting took place in an open and respectful atmosphere. FAT sincerely apologized and promised not to repeat the mistake, and VFF also acknowledged FAT's willingness to learn. This is also a profound lesson in the preparation and organization of international events, aiming to improve the professionalism of the competition system in Southeast Asia.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-chi-thai-lan-khong-tho-o-su-co-sai-quoc-ky-mo-ta-ky-fat-da-xin-loi-vff-185251030113251615.htm
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