VFF reacts to CAS postponing the ruling for Malaysia

VFF Vice Chairman Tran Anh Tu is confident that the Vietnamese national team can defeat Malaysia in the rematch, regardless of the CAS ruling.

The anticipation among fans from both Vietnam and Malaysia regarding the appeal involving the seven players deemed to have invalid naturalizations The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has not yet been able to conclude the case. According to the latest update, the adjudicating panel requires additional time to analyze the case files and evaluate the documents before reaching a final conclusion. Therefore, the announcement of the ruling will be postponed until next week.

This information also dispels earlier speculations that the decision would be announced at 4:00 AM on February 27 as initially planned. CAS stated that all arguments and evidence from the involved parties are still being thoroughly reviewed, to ensure transparency, objectivity, and completeness before the final ruling is issued.

While awaiting the outcome, the Vietnamese national team continues to focus on preparing for the match against Malaysia in March. Regardless of the CAS result, the entire team will not let external factors affect their preparation. If Malaysia is ruled to have lost both matches against Vietnam and Nepal, Coach Kim Sang Sik and his squad will secure advancement without needing to worry about the final fixture.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Anh Tu affirmed the stance of not relying on a favorable ruling. He emphasized the team's proactive professional mindset ahead of the decisive match in late March.

"Regardless of the CAS ruling on Malaysia, the Vietnamese national team must maintain professional initiative. Our goal is to defeat them in the upcoming match. I believe that with thorough preparation and the determination of Coach Kim Sang-sik and the players, Vietnam is fully capable of achieving victory."

In a statement to the media, CAS also indicated that a precise timeline for issuing the formal ruling cannot yet be set. However, it is likely that a preliminary decision – without the detailed reasoning – will be announced next week, providing the parties with initial information on the case outcome.