The organizing committee of the Asian Games (ASIAD) 2018 on August 15 asked the Vietnam Olympic football team not to allow reporters to cover its training sessions on grounds that are not arranged by the organizers.

A training session of Vietnam Olympic football team.

The committee said it was difficult for it to control images of unofficial fields posted by the media in the past few days. These images might cause negative public opinions despite the host’s efforts to organise the event.

The Vietnamese team’s training session on August 15 was scheduled to run between 3-4 pm at a stadium within the Brazilian Football Academy. The venue, some 20 km away from the hotel where the team is staying, was selected by the squad itself.   

The team is now leading Group D, which also includes Japan, Pakistan, and Nepal. Earlier, the U23 Vietnam players defeated U23 Pakistan 3-0 in the group’s opening match, while Japan beat Nepal 1- 0. One more victory will help Vietnam qualify for the next phase.

The men’s football event will finish on September 1, which features 25 teams in two groups of five and four groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams will advance to the second round.-VNA