Dead balls

December 11, 2018 - 09:00

With the Vietnamese football team close to glory at the AFF Suzuki Cup, all eyes are focused on the beautiful game.

Dead balls outside the Mỹ Đình Stadium are removed.
Viet Nam News

With the Vietnamese football team close to glory at the AFF Suzuki Cup, all eyes are focused on the beautiful game.

On December 5, before the second leg of the semi-final between Việt Nam and the Philippines at Hà Nội’s Mỹ Đình national stadium, 40 concrete balls strung together outside of the stadium were moved elsewhere.

The stadium’s managing board said the Việt Nam Football Association had asked for the balls to be kicked out of the stadium’s vicinity. 

Kiều Hữu Thọ, a football fan who lives near Mỹ Đình, summed up the reason for the strange move when he said "The balls strung by leashes around the stadium are dead balls and aren’t good luck.”

He explained the team had enjoyed more success playing away from home, wheres Mỹ Đình had been something of a house of horrors.

“When the ball rolls, it will create new energy. If the ball is chained, it is dead."

Việt Nam defeated the Philippines 2-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate, so perhaps there was something to the funky move.

Or maybe the boys in red won thanks to their skill, who know.— VNS

 

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