Football

Head coach Park Hang-seo is the latest member of the national football team to test positive for COVID. He is isolating at home. Photo tintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI — The head coach of the national football team, Park Hang-seo, has tested positive for COVID-19, though he is said to be in a good condition.

South Korean coach Park was tested on Thursday and had some common COVID-19 symptoms. He is isolating at home.

VFF said the virus has not badly affected Park's health and he is still working with his assistants online. He is expected to recover before training restarts on March 14.

Park Hang-seo and his team are currently preparing for 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Oman and Japan, on March 24 and 29 respectively.

Việt Nam have three points and are bottom of Group B. They defeated China 3-0 on February 1 in Hà Nội, their first points of the qualifying campaign.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also affecting the national football league.

Three matches heralded the start of the V.League 2 season yesterday, and three more games are scheduled for Saturday. 

However, COVID-19 has forced the postponement of three other games.

They are matches between Phù Đổng and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, People's Police and Quảng Nam, and Long An and Phố Hiến.

Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu's 10 players including four goalkeepers, Quảng Nam's 19 players and Phố Hiến's 18 players tested positive with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the match between Nam Định and Hà Nội on Sunday has also been postponed.

Hà Nội FC told tournament organisers yesterday that 11 players in their squad, including all goalkeepers, have tested positive for COVID-19 and asked for the game to be postponed.

Organisers agreed and requested Hà Nội players strictly follow the COVID-19 control measures.

The date for the rescheduled fixture will be announced soon.

Players from Hà Nội FC have continued training while they wait for their teammates to recover. They have yet to kick a ball in anger this season. Photo of Hà Nội FC

The national premier league began on February 25 but Hà Nội have yet to play a match.

In the first round, their opponents Thanh Hóa required their game to be postponed due to a lack of players. Against defending champions Viettel earlier this week, it was Hà Nội's turn to call for a postponement.

As per the tournament's regulations, a match can only proceed if a team has 14 players available; one of the three substitutes must be a goalkeeper.

The delayed matches are unavoidable but the Việt Nam Professional Football Company has prepared plans to ensure a successful season, according to VPF General Director Nguyễn Minh Ngọc. — VNS