The world football governing body FIFA has lifted its ban on Vietnamese footballers Van Quyen and Van Truong a year early, the Vietnam Football Federation announced last Thursday.
Along with Hai Lam, Quoc Anh, Bat Hieu, and Phuoc Vinh, they were banned from international competition from 2007 to 2011 for match-fixing at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
No explanation has been given for the action but the head of the VFF’s discipline department, Nguyen Hai Huong, said last month he would recommend a lifting of the ban to FIFA.
“We are considering letting them return to the game as soon as possible,” he added.
The national team are at a preparatory camp for the AFF Suzuki Cup to be co-hosted by Indonesia and Vietnam from December 1 to 29.
The six players have been permitted to play in the V-league since 2008 and have scored consistently for their clubs, coach of V-League club Song Lam Nghe An, Nguyen Huu Thang, said.
They fixed the result of the match between Vietnam and Myanmar so that the former won by just a goal and each of them got VND30 million (US$1,600) for this.
