SEA Games to stop allowing overage players in men's football

By Hieu Luong February 17, 2023 | 08:39 pm PT

Do Hung Dung (L) is an overage player that helped Vietnam win gold medals in SEA Games 30 and 31. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Cambodia, the host of this year’s SEA Games, has decided that in the men’s football event teams can only field U22 players instead of extra overage players.

In 2001 it was decided that only U23 players will play in the event. In 2017, the participating countries agreed to change that to U22. Two years later hosts Philippines decided to allow teams to use two overage players.

Last year Vietnam increased that to three and changed the age limit back to U23 since the games were postponed by a year from 2021 due to Covid-19.

Cambodia wanted to keep the extra slots this year, but the Asian Football Confederation requested the teams to field only U22 players.

Vietnam made the most out of the two events that allowed overage players, winning gold medals in both.

SEA Games 32 will be held in Cambodia from May 5 to 17 this year. The men’s football event will begin earlier, on April 29.

Vietnam will be managed by the newly appointed national head coach Philippe Troussier.