The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has refused to allow the U22 team to take part in the Toulon Tournament in France.

The tournament is scheduled to be held in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France from December 23 to January 7 next year.

The U22 team  

Earlier, VFF agreed to send the U22 team to France to attend the friendly tournament at the invitation of the French Football Federation. Coach Park Hang-seo has the right to lead the team to the tournament or give it to his assistants.

However, to date, the Covid-19 pandemic in many countries in the world has remained complicated, so the cancellation is aimed to ensure safety for the team.

Instead, the squad and Coach Park Hang Seo will gather for domestic training to prepare for coming tournaments, including the qualifying round of the 2021 AFC U23 Championship and 2021 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The Toulon Tournament is considered a miniature World Cup for young teams and the likes of France’s Thierry Henry, Portugal’s Manuel Rui Costa and England’s Alan Shearer have all played there in the past.

The 12 teams will be divided into three groups, competing in a round-robin format to choose three group winners and the best second-placed team to enter the semi-finals.

Previously, the tournament was expected to take place in June but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was delayed until the end of the year. Dtinews

U22 Vietnam squad to join Toulon Cup in France

Korean Coach Park Hang Seo will take U22 Vietnam football squad to attend the Toulon Cup 2020 in France, to prepare for the campaign to defend the team’s gold medal at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).