Stars From Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia Decline Invitations
To date, only 14 Southeast Asian players have confirmed their participation in the friendly match between the ASEAN All Star team and Manchester United (England) on May 28th at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kim Sang Sik is the coach of the ASEAN All Star team.
These 14 players include one from host nation Malaysia, two from Thailand, two from Indonesia, one from Brunei, one from Laos, two from Cambodia, one from Myanmar, one from Timor Leste, and three from Vietnam: Hoàng Đức, Quang Hải, and Duy Mạnh.
Indonesia did not send any European-based stars to the ASEAN All Star squad preparing to face Manchester United. (Photo: AFC).
Singapore and the Philippines have not sent any players. The list noticeably lacks many of the region’s top stars.
Specifically, none of Indonesia’s European-based players are participating in the upcoming Kuala Lumpur friendly. Instead, the two Indonesian representatives are Asnawi Mangkualam and Muhammad Ferarri. Their inclusion in coach Patrick Kluivert’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers is uncertain.
Similarly, Thai players based in Europe, such as right-back Nicholas Mickelson (OB Odense), have withdrawn from the ASEAN All Star squad. Thailand is only sending two players: goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai and midfielder Piradon Chamrasmi, who are not considered top stars.
Top Thai stars are absent from the ASEAN All Star team. (Photo: FAT).
Malaysia also withdrew defender Dominic Tan and striker Sergio Aguero, citing their need to focus on the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, which begin soon after the friendly match.
Against this backdrop, three Vietnamese players – central defender Đỗ Duy Mạnh, and midfielders Nguyễn Hoàng Đức and Nguyễn Quang Hải – are the prominent names in the ASEAN All Star team facing the former English Premier League champions.
High Risk, Low Expected Gains
Little professional gain is expected from a match that is both vastly unequal in skill level and commercially driven, like the upcoming ASEAN All Star versus Manchester United clash.
This is why most Southeast Asian footballing nations, including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, either did not send players or sent players who aren’t crucial to their national teams. In some instances, players were initially included, but their participation was later canceled.
Quang Hải, Hoàng Đức, and Duy Mạnh are the most prominent and skilled players in the ASEAN All Star team facing Manchester United. (Photo: Asean Football).
Malaysian coach Peter Cklamovski (Australian-Macedonian descent) explicitly stated: “I need my players to focus on the match against Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup Third Round qualifiers on June 10th.”
“Vietnam is a very strong team, and the match against them will be very difficult. Therefore, our priority now is to focus on our professional development. Before facing Vietnam, Malaysia will have one or two friendly matches. I will soon announce the details of these matches.”
Similarly, the Thai national team has an international friendly against India on June 4th, just before returning to the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This scheduling means they are unwilling to risk the health of their national team players.
Given the already crowded international schedule and the increasing risk of player injuries due to overloads, participating in a commercially driven match like the ASEAN All Star vs Man Utd is considered too risky by regional experts.
Vietnamese players should also consider this. A match against Man Utd might offer opportunities for interaction with top-level players, potentially role models for Vietnamese athletes.
However, if Vietnam has other plans for the match against Malaysia on June 10th, that tournament’s professional preparation should be prioritized.
The match against Malaysia is far more crucial for Vietnam’s Asian Cup fate than the match against Man Utd!
