VFF asks AFF to clarify the incident of displaying the wrong Vietnamese flag at the draw ceremony for Southeast Asian U19 & U16 futsal

TPO - The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) affirmed that this is a serious incident, affecting the national image and ASEAN solidarity.

On the afternoon of October 28 in Nonthaburi (Thailand), during the draw ceremony for the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 and U16 Futsal Championship, an unfortunate incident occurred when the Chinese flag was displayed instead of the Vietnamese flag on the draw representing the Vietnamese team.

Immediately afterwards, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) sent an official document to the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) and the Thai Football Federation to protest and request clarification of the cause of the incident.

In the document, VFF emphasized that this is a serious incident that could negatively affect the national image as well as negatively impact the solidarity of the ASEAN community.

VFF requested AFF to clarify the responsibilities of relevant parties and at the same time put in place strict control measures to prevent similar mistakes in future events.

VFF expressed its belief that AFF is fully aware of the seriousness of the incident and will handle it with the highest sense of responsibility, caution and professionalism, to ensure respect for the image and national symbols of members in the region.

According to the draw results, at the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship, the Vietnam U19 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, 2025 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.

The 2025 AFF U16 Futsal Championship will see five teams competing, including Thailand (hosts), Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Brunei. The teams will compete in a round-robin format to determine the top two teams to advance to the final, while the third and fourth-placed teams will play for third place. The tournament will be held at the same venue as the 2025 AFF U19 Futsal Championship, in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/vff-yeu-cau-aff-lam-ro-su-co-hien-thi-sai-quoc-ky-viet-nam-tai-le-boc-tham-futsal-u19-u16-dong-nam-a-post1791303.tpo