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VFF Cup

Vietnames football tournament

The Vietnam Football Federation Vietnam International Friendly Cup or VFF Vietnam International Friendly Cup is a football tournament organised in Vietnam. Every year the tournament is regularly held at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi with other foreign participants are either club teams or national teams, while the host send their national team or youth national team to compete.

01History

The predecessor of VFF Cup was the Independance Cup, held in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

In 2004, the tournament was rebranded to Agribank Cup until 2011 as a replacement to the Independence Cup. In 2008, it was renamed due to the withdrawal of the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) as the main sponsor. In 2012, Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced that the competition would no longer be played. It was then revived again in 2018 as Vinaphone Cup following the new sponsorship from Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).

The 2021 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam before being held again in 2022.

02Summary

03Edition details

2004 Results

For the first edition of the Agribank Cup Vietnam hosted the Porto Reserve team from Portugal, Santa Cruz F.C. from Brazil and the Thailand XI selection team, consisting of players from the Thailand Premier League. For this tournament the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) refused to send one of its national teams to take part, instead they sent a 'Selection Team' after the VFF insisted on Thailand's participation. The tournament lasted four days from 22 to 26 September 2004. The guest team from Portugal won the Agribank Cup after three consecutive victories and was awarded $30,000, host nation Vietnam was awarded $20,000 finishing as runners up and Santa Cruz pocketed $5,000 finishing third.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Porto B 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9
 Vietnam 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
Santa Cruz 3 1 0 2 5 2 +3 3
 Thailand XI 3 0 0 3 1 8 7 0
Source:
22 September 2004
Porto B 1-0 Santa Cruz Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
22 September 2004
Vietnam 2-1 Thailand XI Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
24 September 2004
Porto B 1-0 Thailand XI Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
24 September 2004
Vietnam 1-0 Santa Cruz Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
26 September 2004
Santa Cruz 5-0 Thailand XI Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
26 September 2004
Vietnam 1-2 Porto B Mỹ Đình Stadium Details

2005 Results

For the second tournament host nation Vietnam entered its Olympic team to compete against Olympic teams from Malaysia and Thailand as well as Japan's U-20 team. The tournament lasted from 26 to 30 October 2005. Following three consecutive victories Vietnam's team clinched the Agribank Cup with $40,000 in prize money, while Thailand and Japan took home $20,000 each after finishing second and third place respectively.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Vietnam 3 3 0 0 5 2 +3 9
 Thailand 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
 Japan U-20 3 1 0 2 5 4 +1 3
 Malaysia 3 0 0 3 0 6 6 0
Source:

2006 Results

The third edition of the Agribank Cup lasted from 25 to 29 October 2006. The VFF initially invited teams from Bahrain, Iceland and Thailand to participate in the tournament, but due to Iceland's withdrawal a team from New Zealand was invited to fill the void instead.

For this tournament host nation Vietnam and Thailand both entered a near full-strength team, New Zealand sent the B-team called New Zealand "A", while Bahrain used their under-21 squad.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Thailand 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7
 Vietnam 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 New Zealand 3 1 0 2 1 2 1 3
 Bahrain U-21 3 0 0 3 0 6 6 0
Source:

2007 Results

From 1 to 5 November 2007, Olympic teams from Finland, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe were invited to compete against host nation Vietnam in the tournament. The tournament winner was awarded US$40,000 in prize money, US$20,000 for the runners-up and US$10,000 for the third-place team.

Thailand withdrew from the tournament to focus on the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. To fill the void the VFF invited Zimbabwe to replace Thailand.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uzbekistan 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 Finland 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6
 Vietnam 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
 Zimbabwe 3 0 1 2 3 6 3 1
Source:
1 November 2007
Zimbabwe 2-3 Finland 16:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
1 November 2007
Vietnam 1-2 Uzbekistan 18:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
3 November 2007
Finland 0-2 Uzbekistan 16:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details[link removed]
3 November 2007
Vietnam 2-0 Zimbabwe 18:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details[link removed]
5 November 2007
Zimbabwe 1-1 Uzbekistan 16:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
5 November 2007
Vietnam 1-2 Finland 18:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details

