Star midfielder to miss AFF Cup as Singapore plays hardball

By Lam Thoa   December 3, 2021 | 09:00 pm PT
Star midfielder to miss AFF Cup as Singapore plays hardball
Do Hung Dung (R) in a football match between Vietnam and Thailand. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa
Do Hung Dung will miss the AFF Cup this month after host country Singapore refused to grant him an entry permit.

On Friday the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said Dung confirmed this, and head coach Park Hang-seo called up Ly Cong Hoang Anh to replace him, but he too cannot go to Singapore because of similar paperwork problems.

During the preparations for the World Cup qualifiers in November, Park wanted to call up Dung, but his club, Hanoi FC, refused, saying he was still recuperating from an injury.

On November 26 Hanoi announced he had fully recovered, but by then it was three days past the deadline Singapore set for teams to register for the AFF Cup.

The VFF and the Vietnamese embassy in Singapore contacted the host Singapore to add Dung to the team, but they said the country had tightened entry regulations due to Covid and no exceptions could be made.

Vietnam will have to play in the AFF Cup from December 5 to January 1 with 29 players.

Dung has been a key midfielder for the national team, playing in all the matches when Vietnam won the 2018 AFF Cup and 2019 SEA Games.

On March 23 this year he broke his shinbone in a horrendous tackle in a V. League match.

In the AFF Cup, Vietnam are in group B with Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, and Cambodia.

All their matches will be reported live on VnExpress International.

 
 
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