Arsenal v Vietnam under threat

 
Getty
14 June 2013

Arsenal's chance to become the first Premier League club to play in Vietnam has run into trouble as the owners of the stadium raised their fees for the match.

Organisers of the friendly between the Gunners and Vietnam are now facing a battle to ensure the match goes ahead.

While the country's football federation played down concerns the game could be cancelled, they said the price being quoted to use the My Dinh national stadium was too high.

The federation have appealed to the government and local media to pressure the owners to lower fees after they demanded 1.5 billion dong ($71,300) - more than seven times the normal price - to stage the much-anticipated match on July 17.

"The price the My Dinh stadium asked for is too unreasonable," Le Hung Dung, vice chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), said.

Arsenal will be the first top flight English club to visit Vietnam, where football is the national sport and attracts a huge following. Arsene Wenger's side will also visit Indonesia and Japan as part of their Asian tour.

Can Van Nghia, director of the 40,000-seat national stadium, said owners were not profiteering from the high-profile game.

"All money is being used to renovate the stadium," he said. "This is a historic game and we have to prepare for that."

Arsenal join Premier League rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in touring Asia next month, playing matches in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, where they have lucrative fan bases.x

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