The Asian Football Confederation has officially imposed disciplinary sanctions on forward Nguyen Dinh Bac following his red card in the bronze medal match between U23 Vietnam and U23 South Korea at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

More than a month after the tournament concluded, the AFC announced that the U23 Vietnam striker must pay a fine of US$1,000 and serve a two-match suspension, including the automatic one-match ban for the direct red card and an additional match as supplementary punishment.

Previously, in the bronze medal play-off between U23 Vietnam and U23 South Korea on January 24, Dinh Bac received a straight red card after a dangerous challenge on an opposing player. Despite being reduced to ten men, U23 Vietnam fought resiliently and secured victory after a tense penalty shootout.

He is the second U23 Vietnam player to receive a two-match suspension from the AFC after the 2026 tournament, alongside centre-back Ly Duc. Both players will be over the age limit for the next AFC U23 Asian Cup, meaning the suspension will be carried over to the senior national team should they be called up.

As a result, Dinh Bac and Ly Duc will be unable to feature in Vietnam’s rematch against Malaysia on March 31 in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup. In addition, both players will also miss Vietnam’s opening match at the ASEAN Cup 2026, scheduled for July.

At the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, Dinh Bac delivered an outstanding campaign, claiming the Golden Boot with four goals and earning two awards for Best Goal of the Group Stage and Best Goal of the Tournament.

Dai Nam