Vietnamese football and amateur barriers

Vietnamese football is currently considered the top in the region, thanks to the quality of the V-League, thanks to the achievements in the regional arena of clubs such as Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Binh Duong, Hanoi FC or Viettel..., thanks to the achievements of the national teams under Park Hang-seo. But that does not mean that Vietnamese football has completely escaped amateurism and movement, when there are still many unprofessional acts and manifestations, hindering the common progress of yesterday and today.

Vietnam team participates in many major tournaments. Source vietnamnet.vn

The latest story is the "collision" between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and the Vietnam Football Federation regarding the sponsor brand, leading to Mr. Duc announcing to "withdraw from the tournament". This is not the first time this dedicated boss has "made a fuss" with the Federation's leaders. Remember in 2018, this boss also made a similar statement when talking about the election of the vice president of finance, causing everything to be "postponed". This time, the matter will be discussed to reach an agreement, how to achieve the benefits of the entire tournament, of each club as well as the interests of sponsors and especially the fans.

But what is worth mentioning, even sad, is that the most important and traditional tournament of Vietnamese football can be withdrawn by anyone just because of a conflict that arises? So where are the football rules and regulations, which are the strictest, and never have room for wrongdoings or going against the grain, that people can say whatever they want, just like the time of the movement that seemed so far away?

Vietnam team in a training session. Photo: Hai Hoang

Also the recent story is the "yellow" color of My Dinh grass field in the semi-finals and finals of the AFF Cup 2022, the story of the goal in the friendly match with the famous team Dormund. Vietnamese football has been socialized for a long time, but the national stadium has been full of scandals before and now, making everything as clear as day among the three armies of the world. Just look at Hang Day or Lach Tray stadiums to immediately know the obvious positive effect of socializing football, under the hands of dedicated bosses. The above existence is sad, the saddest thing is that everything happens right under the "nose" of the Federation but is still dragging on without a final solution, just gossiping, mouthing to cover up shortcomings...

The most important thing is the real vitality of V-League clubs. Up to now, Ha Noi FC of Mr. Hien is the team that has created peace of mind and development thanks to abundant financial resources and truly professional working methods, building a strong force as the core for the national teams. Other teams have not yet overcome the situation of eating and drinking or getting rich quickly, like Binh Dinh after one season, all of its real internal strength has been scattered. Hoang Anh Gia Lai is having to reduce youth training, the core force is disbanding and the boss is hot and cold, making it difficult to talk about sustainable stability.Lam River Nghe AnWith a new sponsor, it seemed like things were going well, but then everything went back to normal, not to mention youth training is on the brink because there is no consistency with the local investment?

The two teams that are actively gathering forces are Hanoi Police and Nam Dinh Blue Steel, who could be the real dark horses of the 2023 season. Hopefully, the steps of these two traditional teams are substantial, solid, and aimed at long-term development. After a very successful 2022 season, Hai Phong will lose its loaned core this season, so it is not known what order things will return to?

In short, the above unprofessional manifestations and actions need to be quickly corrected and handled, not to be repeated so that Vietnamese football can move quickly and progress quickly in the direction outlined. Personal conflicts cannot be a barrier to a developing football industry. Seasonal jobs and the pursuit of personal interests when participating in football activities definitely have no place to exist or to hinder. Doing professional football will of course encounter countless difficulties, but Thailand is doing well, developed countries are doing very well, should Vietnam continue to be slow, entangled and inferior to its younger brothers and sisters like it has been for so long?