On the sidelines of Nghe An Newspaper Cup: Football and love 200km

Family 60km

That is the family of player Truong Thien My, Que Phong youth team. Every day, to help their child pursue their passion for football, Thien My's parents have to travel 60km to take their child to practice. Ms. Hang - My's mother shared: "My house is only 6km from the Vietnam-Laos border, going to Laos is closer than going to the market. Every day when we go to practice, mother and child, father and child come home at 10pm, when the whole village is asleep."

When My was found out that she was in the team participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, her whole family, including her father, mother and sister, arranged their work and time to come to Vinh to be with My from the first days of the tournament. During those days, My’s whole family did not miss any football matches of the children’s and youth teams, and were always the most enthusiastic fans.

It is known that in the Que Phong Youth team, Thien My is also the youngest player (in the children's age group of the tournament), but is always one of the most important factors of the team.

Season 3

Although the house is not as far away as in America, player number 4 - Lo Cuong Trang has his own special story. His father passed away, his mother went to work far away, and the two brothers lived with their grandmother.

Despite the busy harvest season and difficult life, her grandmother still tried to take care of Trang so that she could pursue her passion for sports. That is why, when Trang went to Vinh to play in the tournament, all three grandmothers and grandchildren also followed the team to Vinh and stayed here from the opening day.

“Last season I made 500 kg of rice. To go to Vinh with my nephew, I sold 300 kg, leaving only 200 kg to eat at home. All for his passion,” said Trang’s grandmother.

All for the children

The story of My and Trang's family is just 2 of many stories about the Que Phong team's love for sports. In the team, there are mothers who, despite motion sickness, still go to Vinh - Que Phong during the day to take care of work and accompany their children; there are grandmothers who, despite their painful legs, still limp to accompany their grandchildren to the field every day; there are families who, despite economic difficulties and limited areas, are still determined to accompany their children; there are babies just over 1 year old who follow their parents all the way to support their brothers...

The expense and inconvenience of staying in rented accommodation, they happily accepted without a word of complaint.

One can easily feel the boundless love of the Que Phong Youth team fans when witnessing the way they encourage their players. No loud voices, no criticism, no pressure, no pushing, they just gently encourage and talk to each other leisurely.

At the end of the quarter-final match this afternoon, despite their excellent performance, Thieu nien Que Phong still had to leave with regrets from many spectators after the penalty shootout. Still with humility and gentleness, they encouraged the players, saying that the tournament is just a small part of a long journey.

“After today, we will take the kids on a trip, maybe to Cua Lo, Uncle Ho's hometown... They have worked very hard, now let's rest and have fun with the family" - the mother of soccer player Truong Thien My happily shared.

The players and fans of the Que Phong Youth team have traveled 200km to come to this tournament and their next journey will be even longer./.