A failure in flight bookings was cited by team leaders from the war-torn country as the reason for the withdrawal.
Afghanistan said in the document sent to Vietnam that there is no flight scheduled to depart from the country in the days prior to the match.
Le Hoai Anh, VFF’s office manager told local press Vietnam – responsible for organizing the match – would report the case to FIFA, the world football governing body for an official decision.
As a result, Vietnam goes through to the next round that begins February 28.
Lebanon and Oman are all already through, and the round will also include the winner of the Indonesia-Maldives match.
The Vietnamese Olympic team will likely be disbanded Tuesday before re-gathering in two weeks to prepare for the group C qualifiers’ second round match against Lebanon on Feb.28.
R20;I am not surprised at AfghanistanR17;s withdrawal, as the country hasn’t been a part of international competition for 20 years,R21; said VietnamR17;s Coach Alfred Riedl.
Reported by T.K – Translated by Minh Phat |
