Hanoi T&T’s bold plan to bring to Vietnam Atletico Madrid, the Europa League 2010 champion, has failed. Atletico Madrid has decided to go to Thailand instead.

Hanoi T&T’s bold plan to bring to Vietnam Atletico Madrid, the Europa League 2010 champion, has failed. Atletico Madrid has decided to go to Thailand instead.

Atletico Madrid to play in Vietnam

Atletico Madrid to seek funding from Vietnam

This plan was hatched late in 2009 when Atletico Madrid managing director Manuel Angel Gill came to Vietnam at the invitation of Hanoi T&T club chairman Do Quang Hien.

After Atletico Madrid trounced Fulham to win the European League 2010 cup, Hanoi T&T invited it to play two friendly matches in Vietnam. The Spanish team asked for $700,000 for the visit. Hanoi T&T proposed to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) that it cooperate to finance and schedule a match against the national football squad at the My Dinh national stadium and a second match against Hanoi T&T or SHB Da Nang.

VFF was asked to provide $300,000 but reportedly was not keen on the offer because Atletico Madrid is not a big favourite of Vietnamese fans.

While T&T and VFF were negotiating, the Spanish club abruptly chose Thailand as its next destination after a friendly match in Shanghai.

In other football news, VFF has finalized the list for the Thang Long-Hanoi Cup in September-October.

In the first round, U23 squads from Malaysia, Singapore and Iran will compete in HCM City with Vietnam’s U23 squad while U23 North Korea, U23 Kuwait and U23 Australia will take on the Vietnam national team in Hanoi.

Some leading Southeast Asian clubs will be invited to a club football tournament in Da Nang.

PV