Movements in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014

We present to our readers the hottest behind-the-scenes information surrounding the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 developments over the past 24 hours.

VFF leaders congratulate Cong Vinh on his birthday.

Yesterday was a special day for Le Cong Vinh, as the striker was honored to receive flowers and birthday wishes from VFF President Le Hung Dung, VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan, VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh, along with the coaching staff and teammates of the Vietnamese national team. Le Cong Vinh was born on December 10, 1985, in Nghe An, and he is on his way to joining the "legendary family" of Vietnamese football with 79 appearances for the national team and 68 goals.

The General Department of Sports and Physical Training directs measures to ensure security and safety for the semi-final match.

On the afternoon of December 10th, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training sent official letter No. 1339 to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) requesting that security and safety be ensured for the second leg of the semi-final match. The letter stated: “To ensure the good friendly relations between Vietnam and Malaysia, in the spirit of fair play, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training requests that the VFF coordinate with functional units of the Ministry of Public Security and relevant agencies to implement necessary measures to ensure absolute safety for the match, especially ensuring the security and safety of Malaysian players and fans. At the same time, through the Vietnam Supporters' Association, we call on fans to show civilized and polite behavior when attending the match.” Over the past period, the tournament organizers and the VFF have coordinated with relevant agencies to develop a plan to best ensure security and safety for the Vietnam - Malaysia semi-final match.

500 Malaysian fans arrived at My Dinh Stadium.

Yesterday (December 10th), VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh announced that the Malaysian Football Association had informed the VFF that approximately 500 Malaysian fans would be attending the match at My Dinh Stadium to support their team. Upon learning this information, the VFF coordinated with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the visiting fans and prevent any unfortunate incidents. The Hanoi City Police stated that they have implemented comprehensive plans and deployed a large force to ensure security and safety for the match.

The Malaysian national team held a closed training session under strict discipline.

Immediately after arriving in Hanoi (December 8th), coach Dollah Salleh imposed strict discipline on the Malaysian national team players. He forbade his players from using social media, phones, computers, etc. The coach, nicknamed "Midas," also declared that he would take firm action against players with a lack of enthusiasm in training, and the recent reprimand given to striker Safee is one example.

Keep the fire burning from afar!

Unable to travel to Hanoi to support the Vietnamese national team, a large number of fans in Ho Chi Minh City have arranged to "cheer on their favorite players from afar" at the Youth Cultural Center, a venue that has always broadcast Vietnamese national team matches live. It is expected that more than 5,000 fans will watch the second leg of the semi-final at this location.

In addition, before the match, Vietnamese fans called on everyone to wear red shirts when coming to My Dinh Stadium to paint the stands red while cheering on Coach Miura's team.

The strength of family!

From Hai Phong, more than 20 members of Dinh Tien Thanh's family traveled to Hanoi to cheer on the Vietnamese national team in the second leg of the semi-final match, making it quite difficult for the central defender to find tickets for his relatives. Despite this, Tien Thanh felt extremely happy because "it's not every day that so many relatives travel long distances to support me in the Vietnamese national team's jersey." Other players like Thanh Luong, Van Quyet, Hong Quan, Phuoc Tu… shared the same joy, and this is a great source of motivation for them in this important match this afternoon.

Hottest & Most Expensive

The Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) website described the second leg of the semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia as the "hottest and most expensive" match of 2014. The immense popularity of the match caused ticket prices to skyrocket, sometimes dozens of times higher than the original price. According to the website, tickets for Stand A, which normally cost around $20, were being sold for $250. The article also predicted that prices could reach $300 before kick-off.

According to Bongda+