Vietnam file complaint about lowly SEA Games ranking

By Nam Anh   April 19, 2019 | 06:00 pm PT
Vietnam file complaint about lowly SEA Games ranking
Vietnam's key player Nguyen Quang Hai (red) in AFF Cup 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is not happy with the seedings for the SEA Game men’s football and has demanded changes.

The SEA Games 30 rankings were announced by the Philippine organizing committee in March and Vietnam were placed in the lowest ranked pot along with Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste since they did not make it past the group stage in 2017.

But the VFF wants to know how Vietnam, after ending the previous event with 10 points, could be seeded lower than Myanmar (nine points) and Singapore (six).

"We have sent a communication to the Vietnam Olympic Committee (VOC) and asked them to file this request with the ASEAN Football Federation," a VFF official told VnExpress.

The officials said that Philippines could have made a mistake and "there's chance that Vietnam will be ranked again."

The VOC said it has forwarded the demand and the ASEAN Football Federation would discuss it at a meeting on April 22.

SEA Games 30 will take place from November 30 to December 10.

Hosts Philippines are placed in the first pot with defending champions Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are in the second and Myanmar and Singapore in the third.

As a result of being in the last pot, Vietnam face the threat of being drawn in a tough group with teams from the first and second pots.

In the past SEA Games were restricted to under-22 footballers, but the rules have been changed to allow each team to have two players aged above 22.

This means key senior players like Nguyen Cong Phuong, Dang Van Lam and Que Ngoc Hai could play this year.

Vietnam have been on a wonderful run in the last year or so, making the last four of the Asian Games, winning the AFF Cup and entering the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup.

 
 
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