VietNamNet Bridge - Nearly 20 members of the Vietnamese football team came down with diarrhea and fever in Selangor, Malaysia on Tuesday, shortly after a group lunch. The team almost had to forfeit the match against Selangor in the AFC Cup 2014 that night.

Hanoi T&T players at the hospital.

Before the game, Hanoi T&T topped its group with three wins, while host Selangor had two points. Hence, the Vietnamese team was in high spirits and very confident during the trip to Malaysia.

However, after setting foot in Selnagor, Coach Phan Thanh Hung says he and his players met countless obstacles, which he attributes to the host’s lack of professionalism in arranging means of travel, accommodations and training grounds.

After the lunch on April 1, many team members came down with stomachaches and high fever. This forced team managers to consider giving up the game.

Hanoi T&T brought 25 players to Malaysia last but, thanks to a great effort, the team had enough people to play, although most of them were not healthy enough. Many players could not even go to the Shah Alam stadium to watch their team.

After losing 1-3 to Selangor, Hanoi T&T had to urgently send over 10 players to a local hospital for treatment.

Previously, in the trip to Thailand in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, goalkeeper Duong Hong Son also suffered from digestive disorders and could not play.

In the trip to Arema Malang, the team experienced an earthquake while staying on the seventh floor of a local hotel.

The team returned to Hanoi Wednesday evening to prepare for the next game in Maldives.

Nam Nguyen