'There is a pregnant female player still playing at SEA Games 29'

At the 29th SEA Games, many people could not help but admire the case of athlete Hoang Thi Thanh when she won a silver medal in the marathon (42km) during her period and had to take medication to compete. As someone who has been involved in women's football for many years, coach Mai Duc Chung was not too surprised by such sensitive situations. The strategist born in 1951 even revealed that there were female players who were pregnant but still competed.

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The women's football team competes at the 29th SEA Games.

"I have to take my hat off to the spirit of female athletes. They dare to sacrifice, maybe even their lives and children, to compete on the field. There is a player whose name I cannot mention, who was several months pregnant but still competed. After hearing her student reveal this story, I shuddered and admired her. The story shows everyone how great the spirit of female athletes competing for the country's football is," coach Mai Duc Chung revealed in an online interview.

Coach Mai Duc Chung started his career with Vietnamese women's football in 1997 when women's football was introduced to the 19th SEA Games in Indonesia. To date, the 66-year-old strategist has won three SEA Games gold medals with the Vietnamese women's team in 2003, 2005 and 2017.

Coach Mai Duc Chung

"What I remember most is the 2003 SEA Games, Vietnam hosted this event for the first time. The women's football tournament was held in Hai Phong, the first match, the stadium was very empty. Lach Tray Stadium was always very crowded but when the women's team played, it was empty. My friends had to go to schools to lobby for spectators. However, in the semi-finals, the stadium was packed, there were no more tickets. Some pairs of tickets cost up to one million VND. Spectators even kicked down the stadium door to get in. The road was packed and the police had to clear the way for the team. In the end, we won the gold medal. Until now, I still thank the people and fans of Hai Phong for letting me witness that scene," coach Mai Duc Chung said about the SEA Games he remembers most with the Vietnamese women's team.

Vietnamese women's football has achieved many successes in recent years, but compared to men's football, the income and life of the players are still difficult. "The salary of female players at the club is very low, only about two million VND a month. If they are promoted to the national team, with support from the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Football Federation, their income will be better. This is also the motivation for them to strive and be determined to win a place on the national team," coach Mai Duc Chung shared.

Strategist Mai did not hesitate to reveal the largest salary he ever received in his coaching career: "In 2010, I received a salary of 40 million VND in Binh Duong. For me, that amount of money is huge. The state salary I received when I retired was 5 million and when I was working was 4 million. That's why I lost sleep when I received such a large salary."

At the age of 66, reaching retirement age, Coach Mai Duc Chung still works hard and dedicates himself to Vietnamese football. Besides his passion, he said he also has to try to earn money to help his family and siblings.

According to ngoisao.net