The match took place with fans in attendance, something which has not yet been seen in any national football league around the world amid the ongoing pandemic.

This was a historic match for both Vietnamese football and the world at the present time, Chairman of the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) Tran Anh Tu told Vietnam Television (VTV).

The clash between Nam Dinh FC (in yellow) and Hoang Anh Gia Lai (in white) is always much anticipated by fans.

The Party and Government’s disease control efforts have brought life back to normal as it is today, thereby reviving Vietnamese football and enabling players and fans to enjoy the sport on the pitch, he said.

To prepare for this historic match, the Nam Dinh provincial People’s Committee has issued a document instructing the resumed organisation of the 2020 national football schedule at Thien Truong Stadium.

Accordingly, the provincial People’s Committee is allowing the organising committee for this year’s national football tournaments to open the stadium to fans during matches held in accordance with the plan, rules and schedule set by the Vietnam Football Federation.

The organising committee is requested to implement Covid-19 prevention and control measures, such as measuring body temperature, washing hands with antiseptics, wearing face masks and keeping a minimum safe distance, following the instructions from the VPF. In addition, relevant departments and health agencies are responsible for ensuring safety and security during the tournament organisation process.

As announced by the organising committee, only 50% of the tickets, equivalent to half of Thien Truong Stadium’s capacity, were issued for the National Cup opener on Saturday, which means there will be around 10,000 people allowed in to watch the clash. After the opening match, National Cup qualifiers will have four matches on May 24 and five more the following day.

Meanwhile, the nation’s top-tier league, V.League 2020, will restart on June 5.

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Source: NDO