2008 Results

In 2008, the tournament was renamed as the T&T Cup due to changes in sponsorship. The tournament lasted from 28 October to 1 November 2008. Initially Vietnam invited national teams from North Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan to participate in this football tournament. On 26 October the Uzbekistan Football Federation (UFF) informed tournament organisers that they won't be attending the tournament, after sending a list of twenty-five players, so only three national teams competed for this year's T&T Cup. On 1 November, the match between host nation Vietnam and Thailand was postponed due to heavy rain. The match resumed on 16 November 2008, with Thailand winning the tournament following a 2-2 draw with Vietnam.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Thailand 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4
 Vietnam 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
 North Korea 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 1
Source:
28 October 2008
Thailand 1-0 North Korea 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
30 October 2008
North Korea 0-0 Vietnam 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
16 November 2008
Vietnam 2-2 Thailand 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details

2009 Results

For the sixth edition of this tournament, the VFF agreed to a sponsorship deal with Smart Door. Hence the 2009 competition was known as the VFF Smart Door Cup. The tournament lasted from 5 to 9 November 2009. Olympic teams from China, Singapore and Thailand were the main competitors in the tournament, against host nation Vietnam. For this edition of the tournament, Vietnam's squad won the VFF Cup for the second time following their 3-1 victory over China.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Vietnam 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7
 China 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
 Thailand 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3
 Singapore 3 0 1 2 1 4 3 1
Source:
5 November 2009
China 2-2 Thailand 16:40 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
5 November 2009
Vietnam 1-0 Singapore 20:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
7 November 2009
Thailand 1-1 Singapore 17:50 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
7 November 2009
China 1-3 Vietnam 20:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
9 November 2009
Singapore 0-2 China 17:50 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
9 November 2009
Vietnam 0-0 Thailand 20:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details

2010 Results

The 2010 VFF Cup will be mainly sponsored by Son Ha Company to develop football in Vietnam. As of that, this year's competition was named the VFF SonHa Cup. Vietnam Football Federation had invited the national teams of Korea DPR, Singapore, and a South Korean University Selection Team. These team will be competing against the host nation team Vietnam. For this edition of the tournament, Korea DPR squad won the VFF Cup for the first time following their 2-0 victory over Vietnam. Singapore finished second and the South Korean University Selection Team was third.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Korea DPR 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 Singapore 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
South Korea University Selection 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
 Vietnam 3 0 1 2 1 5 4 1
Source:
2 November 2010
Korea DPR 2-1 Singapore 16:45 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
2 November 2010
Vietnam 0-2 South Korean University 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium
4 November 2010
South Korean University 1-1 Korea DPR 17:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium
4 November 2010
Vietnam 1-1 Singapore 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
6 November 2010
Singapore 2-0 South Korean University 17:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
6 November 2010
Vietnam 0-2 Korea DPR 19:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium

2011 Results

The 2011 edition of the tournament was known as the VFF-Eximbank Cup. Host nation Vietnam was represented by the Olympic team, as they were preparing for the upcoming 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. Olympic teams from Malaysia, Myanmar and Uzbekistan were invited to take part in the tournament. On 23 October 2011, the tournament concluded with Uzbekistan winning the tournament for the second time, whereas host nation Vietnam finished as runners-up. The champions were rewarded with $25,000 in prize money, the second-placed team received $10,000 and the third-placed team was rewarded $5,000.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uzbekistan 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3 7
 Vietnam 3 1 2 0 7 2 +5 5
 Malaysia 3 1 1 1 4 5 1 4
 Myanmar 3 0 0 3 2 9 7 0
Source:
19 October 2011
Uzbekistan 3-1 Malaysia 17:00 Mỹ Đình Stadium
19 October 2011
Vietnam 5-0 Myanmar 19:15 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
21 October 2011
Malaysia 2-1 Myanmar 17:10 Mỹ Đình Stadium
21 October 2011
Uzbekistan 1-1 Vietnam 19:15 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
23 October 2011
Myanmar 1-2 Uzbekistan 17:10 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details Archived 13 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
23 October 2011
Vietnam 1-1 Malaysia 19:15 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details Archived 13 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine

2012 Results

The 2012 edition was initially set to be played between hosts Vietnam, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Iran U-22. Iran and North Korea were replaced by Laos and South Korea University Selection on 10 October. The South Korean team is a selection from the University League, but it doesn't include players from the top 32 universities due to a collision with the 2012 University League Championship schedules. Laos themselves replaced the Maldives who initially looked like taking part as replacements for Iran.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
South Korea University Selection 3 2 1 0 9 2 +7 7
 Turkmenistan 3 2 0 1 5 6 1 6
 Vietnam 3 1 1 1 5 2 +3 4
 Laos 3 0 0 3 3 12 9 0
Source:
24 October 2012
Laos 1-4 South Korean University 17:00 Thống Nhất Stadium
24 October 2012
Vietnam 0-1 Turkmenistan 19:15 Thống Nhất Stadium Details
26 October 2012
South Korean University 4-0 Turkmenistan 17:00 Thống Nhất Stadium
26 October 2012
Vietnam 4-0 Laos 19:00 Thống Nhất Stadium
28 October 2012
Turkmenistan 4-2 Laos 17:15 Thống Nhất Stadium
28 October 2012
Vietnam 1-1 South Korean University 19:00 Thống Nhất Stadium Details

