Defender Bùi Tiến Dũng is part of the AFC's #BreakTheChain campaign. — Photo dantri.vn

 HÀ NỘI — Football defender Bùi Tiến Dũng and futsal player Nguyễn Minh Trí are featuring in the Asian Football Confederation’s #BreakTheChain campaign to encourage fans to battle the COVID-10 pandemic.

The national team and Viettel FC captain Dũng is one of three stars to appear in the latest video clip released yesterday. The clip also features Thai star Charyl Chappuis and Chinese winger Cao Yunding.

Dũng has been one of the key players in South Korean coach Park Hang-seo’s line-up at recent tournaments, and was quoted as saying by the-afc.com: “These are unsettling times and my heart and prayers go out first and foremost to those who have been physically affected by the virus and to the medical personnel who are on the frontline.

“In a global crisis, we need a global solution and that requires the world to come together to break the chain and to fight this pandemic as one united community.

“Our focus must be to commit ourselves to the advice of our medical experts, protect our loved ones and to look out for our elderly. When this is over, we can all take great comfort and pride that communities across the world will be more resilient than ever.”

In the clip, he called on people "to be united in the war against the pandemic".

Midfielder Chappuis asked fans to listen only to health authorities and to share information from official sources.

Cao advised people to reduce gatherings and maintain good hygiene to beat the opponent.

While Dũng is the sixth footballer taking part in the AFC’s campaign, Trí is the first futsal player from Việt Nam.

Trí won a Silver Ball for the national second best futsal player in 2016 was in the clip together with Khaled Al Harban, the Bahrain Women’s team head coach, and Shanghai SIPG forward Li Shenglong of China.

Trí said: “This is a challenging time. COVID-19 has affected everyone’s lives. Schools are closed and businesses are struggling, but we continue to persevere under pressure. We are all in this together and must stand united against this pandemic.

“We are restricted from doing a lot of things but there are many ways to overcome this. I see many people using technology to connect with family and friends, and even teachers are conducting classes online. It is remarkable to see that even with controlled movements, we can rise to the occasion. Please stay patient and listen to the advice of medical experts.” — VNS