Cao Lanh - Vinh - Thien Truong: The worry of poor families in the football village

(Baonghean.vn) - Dong Thap, Nghe An and Nam Dinh football have something in common, the people are passionate about football but there are no strong businesses joining hands to make professional football. Now the fate of the 3 football teams is going in different directions "one to the top, one to the bottom" but there is still the worry of "food, clothing, rice and money".

Cao Lanh's sadness

Dong Thap Club - a monument of Western football is at risk of having to return to the Second Division, when for the first time in history it finished at the bottom of the First Division. In the 17-year history of the V-League, Dong Thap football has often "risen and fell" between the First Division and the V-League.

Dong Thap's young players had to play a play-off match to win the right to stay in the First Division. Photo: Internet

The main reason is also “because of poverty” there is no money to retain players and buy good foreign players, the salary is meager so there are no good coaches and players. The budget is only 15 billion VND/season, Dong Thap Football Joint Stock Company does not have a common voice with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in developing football in the province.

Dong Thap has set a target of Top 3 in the 2017 First Division with the U17 team that just won the national championship. Due to the players' lack of experience and coach Bui Van Dong (replacing coach Tran Cong Minh) as well as the club's Executive Director Tran Quoc Truong not being "skilled", Dong Thap finished at the bottom of the table and had to compete for a relegation ticket with the team ranked 4th in the Second Division.

Although coach Tran Cong Minh shared: "If we cannot steer Dong Thap to stay in the First Division, it can be called a great pain for our home country's football. I will encourage my students to try their best for the play-off match. I believe the players will not let down the trust of Dong Thap fans."

Dong Thap had to change coach mid-stream, inviting back coach Tran Cong Minh to "put out the fire" which could save the team for a season but is not a fundamental solution.

The Joy of Thien Truong

In the opposite direction, the team from Thanh Nam has returned to its “old home” after 7 years of absence from the V-League. With names like Huu Quy, Ba Thanh, Ha Long - Manh Cuong, Huu Dinh, Van Hiep… Most of the players were trained by Nam Dinh and won the 2011 National U21 Championship.

The joy of Nam Dinh players on promotion day. Photo: Internet

According to statistics, the average age of Nam Dinh players is currently 23.9, so in theory they are quite energetic and in the early stages of peak performance. The domestic players, like SLNA, the team from Thanh Nam has youth teams, basic training to proactively source players for the first team.

On the coaching bench, in addition to coach Pham Hong Phu who has been with Nam Dinh football for many years, they also have Technical Director Nguyen Van Sy, a son of Thanh Nam who has fought in the V-League for many years. This duo works well together and has shown great skill throughout the last First Division season.

According to VFF's financial regulations, Nam Dinh must prove that they have at least 35 billion VND in their coffers to qualify for the 2018 V-League. Many people say that this is not too difficult a condition, as the big guys in the South are intoxicated with unexpected joy.

But how to maintain the funding source to support the team to play in V-League for a long time and have money to buy foreign players in the short term is not a simple problem. Learning from the experience of Kien Giang and An Giang when depending on a sponsor, when being in a dangerous situation of "pulling the wood from the bottom of the pot", the Nam Dinh football team will establish a joint stock company with more than 20 participating businesses.

I wonder if the people of Thanh Nam can work together to keep their beloved football team?

Vinh Stadium worries

Compared to the "poor" teams, SLNA's fate is better, they are a 38-year-old team, have never been relegated and have countless Cups on their record books, at all levels. However, the fact that in the last 3 V-League seasons, the rankings of the first team ranked 5th, 7th, and 9th have been on a downward trend, along with the young teams being empty-handed in tournaments has sounded the alarm.

SLNA also experienced the phenomenon of "bloody shorts and jerseys" when famous players and coaches left one after another. The club also only had one North Asian sponsor, and luck depended on that.

Recently, the Vinh stadium stands have been deserted, just like the Cao Lanh stadium before, and the coaching staff lacks the necessary stability. The purchase of foreign players has also happened exactly like the Cao Lanh stadium, the players bought only play casually, unable to carry the domestic players.

Three football teams, in three poor localities quite far from each other but have similarities. One team is preparing for the play-off, one has just been promoted and one is struggling at the bottom of the V-League table. That is the current situation of professional football in Vietnam, the clubs only have people who do pure technical work but lack people who know how to do football business!

AT