HA NOI – The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) has decided to remove the annual VFF Cup from its schedule after eight years of organisation.

The main reason was attributed to the lack of influence the tournament had on the National and Under-23 teams.

The cup was a pre-event for the Southeast Asian Football Championship at the end of every year and the biennial Southeast Asian Games. The first cup was organised in 2004 and Viet Nam twice won the trophy in 2005 and 2009.

However, the teams that played well in VFF Cups failed to repeat their high performance in key competitions later.

VFF Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy added that the cancellation was also intended to help guard team tactics for the larger tournaments.

In lieu of the cup, VFF will invite Thailand or Hong Kong to play friendly matches in Viet Nam in the near future. – VNS