When will Vietnamese football finally be clean?

(Baonghean) - Gambling, including match-fixing, has been rampant in Vietnamese football. However, the number of cases that came to light before V. Ninh Binh "self-corrected" was negligible. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. When will Vietnamese football be clean?I'm afraid that's a sentenceThat's a tough question.

An event during the V. Ninh Binh vs. Kelantan (Malaysia) match. (Image from the internet)

MOver the past few days, public opinion has been stirred by the case of several Ninh Binh football players "selling themselves" to "the devil." The group of players (8 starting players, 3 substitutes) were discovered to have jointly participated in betting and match-fixing during a 2014 AFC Cup match between Ninh Binh and Kelantan. What's noteworthy is that while the national economy is struggling, these football players still receive monthly salaries of tens of millions of dong (at Ninh Binh, the lowest-paid player earns around 18 million dong/month; the highest earns 45 million dong/month, not including bonuses). This income is comparable to that of directors of successful companies, or successful CEOs who spent years studying at prestigious universities to earn a decent income after graduation. Therefore, when these players were implicated, public opinion was extremely outraged.

“If the investigating agency officially concludes that the V. Ninh Binh players participated in betting and match-fixing, this group of players will certainly be banned from football activities permanently. This will be a landmark case for the VFF and will have aggravating circumstances because the players showed no fear of the lessons from the 2005 match-fixing scandal and deliberately committed acts condemned by society,” said Nguyen Hai Huong, Head of the VFF Disciplinary Committee. The VFF's stance on eliminating negativity from domestic football is clear. This is being supported by many players, coaches, and public opinion nationwide.

The images of Van Quyen, Bat Hieu, Quoc Vuong, Phuoc Vinh, Quoc Anh, Van Truong, and Hai Lam before the court, their careers ending in ruin, serve as a life lesson for these players. However, the specter of negativity persists in the football world. Former midfielder Le Quoc Vuong, one of the players involved in match-fixing, shared: “Personally, I regretted my youthful mistakes and paid the price for them. Seeing the same thing happen again, I feel sad and heartbroken by the repeat of my colleagues' mistakes. I still feel that Vietnamese football is not truly clean and pure enough for players to feel secure playing. To be frank, those in the club leadership, from coaches to managers, haven't been truly serious about football. To develop football, we must start from the roots, meaning change from the managers themselves. If the leaders of the teams continue with their old ways, not only Ninh Binh but many other clubs will experience similar problems.”

Coach Huu Thang shared the same sentiment, stating: “We must all wait for the conclusion of the investigation. These players have tarnished the image of Vietnamese football. I am very saddened by these ‘rotten apples’. They have eroded fans’ trust in football, and it would be a disaster if spectators turned their backs on the sport. I just want to affirm that Vietnamese football still has many good players who have been, are, and will continue to contribute to serving the fans.”

Soon, the Ninh Binh players involved in the match-fixing and betting scandal will receive their deserved punishment. Those responsible will bear the consequences, as everyone is equal before the law. But has Vietnamese football truly found peace? How many players would dare to raise their hands and declare their innocence when asked, "Who is clean? Raise your hand!"

Dai Nghia