Strange, 'half-laughing, half-crying' things at SEA Games 30

Unregistered players still play

In the match against U22 Vietnam, Brunei lost 0-6, coach Aminuddin Jumat did not include striker Faiq Jefri Bolkiah wearing the number 9 shirt in the starting lineup. However, no one understood why Bolkiah was there, playing the entire first half before coming off.

Player Faiq Jefri Bolkiah is the nephew of the current Sultan of Brunei. In response to this issue, coach Jumat said: “I just told Bolkiah that I would arrange for him to play. But I don’t understand how Bolkiah was still able to appear in the starting lineup. Honestly, I couldn’t intervene and everything was beyond my control.”

Brunei players who were not registered still entered the field without permission. Photo: Anh Tuan

However, this is still a very rare incident because even the referee team did not check and discover that a player who was not registered in the official competition list was naturally on the field. This incident shows the laxity and lack of responsibility of the organizers of the 30th SEA Games.

Athletes ask for more food

According to Singaporean press, in a letter dated November 24 sent to Ramon Suzara - CEO of PHISGOC, representative of Singapore Sports Delegation Leader Juliana Seow said that the country's delegation at the 30th SEA Games is having a headache solving many problems, from not having enough food for athletes to transportation.

Coach Mai Duc Chung and his assistants go buy food to cook for the women's team. Photo: Zing

The reason is that the Singapore football team staying at Century Park Hotel was not provided with enough nutritious food and the food choices were very limited. Not only that, the Vietnamese women's team also did not have the necessary food to ensure nutrition. To prepare for the opening match against Thailand, coach Mai Duc Chung and his assistants had to go to the supermarket to buy more food to prepare.

Having trouble exercising

Many sports teams complain about having to wait too long for shuttle buses to get to training grounds. Combined with traffic jams, teams often have to practice late.

Before the match against Indonesia on the opening day, the U22 Thai team had to cancel their training session for the second time due to the irresponsibility of the organizing committee. Specifically, coach Akira Nishino and his team were arranged by the organizing committee to practice at a stadium under repair, littered with bunkers and many construction materials that could be dangerous.

Thailand U22 team arrives at the training ground. Photo: FA Thailand

Too upset about this, the coaching staff of the Golden Temple team decided to return to the hotel. More importantly, the Thai players had to walk a long way to get out to catch a bus because the road to the stadium was too small.

Vietnamese reporters are not allowed to bring backpacks into the stadium.

Vietnamese reporters working at Binan Stadium on the afternoon of November 26 encountered an unexpected incident while working on the match between the Vietnamese women's team and Thailand. Specifically, Vietnamese reporters were not allowed to bring backpacks and camera bags onto the Binan Stadium (Laguna province) piste.

Reporters must take all their belongings out of their backpacks before entering the field to work. Photo: Sport5

The stadium organizers announced that some untrue images at Binan Stadium appeared on social media and this affected the image of the host country Philippines, leading to the above ban.

Messy press room

After the first round of men's football matches ended, regional media as well as head coaches of the teams expressed their frustration when the organizers arranged press conferences at the warehouse of Rizal Memorial Stadium.

SEA Games 30 press conference room before completion. Photo: FBNV

The reason given by the Organizing Committee was that the official press conference room had not been completed. It was not until November 26 that the press conference room at the new Rizal Memorial Stadium was completed right before the match between Thailand and Indonesia.

Vietnam coach and players sign before entering the training ground

Today (November 27), the U22 Vietnam team also had a training session to prepare for the match against Laos. U22 Vietnam and coach Park Hang-seo had to take attendance and sign their names before the Circuit Makati Blue Pitch management board agreed to let them practice.

U22 Vietnam players sign their names before practice. Photo: Thang Nguyen

Having to write their names and sign a book at the entrance to the training ground made many players feel both amused and a little annoyed by this rather strange procedure.

Vietnam women's team dropped victory against Thailand at SEA Games 30

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite having the lead goal from Duong Thi Van before the end of the first half, unfortunately the defense of the Vietnamese Women's Team conceded a goal from a high ball in the 87th minute.