Vietnam football hot news today, April 24: Foreign referees appear in round 20 of V-League; Malaysia U17 determined to defeat Vietnam U17.

Vietnam football hot news today, April 24: Foreign referees appear in round 20 of V-League; Malaysia U17 determined to defeat Vietnam U17.

Foreign referees appear in round 20 of V-League

Two FIFA referees from Malaysia have been invited by the organizers to officiate key matches in round 20 of the LPBank V-League 2025/26.

The match between Thanh Hoa Club and PVF-CAND at 18:00 on April 25 will be officiated by referee Razlan Joffri Bin Ali. In this season, Mr. Bin Ali previously officiated the match between Hanoi Police Club and Ninh Binh Club in round 12.

The second match involving a foreign referee is the clash between Da Nang Club and Viettel Military at 18:00 on April 26. Referee Mohamad Nawal Bin Mohammad Zubir (born 1995) will perform his duties in V-League for the first time.

In the previous 19 rounds of this season, four matches have been officiated by foreign referees, including: Hanoi Police Club vs Ninh Binh Club (round 12), Viettel Military vs Hanoi Club (round 14), Hanoi Club vs Hanoi Police Club (round 15), and Ninh Binh Club vs Hanoi Police Club (round 16).

Malaysia U17 determined to defeat Vietnam U17

Head coach Shukor Adan of Malaysia U17 stated that he and his players will strive to defeat Vietnam U17 in the final of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship.

"We clearly know that Vietnam U17 is a strong team. Vietnam's youth national teams are well-structured, evidenced by the achievements of Vietnam U23 last year. The final will be very difficult, but Malaysia U17 will do everything possible to win.

Everyone can see the players' resilience. They never give up, especially in defensive discipline. They will continue to learn and develop further," Coach Shukor Adan shared with Malaysian media on April 23 afternoon.

The final of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship between Vietnam U17 and Malaysia U17 will take place at 19:30 today.

Thailand aims to win the Southeast Asian championship from Vietnam's national team

Veteran midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin expressed his determination to help Thailand's national team win the ASEAN Cup 2026 championship.

"ASEAN Cup is the biggest tournament in the region and also where I built my reputation with Thai fans. I must thank the coaches and teammates, because those titles are not solely mine.

The tournament is increasingly difficult as all teams have progressed. But wearing the national team jersey is always the greatest honor. We want to win the championship for Thai fans," Chanathip shared.

After missing the last two editions, Thailand, the champion in 2022, while Vietnam won the title in 2024, Chanathip is aiming for a return in this year's tournament, held from July 24 to August 26. Thailand's national team is in Group B with Malaysia, Philippines, Laos, and Myanmar, and will start their journey on July 25.

VFF will make an important decision on May 13

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) will decide on licensing clubs to participate in the National Championship and AFC club-level competitions for the 2026/27 season.

In the first Licensing Committee meeting of 2026, VFF conducted a comprehensive review of licensing work for clubs participating in the professional league system and AFC club-level competitions for the 2026/27 season.

The meeting also assessed the youth training situation at some clubs such as Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Dong Nai.

Another notable topic is the pilot plan for licensing women's football clubs according to AFC's roadmap. VFF plans to implement two trial phases before official application from 2027, aiming to standardize the women's league system from the 2028 season.

On May 8, 2026, the Licensing Committee will decide on licensing clubs for the 2026/27 National Championship; and on May 13, 2026, will decide on licensing clubs for AFC club-level competitions for the 2026/27 season.