Vietnamese Football: The Brink of Falling Behind

(Baonghean) - While the players are constantly giving their all to have fair-play matches, off the field, there is a "melee" from the "roof" of VFF to the comments of fans on social networking sites. A chaos waiting to push Vietnamese football to the brink of backwardness...

With three consecutive losses at the AFC U23 Championship held in Doha, Qatar, it was predicted that Vietnam U23 would have to return home early. We were lucky to win a ticket to Doha to continue to compete, learn and gain experience to pursue the goal of becoming the “King” in the “Southeast Asia” region. Obviously, class is a gap that our team cannot reach at this time when participating in continental tournaments.

To shorten this gap, it requires not only the efforts of the players but first of all the strategic vision of the VFF with a sustainable development plan and the encouragement and positive comments of the fans. However, the life of the king sport still passes by indifferently...

U23 Vietnam players celebrate their goal against U23 UAE.

First of all, we must mention the excessive “demands” of many fans. People demanded the dismissal of coach Toshiya Miura, denying all his contributions to Vietnamese football. Who doesn’t want their team to “play better” than all opponents, win every match, and more importantly, want the support of fans whether they win or lose. That’s football. When coach Miura first came to Vietnam, he helped the U23 team advance to the top of the group at the ASIAD, to the final round of the Asian tournament… At that time, he was hailed as one of the most talented coaches of the Vietnamese team.

Coach Miura.

However, as quickly as turning a hand, the view of the coach changed with criticism from VFF, insults from fans. Why not think, if Miura followed those illusions without his own opinions, would he be worthy of being a captain? Surely at that time he would be no different from someone "cutting a plow in the middle of the road".

As long as Vietnamese football fans know how to control their attitude and are satisfied with what they have, they will truly become the "12th player" of the team, otherwise they will just be mere spectators of football. Although the contract may end without renewal, Miura will return to Japan, but who will be talented and virtuous enough to lead the team to meet all the wishes of the fans when the "football house" of Vietnam is "leaking" from the "roof" of the VFF?

A developed football must have a solid foundation and a clear strategy, not the type of building a house from the roof and fragmented goals that lead to a leaky roof and shaky foundation, making Vietnamese football like a terminally ill patient. And when sick, a good doctor is needed to treat it, and training must be done to increase resistance. Therefore, it must be determined that the VFF apparatus must be dedicated and visionary, and reform is urgent; youth football training must be the foundation, V-League is the root, and the national team is the tip.

The desire for a strong football is the desire of the national players and the burning desire of the fans. The important thing is whether the Vietnamese football managers have the same "goal" or not. Everyone is waiting for a "reform" from VFF, a comprehensive reform and innovation for a football that was already in the "lowland" and is now teetering on the edge of the abyss.

Son Chu