HA NOI — Coach Mai Duc Chung has scheduled a training session in Europe this June to help the his squad prepare for the Asian Under-22 Football Championships 2013 qualifiers.

The team, who will be summoned in middle of this month, will enjoy an intensive two weeks of practice with the MSK Zilina Football Club in Slovakia.

Chung said the club offered comfortable and suitable conditions for the 30-member team where they would have the opportunity to train with qualified overseas Vietnamese players.

After the practice, Chung and his team will fly to Myanmar for the Championship, which will take place from June 23 to July 3, where they have been placed in group G with South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines. Viet Nam are currently ranked sixth in Southeast Asia.

The tournament is a new addition to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) schedule and has attracted the participation of 40 teams.

The tournament is scheduled to be held every two years, with the 2015 event considered the qualifying round for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

AFC's Managing Director Windsor John said the new tournament was the second most important event in Asia at the national team level. AFC hoped that national football federations would invest more in young players, he said.

Teams are divided into seven groups to play in a round robin to select the top 15 for the finals. The 16th team will be the host country's U22 squad in the final round, which has yet to be defined. — VNS