Thanh Hoa urgently adds forces to participate in AFC Champions League
The Thanh team will gather again on December 21. In addition, Thanh Hoa Club will also introduce a new head coach and new contracts to prepare for the AFC Champions League qualifying round.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially sent an invitation to Thanh Hoa Club (V.League runner-up) to participate in the 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying round instead of Quang Nam Club (V.League champion). The reason is that the "new king" of V.League does not have a U17 team to participate in the National U17 tournament, and does not have enough conditions for youth training to participate in the qualifying round of the highest level club competition in Asia.
Immediately after receiving the invitation letter and the schedule for the 2018 AFC Champions League preliminary round from AFC, Thanh Hoa Club President Doan Van Phuong said that the team was in a passive position, but was ready to face the challenge to compete for the image of Vietnamese football in the eyes of international friends.
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| AFC announces the schedule for the 2018 AFC Champions League Qualifying Round. |
Thanh Hoa team will face Eastern SC Club (Hong Kong) in the 2nd qualifying round of AFC Champions League 2018 on January 23. If they win this match, on January 30, the Vietnamese representative will play a play-off match against Suwon Samsung Bluewings (playing away, in Korea).
In case of losing in the play-off match, Thanh Hoa Club will say goodbye to the dream of playing in the group stage of AFC Champions League 2018 to compete in AFC Cup 2018 with another representative of Vietnam, SLNA (the champion of National Cup).
After winning the National Cup, SLNA Club also made financial plans and received support from sponsors to participate in the continental arena.
"This is not the first time SLNA has competed in a continental tournament, and SLNA does not lack human resources. However, we have to mobilize financial resources from the provincial level and sponsors. In order for the team to compete in the continental tournament, we can only focus on our best skills, while ensuring our position in the fierce V.League 2018 arena," said Mr. Ho Van Chiem, Executive Director of SLNA Club.
In the past, SLNA withdrew from the continental cup in 2001 and had to pay a fine of 2,000 USD. In the 2011 AFC Cup, SLNA reached the round of 16 and in the 2012 AFC Cup, coach Huu Thang and his team stopped at the group stage.
| The AFC Cup is an annual football tournament between the champions and cup winners of 14 Asian countries with average football levels. Countries with higher football levels are eligible to participate in the AFC Champions League. The tournament was first organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2004. Before its establishment, the AFC Champion League and AFC Cup had no connection with each other. However, the reform in 2009 allowed clubs from some football nations participating in the AFC Cup to participate in the AFC Champion League preliminary round. If they failed in this preliminary round, they were allowed to compete in the AFC Cup group stage. Thus, if Thanh Hoa Club loses in the 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying round, they will be relegated to the 2018 AFC Cup. |
According to Zing
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