.An Unexpected Appearance: Expat fans were surprised to see Gianni Infantino appear as Vietnam won the AFF Trophy - Photo courtesy of FIFA

By AF Reeves - @afreeves23

Oh, would you look at that: Việt Nam are playing the Philippines this weekend. Always a fun evening of clinking glasses with locals and soaking up national pride. Ah, they’re also playing Thailand next Tuesday. Well, that’s sure to be a grudge match after last month; maybe I’ll save myself for that instead. And Pakistan next Friday? Strange. Better check the fixtures. Wait, what is this? A whole host of fixtures in some sort of tournament, where they can defeat neighbouring teams and assert their dominance as regional champions. How novel.

It’s almost as though I dreamt watching Thailand’s keeper buffering as the ball bounced in off his heel, and their left back scoring at both ends in the dying minutes. My article on Việt Nam’s new age side, complemented by newly naturalised players, was but a figment of my imagination. The partying into the early hours, the streams of Vietnamese flags flowing through the streets as the capital ‘đi bão’d’. Việt Nam lifting the trophy as Gianni Infantino’s face appeared on screen. Oh, wait, it’s coming back to me. If you, like me, are a confused ‘expat’ wondering if last month’s tournament is being replayed, worry not: this should hopefully clear things up.

What was the FIFA president doing at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup final? In all my years here, I’ve never once known or noticed one at Việt Nam’s finals. The answer, of course, is that while Hyundai and the AFF haven’t formally agreed to move aside just yet, there’s a new tournament in town. Or rather, in the region: the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup. I’ll allow those more familiar with the politics of the game to pontificate on the potential motivations.

FIFA exploring, and certainly not exploiting, new avenues in the region does raise some worthwhile questions. Is this not a good thing? Well, in some senses it seems a step in the right direction. The tournament sits inside an official FIFA window, unlike the AFF’s, so the league was pausing anyway, clubs must release their players, and the prestige could draw global interest, something South-East Asian football needs. The issue is that it’s hard to argue this doesn’t somehow devalue Việt Nam’s most recent and hard-fought title.

Many I’ve spoken to had no idea it existed and found it borderline ridiculous that Việt Nam would challenge for a second regional crown within six weeks. Two Euros or Copa Américas in one year, let alone back to back, would strike ‘expat’ fans as beyond parody. Modern players are finely tuned athletes who need managing to avoid burnout. Whether those concerns have been fully considered in the creation of another regional tournament remains unclear, with little public explanation so far.

What does this mean for the ASEAN Hyundai Cup? Hard to say right now. Could the introduction of this tournament have been handled more clearly and coherently? Probably. Will I watch it? Yes, I’m a hapless addict. Do I expect it to succeed? Việt Nam loves football. It loves victory. While I don’t doubt the players’ motivation, I’m not sure the bia hơi will be as loud for a point already made so convincingly, so recently. VNS