Thailand is trying to win the SEA Games gold medal: U.22 Vietnam and Indonesia face fierce competition

Obstacles for U.22 Thailand

According to Thai media, representatives of Thai League (Thailand's national championship) member clubs attended a conference with the country's football federation. The meeting's content was to discuss and develop guidelines for managing the Thai League more effectively. Among the prominent issues discussed was the postponement of the Thai League to make way for the 33rd SEA Games, an event that Thailand will host, starting in December.

Specifically, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) proposed to suspend the Thai League for a period of 1 month. The goal is nothing more than helping the Thai U.22 team win the gold medal in men's football at the regional arena. This shows that FAT is very serious and has great ambitions to regain the SEA Games championship.

Dinh Bac (right) when he was wearing the U.19 Vietnam jersey, in a match against Thailand

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

However, this wish of FAT has encountered many obstacles. Many Thai League teams have expressed disagreement with the plan to stop the tournament for 1 month. Representatives of the clubs said that the national championship has lasted for 9 months, so if it makes way for SEA Games 33, the 2025 - 2026 Thai League season will have to take place in 10 months, and this makes many players and team members very tired.

The teams also proposed a solution, so that the Thai League would not have to be suspended for a month. According to the media in the land of the golden pagoda, many clubs have proposed that each team will send 3 players to play for the U.22 Thailand team to compete at the 33rd SEA Games. The list of players from each club will be selected by the head coach of the U.22 team - Mr. Takayuki Nishigaya.

Currently, FAT has not yet finalized the final plan. However, Thai League teams have every right not to release players to Thailand U.22, because SEA Games 33 is not included in the FIFA Days schedule.

Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia are also busy

The option of stopping the domestic tournament so that the national team can focus on the SEA Games is no longer strange to Vietnamese football. Most recently, at the 32nd SEA Games (held in Cambodia from May 5 to 17), the 2023 V-League also stopped for about 1 month, from April 17 to May 19. Similarly, the 2024 - 2025 V-League will likely have a long enough break for the U.22 Vietnam team to best prepare for the goal of winning the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

Meanwhile, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) also announced that the U.22 Malaysia team will participate in the Malaysia Super League national championship in the 2025-2026 season. U.22 Malaysia will participate in the tournament as a domestic football club, also playing every week and going through many rounds, while competing for the championship. This is a move to help young Malaysian players have more opportunities to compete in a professional environment, improve their professional skills, thereby aiming for high results at the 33rd SEA Games. In addition, the Malaysian national championship will also be suspended when the regional sports festival takes place.

Previously, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) also decided to stop the national championship for more than 1 month at the end of the year, focusing on the task of defending the SEA Games gold medal. PSSI is also urgently looking for the most suitable "captain" to lead the U.22 Indonesia. Coach Gerald Vanenburg is currently the interim head coach of the U.22 Indonesia. The Dutch coach will be tested at the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament in July.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thai-lan-toan-tinh-nat-oc-gianh-hcv-sea-games-u22-viet-nam-indonesia-bi-canh-tranh-du-doi-185250508133505505.htm