Due to unfavourable weather conditions, head coach Park Hang-seo was forced to send his players into an indoor training ground to prepare for the final match in Changzhou, Jiangsu province in China.
The temperature in Changzhou is now below 0 degrees Celsius combined with heavy snow, seriously affecting the Vietnam’s training session.
Head coach Park Hang-seo is seen at the training session.
As planned, this afternoon, the team would practice outdoors, but because of the heavy snow fall, coach Park allowed his players to practice in a badminton court next to the main venue for the final at Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre next Saturday.
The Korean strategist mainly requires his side to warm up the body rather than professional training. After an hour, the players back to the hotel to rest.
Previously, Vietnam U23s also experienced hard games in cold weather, but without dense snow.
Due to heavy snow fall, Vietnamese players have been forced to take to indoor training.
On the ground of the Changzhou Stadium, the organisers have taken measures to protect the grass surface. Excavators and snow removal personnel have been dispatched to the field to clean up the snow in preparation for the match.
The AFC has not announced the postponement of the match yet as they are now looking at weather conditions in the days ahead to decide the next move.
The organisers have taken measures to remove snow and protect the field at Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre and the venue for the final match.
Snow removal equipment has been dispatched to clean the dense snow at the stadium.
Vietnam Football Federation’s Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan, who is representing in Changzhou, confirmed that the final between Vietnam and Uzbekistan will continue as normal which is scheduled, at 4pm on January 27 (local time).
On January 23, Vietnam secured a berth in the final after beating Qatar in a penalty shootout following an extraordinary 2-2 draw at the end of over time. They are the first Southeast Asian country to enter the final of the regional U23 tournament.
