Malaysian media directly states one thing regarding AFC's punishment of Dinh Bac

Malaysian media highlights that Dinh Bac will be suspended from playing in the match against "Malaysia" on March 31 because of the AFC sanction.

On February 25, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially issued a penalty against forward Nguyen Dinh Bac, after he received a direct red card in the match between the Vietnam U23 team and the South Korea U23 team during the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup third-place playoff.

According to the decision, the 2004-born forward is fined 1,000 USD and suspended for two matches (including one match for the direct red card and one additional match). Since he is no longer eligible for U23 competitions, the suspension for Dinh Bac will apply to the senior national team level if he is called up.

Immediately, Malaysian media expressed interest in this matter. The outlet Makan Bola published an article with the headline: "AFC suspends Vietnamese star despite Malaysian player's action."

"The committee imposed the penalty on Nguyen Dinh Bac after finding the Vietnam U23 captain violated Article 47 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code. Nguyen Dinh Bac was shown a red card by the referee for kicking a South Korean player during the AFC U23 Asian Cup third-place match," the outlet reported.

Notably, Makan Bola stressed that with this penalty, Dinh Bac will be unable to play in the upcoming match between the Vietnam National Team and the Malaysia National Team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on March 31:

"This suspension means Nguyen Dinh Bac will have no chance to be called up to the national team preparing for the tough match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The absence of Dinh Bac will certainly be a major blow for Coach Kim Sang Sik, as the 21-year-old player has been a key figure for the Vietnam national team, helping them win the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games," the outlet commented.

Besides the match against the Malaysia National Team, Dinh Bac will also have to miss Vietnam's opening match in the 2026 Asean Cup if he is called up.