AFF Cup 2018: Panoramic view

In 12 editions, the AFF Cup has never received so much attention from the regional media. A series of major sports newspapers in Asia have devoted considerable time to reporting and writing about the 2018 AFF Cup. Typically, FOX Sports always updates the tournament's developments the fastest, along with many in-depth commentary articles. Before the final match, it is estimated that about 200 large and small Vietnamese newspapers continuously published articles about this event.

Media effects, expertise

Fox News published an article about the feelings of a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper before the first leg of the final. Screenshot.

To be able to update hot news, Nghe An Newspaper for the first time sent reporters to follow the Vietnamese team to the capital Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Not only analyzing and commenting in depth on expertise, but also aspects of life, training of players and the team's coaching staff are also transmitted and updated regularly. What is quite special is that many predictions on Nghe An Electronic Newspaper (baonghean.vn) are highly accurate, have a unique perspective, and are typical of a locality with a large number of fans and knowledge of the football field.

In terms of expertise, the quality of matches at the AFF Cup 2018 has increased significantly. Except for the match where Thailand beat East Timor 7-0,There are not many matches with big score differences. After a certain investment, Cambodia or Laos - two of the weakest teams in the region - have caused many difficulties for "big guys" like Vietnam and Malaysia. There have been goals with a strong modern football mark, with a high level of difficulty, combining individual technique and the strength of the scorer.

The spontaneous and improvisational style of play that is a fundamental characteristic of Southeast Asian football has gradually diminished. Instead, most teams have a very clear and tight organization of play, similar to many big teams in the world. In particular, Vietnam and Malaysia are the two teams that have shown the most outstanding performance, with players focusing on developing the ball from the home field to the opponent's goal.

The appearance of foreign coaches makes the AFF Cup much more prestigious. Photo: AFF

The appearance of great coaches like Sven-Goran Eriksson (Philippines), Milovan Rajevac (Thailand) or Park Hang-seo (Vietnam) makes the AFF Cup much more prestigious. The tactical thinking they bring is also very new compared to Southeast Asian football, thereby creating attraction for fans.

In addition, the fact that Southeast Asian football's performance in the Asian arena is improving day by day has contributed to introducing and promoting the AFF Cup 2018. Fans of the continent will be curious: What is happening to the "world football depression" when "U23 Vietnam finished second in Asia, U23 Malaysia also reached the quarterfinals. At the ASIAD, Vietnam was in the top 4 strongest teams. In 2015, Myanmar participated in the U20 World Cup and two years later it was Vietnam's turn"? Such progress forces Asia to look at Southeast Asia with different eyes!

Level Up

In terms of society, the economic life of Southeast Asia is still low, but this is a region that receives much attention from the world's powers. To attract investment, the fastest way is to focus on sports, which is also the method that "mainland" China has recently applied. Therefore, in recent years, Southeast Asian countries have increased spending on football and brought certain results. The most noticeable is that the AFF Cup 2018 is very enthusiastic, colorful, dramatic, and many tycoons are interested.

The matches at the AFF Cup 2018 were colorful, dramatic and of high quality. Photo: Trung Kien

In addition to inviting famous foreign coaches, many countries such as the Philippines and Myanmar have used many naturalized players to upgrade their teams, so the gap between regional football has been narrowed more quickly. The Vietnamese champion has successfully invested in youth football combined with hiring talented coach Park Hang-Seo.

With the 2018 AFF Cup championship, we are confident in our development strategy to raise the level of Vietnamese football, aiming for a bigger goal. On this happy day, we cannot help but remember the contributions of Mr. Kien, Mr. Thang and especially Mr. Duc - who is paying Mr. Park's salary for 2 years./.