Vietnam to host Carabao Cup first-round draw despite technical hitch which plagued the spectacle in Thailand last year
- Vietnam will host the draw for the first round of next season’s Carabao Cup
- The draw for League Cup opening round will be held abroad for second season
- A technical hitch which plagued the spectacle in 2017 has not put the EFL off
Vietnam will host the draw for the first round of next season’s Carabao Cup, the English Football League announced on Monday.
The draw for the League Cup opening round will be held abroad for a second season after the 2017 event in Bangkok, Thailand.
A technical hitch which plagued the spectacle in 2017 has not put the EFL off sending Steve McManaman, Louis Saha and Dennis Wise to Ho Chi Minh City for Friday’s draw.
Vietnam will host Carabao Cup first-round draw despite technical hitch which plagued the spectacle in Thailand last year
Seventy EFL clubs will feature and teams will be drawn into northern and southern sections for ties to be played in the week commencing August 13.
Thai energy drinks firm Carabao, sponsors of the League Cup, took the draw to Bangkok last summer at the start of their three-year deal, but it was beset by problems.
An on-screen graphic showed Charlton playing twice and other clubs were given the wrong opponents. The EFL apologised for the errors.
The draw was presented by Shaun Harvey, the chief executive of the EFL, and there was confusion as Charlton appeared twice on on-screen graphics
The 2017 third-round draw took place in Beijing, China, at 4.15am (BST) and the EFL defended the decision, pointing to the emerging Asian markets.
The quarter-final draw in London also proved problematic for the EFL, with the event delayed before a pre-recorded video of the draw was distributed.
EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: ‘A principle aim of our partnership with Carabao has always been to promote the competition internationally, taking high-profile activities such as the competition draws overseas to support the EFL’s international growth strategy and raise awareness of the competition in Carabao’s key territories.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit was also involved in the draw last year
‘There is no requirement for us to take draws overseas, but there is an absolute commitment to building the value of our competition outside the UK and the market in Vietnam should help the EFL and Carabao meet our shared ambitions.’
The EFL last week announced there would be no extra-time in the competition, with matches level after 90 minutes going straight to a penalty shoot-out.
Manchester City are the holders, having won the trophy at Wembley in February.
Advertisement