FIFA invested 34 million USD in Southeast Asian football: What did Vietnam get?

Under the 'FIFA Forward' program, FIFA has invested 34 million USD in 32 football development projects in 11 ASEAN countries. Among them, Vietnamese football has also received attention from the world football governing body.

On October 14 in Hanoi, under the chairmanship of Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, the third session of the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS 16) took place with the participation of international partners in the spirit of sustainable development cooperation.

FIFA and ASEAN promote cooperation to develop comprehensive football

According to FIFA's report, the ASEAN - FIFA Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation signed in 2019 will expire in October 2025 and is being agreed upon by both sides to be extended with many expanded contents.

The cooperation aims to harness the power of football as a tool to promote education , health and social cohesion, thereby contributing to the building of a dynamic and sustainable ASEAN.

Third Session of the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports

PHOTO: Organizing Committee

Since 2019, ASEAN and FIFA have implemented a series of initiatives in four key areas: School football for sports development, promoting sports integrity and enhancing professional capacity.

In particular, the "Football for Schools" program has been implemented in 9 ASEAN countries, bringing football to millions of students, encouraging team spirit, physical training and promoting gender equality in sports. During the Covid-19 pandemic, FIFA coordinated with ASEAN and the World Health Organization (WHO) to carry out campaigns such as: BeActive, FiveSteps, ReachOut... spreading messages about health, sportsmanship and community solidarity.

Under the FIFA Forward Programme, FIFA has invested US$34 million in 32 football development projects in 11 ASEAN countries, including the National Training Centre in Malaysia, the High Performance Training Centre in Indonesia, the 2023-2026 Lao Women's Football League, and a VAR system for the Thai National Championship. These projects contribute to professionalising the organisation, improving technical capacity and promoting the development of women's football in the region.

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha (left) - Deputy General Secretary of VFF at the conference

Also at the Conference, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha - Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) shared a lot of information about the ASEAN - FIFA cooperation framework. Vietnam is one of the active and proactive countries with many effectively implemented projects. FIFA has supported VFF in developing grassroots football - an important foundation for the long-term development of professional football.

Through the FIFA Forward program, Vietnam continues to receive support in terms of facilities and technology: FIFA-standard artificial turf fields, injury recovery systems, GPS devices to track athletes, LED lighting, team buses and VAR technology for the V-League.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration Nguyen Hong Minh

PHOTO: Organizing Committee

In the 2025-2027 period, Vietnam will participate in key programs such as: FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), FIFA Women's Football Development Programme and FIFA Arena, affirming its position as a dynamic country in the ASEAN football ecosystem.

ASEAN - WADA: Cooperation to build honest and transparent sports

The conference also received much attention on anti-doping in sports from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Ms. Mayumi Yaya Yamamoto - Director of WADA Asia/Oceania Office gave a preliminary overview of the results of ASEAN - WADA cooperation in the period 2022-2025, aiming to build an honest, fair and doping-free sports environment.

The ASEAN-WADA Memorandum of Understanding signed on March 14, 2022, will be extended after 2025, focusing on supporting countries to build independent National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) that comply with the World Anti-Doping Code, while promoting education, training and awareness raising for athletes, coaches and sports administrators.

To date, five ASEAN countries have independently operated NADOs, two others have received intensive technical assistance, and dozens of GLDF training courses have been organized to help officials improve their skills in anti-doping investigation, monitoring and enforcement.

WADA, in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SEARADO), is reviewing and finalizing the legal framework in member countries. Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia now have independent operating systems, while Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Cambodia are in the process of finalizing international standards.

In the coming period, WADA and ASEAN will implement the World Doping Code 2027, expand the intelligence and investigation network and promote the policy enforcement support program associated with the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport.

Two upcoming international events, the World Anti-Doping Conference in Busan (Korea, December 2025) and the AORIM Intergovernmental Ministerial Meeting in Beijing (June 2026), will be opportunities for ASEAN to affirm its pioneering role in efforts to build clean sports.

Also within the framework of today's working session, ASEAN member countries had effective working sessions with many affiliated organizations such as: SEARADO, Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Sangmyung University, KFA Love Sharing Foundation, and sports alliances.

The partners shared initiatives, cooperation results and proposed development directions in the fields of training, community sports, school sports and capacity building for coaches, referees and athletes, towards a united, dynamic and sustainably developed ASEAN.

After 2 days of active work, the 16th SOMS Conference successfully concluded, recognizing the practical contributions of member countries and international partners. The Conference agreed on the orientation of the ASEAN Sports Cooperation Strategy for the period 2026-2030, in which priority is given to the development of community sports, school sports, women's sports and sports for people with disabilities; promoting digital transformation, science and technology in sports management and training; and strengthening cooperation with partners outside the region such as Japan, Korea, China and global organizations.

In his closing speech, Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, chairing the SOMS 16 Conference, emphasized: "The cooperation of ASEAN countries with international partners such as FIFA, WADA and other international organizations not only contributes to improving sports capacity in the region, but also spreads the values ​​of health, honesty and solidarity - in line with the ASEAN spirit: One vision, one identity, one community".

The conference also noted many cooperation initiatives with international partners such as Japan, Korea and China, especially in the fields of women's sports, sports for the disabled, physical education, coach capacity development and preservation of traditional sports. These are important orientations to expand cooperation, contributing to raising the position of ASEAN sports in the international arena.

On behalf of the host country, Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Minh expressed his thanks to the ASEAN delegations and international organizations for their spirit of cooperation, sharing and high responsibility, believing that with the common will, solidarity and determination, ASEAN sports cooperation will continue to reap many new successes, contributing to building a cohesive, prosperous and sustainably developed ASEAN community.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fifa-da-dau-tu-34-trieu-usd-cho-bong-da-dong-nam-a-viet-nam-duoc-gi-185251014165033553.htm