Ly Duc faces the risk of heavy penalties.

Ly Duc faces the risk of a heavy penalty.

According to current AFC regulations, not all red cards result in the same suspension. Disciplinary decisions will be made based on the nature and severity of the offense.

Specifically, the AFC's Code of Discipline and Ethics states in Article 48 that a player sent off for receiving two yellow cards or committing a professional foul, such as preventing a clear scoring opportunity, will only be suspended for one match.

Disqualification for serious fouls can result in a two-match suspension. The most serious offense is violence against an opponent or referee, which carries a suspension of up to three matches.

In Ly Duc's case, if the AFC concludes that the foul leading to the red card was a "foul play" and violent, the 2003-born player will likely face a three-match suspension, the highest penalty under the disciplinary framework. This scenario is causing concern among experts and Vietnamese fans.

Ly Duc Anh 1

Ly Duc received a red card in the match against China U23.

The problem is that the Vietnam U23 team only has one match left in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, against South Korea U23. According to Article 38 of the AFC, if a player has not served the full number of matches of their suspension in the current tournament, the penalty will be carried over to the next tournament of the same level. However, since Ly Duc is already overage to participate in the next AFC U23 Asian Championship, the penalty cannot be applied in that tournament.

In that case, the punishment would be escalated to a higher level, meaning suspensions from official national team matches. This means Ly Duc risks a two-match suspension at the national team level, along with being unable to play in the match against South Korea U23 on January 23rd. This directly affects his chances of playing for the national team if he is called up by coach Kim Sang-sik.

This is a big lesson for Ly Duc, who had a very impressive tournament playing for the Vietnam U23 team. After the loss to China U23, the central defender posted an apology on his personal page and hoped to receive understanding from Vietnamese fans.

Mother of Vietnam U23 player: 'Losing is okay' On the night of January 20th, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, mother of defender Pham Minh Phuc, affirmed that the Vietnam U23 team deserves support and pride, because the players have gone through an emotional and memorable journey at the U23 Asian Championship.