The 'strange' meeting between VFF and FAT

It is called 'strange' because the meeting on October 29th took place in a context that all involved did not want. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) could not control the situation at the draw ceremony for the U.19 Southeast Asian futsal tournament and had to be present in Vietnam to directly apologize to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) due to the incident related to the Vietnamese national flag.

VFF 'S STRONG MOVE

At the draw ceremony for the U.19 Southeast Asian futsal tournament on October 28, the Thai tournament organizers displayed the Chinese national flag instead of the Vietnamese national flag on the Vietnamese team's draw. In a document sent to the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), VFF stated that this serious incident could have consequences that affect Vietnam's image and negatively impact the solidarity of the ASEAN community. VFF requested AFF to clarify the cause of the incident and ensure strict measures to prevent similar mistakes from happening again in upcoming events. VFF believes that AFF is also aware of the seriousness of this incident and will handle it with the highest sense of responsibility, caution and professionalism.

VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (right) received an apology letter from FAT Vice President

PHOTO: HANH AN

FAT President, Madam Pang called VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan to apologize. The top leader of FAT emphasized: "FAT and I personally deeply appreciate your (Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan) continuous support, and at the same time, I would like to reaffirm our firm commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and respect in all AFF events hosted by FAT."

On the official fanpage of FAT, a press release was also posted to apologize to VFF and Vietnamese fans: "FAT sincerely hopes that VFF and the Vietnamese people will accept our apology and sympathize with this unintentional mistake - a human error, completely without the intention of disrespecting Vietnam. This is an important lesson for us to be more careful and serious in all organizational processes, in order to maintain the highest standards that AFF expects from us as the host country."

FAT COMMITS TO NOT REPEATED MISTAKES

Regarding the working session on the afternoon of October 29 at the VFF headquarters ( Hanoi ), FAT Vice President in charge of futsal and beach soccer, Mr. Adisak Benjasiriwan, handed over FAT's apology letter to VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan. In the letter, the FAT President expressed his deep regret and sent his most sincere apologies for the unfortunate incident that occurred in relation to Vietnam. The FAT President affirmed: "We are fully aware of the seriousness of this error and take full responsibility for the incident that occurred. FAT has immediately taken corrective measures, reviewed and tightened the event organization process, to ensure that similar errors will not recur. FAT would like to sincerely apologize to VFF, AFF and all relevant parties for this incident. We appreciate your continued sympathy and support, and affirm our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and respect in all AFF events hosted by Thailand."

At the meeting, VFF acknowledged FAT's sincere apology and highly appreciated the proactive, open-minded, and respectful spirit that FAT demonstrated. VFF considered this a serious mistake and affirmed that this is a profound lesson in the preparation and organization of international events, aiming to improve the professionalism of the AFF competition system.

The FAT representative pledged not to let similar mistakes happen in the future, and expressed his desire to continue to maintain a cooperative relationship and closely coordinate with the VFF in activities to develop football in Southeast Asia to become increasingly professional and sustainable.

At the 2025 Southeast Asian U.19 Futsal Championship, the Vietnam U.19 Futsal team is in Group A with Thailand and Brunei. Group B includes Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Cambodia. The tournament will take place from December 23 to 29 at the Nonthaburi Provincial Gymnasium (Thailand). The teams will compete in a round robin to calculate points in the group, selecting the top two teams in each group to enter the semi-finals to compete for a place in the final.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuoc-gap-go-ky-la-cua-vff-va-fat-185251029214906281.htm