Bangkok, 29 October, 2025 – The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) will send a delegation led by Deputy President Adisak Benjasiriwan to Vietnam on October 29 to deliver an official apology following the incorrect display of the Vietnamese national flag during the draw ceremony for the 2025 AFF U19 Futsal Championship in Thailand.
The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has confirmed that a senior delegation headed by Deputy President Adisak Benjasiriwan will travel to Hanoi on October 29 to personally apologize to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) over the national flag mix-up during the U19 AFF Futsal Championship 2025 draw held in Thailand on October 28.
The controversy erupted when, during the official draw ceremony, the Chinese national flag was mistakenly displayed in place of Vietnam’s flag on the draw screen representing the Vietnamese team. The error immediately sparked strong reactions from both VFF officials and Vietnamese fans, prompting an official request from VFF to AFF and FAT for clarification and assurance that similar mistakes would not occur in the future.
In response, FAT President Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang) swiftly issued a formal apology on the evening of October 28, expressing deep regret and taking full responsibility for the mistake. FAT also announced immediate corrective actions, including sending a high-level delegation to Vietnam to apologize directly to VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan and the federation’s leadership.
According to the official FAT statement, the organization acknowledged that the incident was caused by a mistake from the event’s organizing team, emphasizing that it in no way reflected FAT’s respect and appreciation for Vietnam and its national symbols.
“FAT sincerely hopes that VFF and Vietnamese football fans will accept our apology. We are committed to ensuring that such an error will never happen again in future international tournaments hosted by Thailand,” the statement read.
The move is seen as a gesture of goodwill and accountability from the Football Association of Thailand, following widespread public criticism across Southeast Asia. FAT’s quick and direct response — including both a written apology from Madam Pang and a personal visit by Deputy President Adisak Benjasiriwan — reflects the federation’s intent to maintain the spirit of mutual respect and solidarity among ASEAN football nations.
David Toh
Leave a Reply