Vietnam are awaiting FIFA approval after including its recently naturalized player, Nguyen Xuan Son, in the preliminary list of 50 players registered for the 2024 ASEAN Championship.

“Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang Sik has included Son in the preliminary list of 50 players registered for the 2024 ASEAN Championship,” Tran Anh Tu, vice president of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), said on Friday.

Whether Son will make the official 26-player roster for the tournament depends on his compliance with FIFA’s criteria and regulations. 

Nguyen Xuan Son is the Vietnamese name of Brazilian striker Rafaelson Fernandes.

The primary issue is that Son, who was granted Vietnamese citizenship in October, has not yet fulfilled the mandatory requirement of “residing in Vietnam for at least five years.”

He arrived in Vietnam on December 20, 2019, and officially signed his first contract with Thep Xanh Nam Dinh Football Club on January 12, 2020, according to the international transfer system Transfermarkt.

The VFF has completed all necessary procedures and submitted Son’s case to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and FIFA. 

If FIFA grants approval, coach Kim Sang Sik can include Son in Vietnam’s squad for the 2024 ASEAN Championship, which is set to kick off on December 8 and conclude with the final on January 5, 2025.

Vietnam, aiming for a place in the final, are in Group B and will face Laos on December 9, Indonesia on December 15, the Philippines on December 18, and Myanmar on December 21.

Group A consists of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste.

During the group stage, each team will play two home matches and two away matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. 

Both the semi-finals and the finals will follow a two-legged knockout format.

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