No Pork For Team, Vietnam Coach Expresses Disappointment In AFF 2020 Committee
Credits: CNN Indonesia
Among the issues raised in a press conference ahead of the delayed AFF 2020 cup was the lack of variation in food packs distributed to the players. Park Hang Seo, coach for the Vietnamese football team expressed his concerns over the lack of pork as a choice for the food packs given to the team.
“Today I spoke with the players. In addition to being physically tired, mentally and psychologically the players are also getting tired. Having to live with limited travel, and eating and drinking is also problematic. For example, Vietnam likes to eat pork, until today we all have to eat chicken. I think the organizers should be more flexible and arrange the food more precisely.” – Hang Seo for Tuoitre
Netizens had a field day in the comments section, discussing the importance of nutrition in certain protein groups.
Some were of the opinion that this should not be an issue as they are free to go out and buy the food of their choice.
Some said the coach is just looking for reasons to complain when he has none. This netizen is of the opinion that nutrition can be found in other foods and supplements.
There are those who insinuated that the secret to the stamina of the Vietnam team lies in the amount of pork they consume and being denied that by the committee is a way to weaken their morale.
However, after coach Park expressed his concerns, the team received food packages from the Vietnamese people living in Singapore. They came through with dishes like fish porridge, pumpkin soup, ribs and seafood dishes for the Vietnamese team to improve their morale ahead of the game.
Thailand allegedly shared the same sentiments as Vietnam with regards to the food provided by the AFF committee in Singapore.
“I understand the players very well, because now they have to eat [nasi] box in the room every lunch hour. The menu is not diverse, only fish and chicken. It needs to be discussed to complement the team’s diet every day,” – Mdm Pang, team leader Thailand team, as quoted on news.fox-24.com
Reporter’s Opinions: Respecting people’s cultures and diversity is something Singapore has always stood by and we try to practice tolerance to the best of our abilities. We’re big on racial harmony.
Not providing pork and beef in food packs is mainly due to the fact that most catering services for such events are halal certified thus the lack of certain protein choices. Lack of beef is usually due to respecting other cultures who cannot eat beef. One can always order in or go out to find food that suits your palate.
Nobody is stopping you from ordering what you want to eat right? Sounds like a ploy to get free food and sympathy to me.
Listen to Plan B’s Podcast this week!
Comments