The 'strange' meeting between VFF and FAT

It's described as 'strange' because the meeting on October 29th took place under circumstances that none of the parties involved desired. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) lost control of the situation at the draw for the Southeast Asian U.19 futsal tournament and had to travel to Vietnam to personally apologize to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) for the incident involving the Vietnamese flag.

A STRONG MOVE BY THE VFF (Vietnam Football Federation )

At the draw for the Southeast Asian U.19 Futsal Championship on October 28th, the Thai organizing committee displayed the Chinese flag instead of the Vietnamese flag on the draw slip for the Vietnamese team. In a document sent to the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) clearly stated its position that this serious incident could negatively impact Vietnam's image and the spirit of ASEAN solidarity. The VFF requested the AFF to clarify the cause of the incident and ensure strict measures are in place to prevent similar mistakes from recurring in future events. The VFF believes that the AFF is also aware of the seriousness of this matter and will handle it with the utmost responsibility, caution, and professionalism.

VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (right) receives a letter of apology from the Vice President of FAT.

PHOTO: HANH AN

FAT President Madam Pang called VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan to offer her apologies. The top FAT leader emphasized: "FAT and I personally deeply appreciate your (Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan's) continued support, and I reaffirm our firm commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and respect in all AFF events hosted by FAT."

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

FAT COMMITS TO NOT REPEATING THE MISTAKE

Regarding the meeting on the afternoon of October 29th at the VFF headquarters ( Hanoi ), the Vice President in charge of futsal and beach soccer of the FAT, Mr. Adisak Benjasiriwan, handed over a letter of apology from the FAT to the President of the VFF, Tran Quoc Tuan. The letter stated that the FAT President expressed deep regret and offered his sincerest apologies for the unfortunate incident involving Vietnam. The FAT President affirmed: "We are fully aware of the seriousness of this error and take full responsibility for what has happened. FAT has immediately taken corrective measures, reviewed and tightened event organization procedures to ensure that similar errors will not recur. FAT sincerely apologizes to the VFF, AFF, and all relevant parties for this incident. We appreciate your continued understanding and support, and reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and respect in all AFF events hosted by Thailand."

During the meeting, the VFF acknowledged the sincere apology from the FAT and highly appreciated the proactive, open-minded, and respectful attitude shown by the FAT towards its partners. The VFF considered this a serious mistake and affirmed that it serves as a valuable lesson in preparing and organizing international events, aiming to enhance professionalism within the AFF's competition system.

FAT representatives pledged to prevent similar mistakes from happening again in the future and expressed their desire to continue maintaining a close cooperative relationship with VFF in activities aimed at developing football in Southeast Asia in an increasingly professional and sustainable manner.

At the 2025 Southeast Asian U.19 Futsal Championship, the Vietnamese U.19 futsal team is in Group A along with Thailand and Brunei. Group B consists of Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Cambodia. The tournament will take place from December 23-29 at the Nonthaburi Provincial Gymnasium (Thailand). Teams will play a round-robin format within their groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to 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