2018 Results

VFF invited the Olympic teams from Oman, Uzbekistan and Barcelona B to join the tournament. Barcelona B declined as they could not collect their best squad. Australia was then called to replace Barcelona B, but they decided to send the U-19 team as their U-23 team needed to play for clubs in FFA Cup. VFF disagreed with the Australian decision since they only wanted a U-23 or Olympic team joining the tournament. Finally, VFF contacted the Palestinian Football Association with the Palestinian agreed to send their Olympic squad to compete.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Vietnam 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
 Palestine 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
 Uzbekistan 3 0 2 1 2 3 1 2
 Oman 3 0 2 1 1 2 1 2
Source:
3 August 2018
Uzbekistan 0-0 Oman 16:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
3 August 2018
Vietnam 2-1 Palestine 19:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
5 August 2018
Uzbekistan 1-2 Palestine 16:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
5 August 2018
Oman 0-1 Vietnam 19:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
7 August 2018
Palestine 1-1 Oman 16:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details
7 August 2018
Vietnam 1-1 Uzbekistan 19:30 Mỹ Đình Stadium Details

2021 Cancellation

VFF invited the Olympic teams from Oman, Japan and Bahrain to join the tournament. But they decided to send the U-19 team as their U-23 team needed to play for clubs in FFA Cup. However, season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 Results

Singapore and India were invited for participation with the host Vietnam. On 16 August 2022, All India Football Federation (AIFF) was suspended by FIFA due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes; however, this ban was lifted on 27 August and India can finally compete. Vietnam national team had its first-time ever lifting the VFF Cup trophy by winning all two matches of the tournament.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Vietnam 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 6 Champions
2  India 2 0 1 1 1 4 3 1 Runners-up
3  Singapore 2 0 1 1 1 5 4 1 Third place
Source: 21 September 2022 19:00 Thống Nhất Stadium 24 September 2022 19:00 Thống Nhất Stadium 27 September 2022 19:00 Thống Nhất Stadium

September 2024 Results

VFF invited Russia and Thailand to join the tournament. Due to impacts of Typhoon Yagi, the match scheduled on 7 September between Russia and Thailand was canceled. Consequently, there would be no winners team as the tournament was left unifinished.

5 September 2024 20:00 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Yusri Mohamad (Malaysia) 7 September 2024 20:00
Russia Cancelled Thailand
Report
Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi 10 September 2024 20:00 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi Referee: Suhaizi Shukri (Malaysia)

October 2024 cancellation

VFF invited India and Lebanon to join the tournament. However, on 3 October 2024, Lebanon announced their withdrawal from the tournament following the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Due to lack of time, the Vietnam Football Federation was unable to invite a replacement team and decided to cancel the tournament. The match between Vietnam and India was maintained as a friendly game and was rescheduled to be held on 12 October 2024.

04Controversy

Ever since the inauguration of the Agribank football tournament in 2004 there has always been controversies surrounding the organisation of the tournament. The most recurring issue is the lack of quality teams partaking in the tournament; for the first edition of the tournament Thailand sent a 'selection team' consisted of local league players unknown to Vietnamese fans, instead of the national team as requested by the VFF.

Japan and Bahrain both entered their youth teams in the 2005 and 2006 tournaments respectively, and on each occasion the invited teams lacked the quality that was demanded by the organisers. Due to the expressed disappointments of their Vietnamese organisers in 2006, the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) sent a letter stating their reasons for not sending a full-strength team to the tournament. For the 2007 edition of the Agribank Cup, Thailand once again declined an invitation to take part thus Zimbabwe was invited to fill the gap left by Thailand.

Due to the combination of factors, such as the lack of quality teams and the deficiencies of the VFF as the tournament organiser, Agribank announced that it would stop sponsoring the tournament in 2008.

Watch videos about VFF CupExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article VFF Cup, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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