VFF speaks out about fake statements related to Nguyen Xuan Son; Mourinho changes Turkish football

VFF speaks out about fake statements related to Nguyen Xuan Son

On the evening of January 11, the Vietnam Football Federation's homepage announced: "Immediately after the Vietnam National Team won the 2024 ASEAN Cup Championship, a number of social networking sites used images of VFF leaders and some team members with false content, seriously affecting the reputation and honor of Vietnamese football in general, VFF and individuals in particular, with the aim of attracting views and public attention."

In recent days, many social networking sites have posted pictures of a VFF leader and added negative content related to Nguyen Xuan Son. These sites distort the words of the VFF leader and claim that the Vietnamese team won against Thailand without Xuan Son, proving that the role of the striker born in 1997 is not important to Vietnamese football.

Of course, many fans were fooled by fake news, inciting controversy and division. However, in reality, the VFF Executive Committee always highly appreciated Xuan Son, constantly visiting the star of the Vietnam National Team.

The VFF homepage wrote: "The Vietnam Football Federation requests that social networking sites immediately stop spreading this information. The VFF will coordinate with relevant authorities to strictly handle violations according to the law.

We recommend that fans be careful when accessing information on social networks, always verify the source of information to avoid being misled, misunderstood and possibly leading to wrong actions, unintentionally contributing to bad, toxic information that damages the image of Vietnamese football, organizations and individuals belonging to the Vietnam Football Federation."

At this time, Nguyen Xuan Son has begun the recovery process after the injury in the final match of the AFF Cup 2024. The surgery of the player of the Nam Dinh Steel Blue was successful, he can return to play after 8 months. It is expected that the end of 2025 will be the time when Xuan Son gradually regains his form.

Laos coach declares he wants to defeat Thailand at SEA Games 2025

After leaving certain impressions at the 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, coach Ha Hyeok-jun of the Laos team has just sent a strong message.

Coach Ha Hyeok-jun told Sports Seoul: “I can say with a smile that the tournament is over, which was not an easy tournament. After the ASEAN Cup, there is still a lot of work to do. If I say this, people will think it is funny. But if possible, I want to reach the final of the SEA Games, and in that tournament I want to beat Thailand.

I think we can do it if the team works together and maintains unity. After Laos drew with Indonesia, I saw someone saying, “Shin Tae-yong lost to a third-rate coach”. I feel like I am still third-rate. And I will do better to become famous.”

The 54-year-old coach's statement is not at all unrealistic. Because at the SEA Games, teams must use the U22 squad, and the Laos team has a generation of U22 players full of potential. Most of these players have dominated the ASEAN Cup 2024 and left a deep impression thanks to their remarkable progress in technique, tactics as well as personal level. The team from the land of a million elephants has created countless difficulties for Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

2/3 of the Lao national team squad is qualified to participate in the 2025 SEA Games. Young talents such as Peter Phanthavong, Damoth Thongkhamsavath, Chanthavixay Khounthoumphone, Phetdavanh Somsanith... have a lot of experience in top-level competitions and with their proven skills, they are confident enough to shine in the playground for young players.

What they lack is mental stability. Coach Ha Hyeok-jun said: "The players all have good technical skills, but their weakness is that if they continuously concede goals, their spirit will collapse. I will try to create confidence in the players."

Barca and Arsenal compete for MU's Marcus Rashford

Man United are ready to sell Marcus Rashford this month, after the 1997-born striker publicly said he wanted to leave Old Trafford to seek a new challenge.

Rashford's brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, recently traveled to Italy to negotiate with AC Milan but has not found common ground with the Serie A team.

Juventus and Como are also interested in Rashford, although United maintain any loan deal would require the club to pay more than half of the striker's £325,000-a-week wages.

In the Premier League, in addition to West Ham, Arsenal are also planning to recruit the English player. During an appearance on Sky Sports Italy's Calciomercato l'Originale program, Massimo Marianella revealed that Arsenal had initial negotiations with Man United about Rashford.

Marianella revealed that Man United are demanding a transfer fee of 25 million Euros (20.9 million GBP) for the 27-year-old, and Arsenal are willing to pay that amount.

Meanwhile, Relevo newspaper quoted journalist Matteo Moretto as saying that Barca also wants to have Rashford's services on loan with a buyout clause.

In addition, the Catalan team is also willing to pay the entire 325,000 pound salary of the 1997-born player during the loan period.

Rashford's brother Dwaine Maynard is said to have left Italy and gone to Spain to negotiate with Barca. Rashford's agent sees Barcelona as one of the ideal destinations for his client.

A few years ago, Rashford leaving MU on loan was unthinkable. However, with his recent decline in form, plus the appearance of coach Ruben Amorim, the possibility of Rashford leaving Old Trafford is very high.

Chiesa scores his first goal for Liverpool

On the night of January 11, Liverpool crushed Accrington 4-0 in the FA Cup round of 32 at Anfield.

Accrington, a club from League Two, the fourth tier of English football, has no chance of creating a surprise at the home ground of the team leading the Premier League.

The "Red Brigade" created a one-sided game with nearly 80% possession, 22 shots, 9 of which were on target and scored 4 goals. On the other hand, Accrington only had 1 shot on target in the whole match.

After five consecutive matches without playing, Chiesa was given a chance from the beginning of the second half. The former Juventus player shone with a tricky shot from outside the box, sealing a 4-0 victory for Liverpool in the 90th minute. This was the first goal of the Euro 2020 champion, after five appearances for Liverpool this season.

Under coach Arne Slot, Chiesa only played in the League Cup. In the Premier League, the Italian midfielder played just one match against Bournemouth in September 2024.

Returning to the match against Accrington, Diogo Jota opened the scoring for Liverpool with a close-range finish in the 29th minute. In the 45th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold shot from long range, doubling the gap for the Merseyside team.

In the second half, Chiesa had a hand in both goals for the home team. Before scoring the 4-0 goal, he also took a long-range shot that the goalkeeper could not catch, allowing Jayden Danns to increase the score to 3-0.

Mourinho changes Turkish football

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will hire foreign referees to be in charge of the VAR room in the second leg of the national championship.

Eurosport reported that the TFF's adjustment came after coach Jose Mourinho repeatedly criticized the referees, mocking and mocking them for favoring the top team Galatasaray. "Why are people afraid to tell the truth? What are people afraid of in this country? Do you think this gap in points only comes from football on the pitch?", Mourinho said on January 7.

"Yesterday I heard the word 'scandal' again... I hear this word constantly. Some people like it. Even winners like to win like that, no matter what happens. That's the worst thing," Fenerbahce's head coach alluded to the referees' favoritism towards Galatasaray.

Mourinho is not the only one in the Turkish Super League who has complained about Galatasaray being favored by referees recently. Many other teams in Türkiye have also complained many times when facing the reigning champions. That is why the TFF decided to hire foreign referees to be in charge of the VAR room in the second leg of the National Championship.

Currently, Mourinho's Fenerbahce is 2nd in the Turkish Premier League, 6 points behind the leading team Galatasaray. Fenerbahce has not won the Turkish championship since the 2013/14 season. They have had to sit back and watch big rivals like Galatasaray or Besiktas win the title. Of which, Galatasaray has dominated the tournament for the past half decade.

Fenerbahce's board of directors is determined to invest heavily to return to the throne of Turkish football. Mourinho is the person chosen by Fenerbahce for that ambition. However, the "Special One" is under great pressure after being left far behind by rival Galatasaray in the domestic race.