Football

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (centre) and AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (second, left) pose for a photo with Vietnamese football officials during their trip to Paris. International football leaders congratulated and encouraged VFF ahead of their ninth congress this weekend. Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI - FIFA and AFC leaders sent letters of congratulations to the Việt Nam Football Federation ahead of its ninth congress which will be held on Sunday in Hà Nội.

Representatives of international organisations have arrived in Việt Nam to witness the election of the VFF's leadership for the 2022 to 2026 term.

Among the officials are those from FIFA, the world football governing body; AFC, the continental football confederation; and the AFF, the regional football federation.

In his letter, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa praised and congratulated Vietnamese officials and supporters.

"There is no denying that football in Việt Nam has achieved a period of unparalleled success across all areas of football development in recent years," Al Khalifa wrote. "Success in elite football is the outcome of strong youth development and coaching systems and structures."

The president also applauded the VFF's progress off the pitch with concerted efforts undertaken to strengthen the professionalism of the domestic league, and to enhance the level of competitions and international exposure for its youth teams.

"These achievements are testament to the clear vision and forward planning of great visionaries, both past and present, as well as members of the VFF Executive Committee and the collective strength and unity of the VFF Congress," he said.

According to Al Khalifa, the AFC has been supporting the VFF through many tailor-made programmes to ensure greater professionalism and good governance, and he wants to assure continuous support in the future.

"On behalf of the AFC, I salute the efforts of the VFF and the Vietnamese football family, and together I am confident that we will strengthen the foundations to enable football in Việt Nam to usher in greater success in the years and decades to come," he added.

VFF Acting President Trần Quốc Tuấn (right) and his Vice President Cao Văn Chóng will take part in the ninth congress on Sunday in Việt Nam. Photo courtesy of VFF

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also sent his congratulations to Việt Nam days ahead of its important event.

Infantino appreciated the country's great progress in the past few years as both men's and women's football and futsal teams have reached world-class levels.

He noted that these successes resulted from a process of strong effort and hard work by Vietnamese football players and officials over the years.

VFF has improved the quality of local tournaments including both professional leagues and competitions for juniors. The body also organised international events so that young players had chances to sharpen their skills internationally.

The federation recognised the importance of training programmes for coaches in an effort to enhance the quality of players and national football.

Infantino believed that it was only the beginning of Việt Nam football and the country would grab more success in the future.

During its eighth term from 2018 to 2022, the VFF advocated to expand its cooperation and relationship with international organisations and at the same time lift them to new heights.

This policy has helped Vietnamese football strengthen its position in the world and be more respected in the eyes of international friends.

During the last four years, Việt Nam has made remarkable achievements that have never been done before.

In the men's game, Việt Nam created history after reaching the decisive stage of Asia's road to the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time. This success was the culmination of years of hard work.

Earlier, the team reached their first-ever AFC Asian Cup Quarter-final appearance in the United Arab Emirates in 2019 and finished second at the AFC U23 Championship in China in 2018.

Similarly in women's football, the team made history at the AFC Women's Asian Cup in India early this year 2022 by qualifying for their first-ever FlFA Women's World Cup in 2023.

On the global stage, Việt Nam reached the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 in Lithuania for the second time, and the U20 side also qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea in 2017.

At the same time, there were also numerous achievements on the regional front with both the men and women capturing gold medals at the 31st SEA Games, where they did an exceptional job as hosts.

In the Sunday congress, delegates will vote for the VFF President position in which Trần Quốc Tuấn, acting president of VFF, is the only candidate.

Seven other candidates will vie to be vice presidents taking charge of finance and sponsorships, and communication activities.

Another 25 members will participate in the candidacy for 13 positions in the Executive Committee. VNS