Dubai Cup fixture changes spark controversy
The latest news from Vietnamese media SOHA is that the draw for the first phase of the Dubai Cup tournament has been announced. Vietnam U23s will challenge Iraq and China in that order, while Thailand U23s will face Qatar and Croatia.
However, the organizers then issued a schedule adjustment announcement for the second round of the tournament, with Vietnam U23s' opponent changing to Croatia, while Thailand U23s will play against China U23s. This was the only change in the draw, with the rest of the tournament schedule remaining the same.
News of the fixture change sparked discontent among Thai fans in the comments section, who felt that the Thai U23s had missed out on a great opportunity to play a strong team like Croatia. Some fans questioned whether the Chinese Football Association (CFA) had interfered with the draw in fear of Vietnam, resulting in the Chinese team being exempted from playing Vietnam:
"Who is the CFA to sway the draw for Thailand? Is it afraid of facing Vietnam? I feel very sorry that we missed the match with Croatia."
"China thought they could beat Thailand, but they didn't realize that Thailand was just as difficult to deal with as Vietnam."
"Are China's U23s afraid to play against Vietnam's U23s?"
"Honestly, Vietnam was lucky to play Croatia and we were a bit unfortunate."
This speculation is not empty. Chinese media noted that they feared the national football team would face more criticism if China's U23 team lost to Vietnam. Vietnamese soccer continues to be successful in Southeast Asia, with outstanding players in all age groups from U15 to U23. On the first day of the year, public opinion has already been stirred up after the national soccer team lost to Vietnam. If China's U23 team loses again against Vietnam's U23 team in the Dubai Cup, the public opinion environment for the national soccer team will be even more severe.
