Should the number of foreign players in V.League be increased?

To answer that question accurately, imagine if V.League did not have foreign players like before, would the level of players be improved like this? Would fans be excited to go to the stadium to watch V.League teams compete?

Look around us

Singapore has won the AFF Cup four times, but the S-League, Singapore's professional football league, which first appeared in 1996, allows foreign teams to participate. Any team that operates professionally can register to participate if it meets the requirements of the S-League. Teams from Thailand or Vietnam are also eligible! There have been Albirex Niigata FC, a Japanese team, DPMM FC, a Brunei team, and Harimau Muda, a Malaysian team. Previously, the S-League also had teams from China, France, or Korea participating in the S-League.

Look at the world's top leagues, for example the Premier League is considered the most attractive on the planet today, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million households and about 4.7 billion television viewers. The television copyright, the value of souvenirs... of the tournament is huge, the amount of money poured into the clubs is also a lot. Of course, the player salaries are extremely high and attract many of the world's top players.

With 3 foreign players in V-League 2019 through three rounds, professional data shows that the quality and attractiveness of the tournament is quite high.

The Football Association has set a very flexible and extremely smart barrier. Any team in the top flight of England is not allowed to have more than 17 non-HGPR (self-trained) players in their 25-man squad. Or to put it more simply, of the 25 registered players, the club must have at least 8 “homegrown” players who have been trained in England for 3 years before turning 18 (instead of 21). This means that young players must be at the club from the age of 15 and are not allowed to move abroad, even to the EU, before the age of 16.

A non-EU player is only granted a work permit if he has played 75% of the 'A' matches for which he was selected over a two-year period, and his country must have been ranked at least 70th in the FIFA rankings on average over the two-year period.

World football has changed a lot towards professionalism. Football matches are not only a game between two football teams but also involve many businesses. Nowadays, the most important factor of professional football clubs is the budget, no owner is willing to invest in a weak team.

Competing with foreign players, Hanoi's young players have made remarkable progress.

Recently, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), the Thai League Management Company and member clubs made a landmark decision when they all agreed to open the door for ASEAN players to compete by increasing the quota to 3 in the 2019 season.

Since the 2019 season, Thai League clubs are allowed to field 7 foreign players at the same time, including 3 ASEAN players, 3 Asian players and 1 player from another country. Since the 2019 season, Thai League clubs are allowed to field 7 foreign players at the same time, including 3 ASEAN players, 3 Asian players and 1 player from another country.

Football Association of Thailand President Somyot Poompanmoung shared about the decision to increase the number of ASEAN players playing in Thai League 2019.

"I think if we want Thailand to become a football hub in Southeast Asia, we need to change our thinking. Don't be afraid that Thai players will lose their positions, expanding the quota for ASEAN players will bring competition and Thai players must improve their ability if they want to have a starting position."

"This will invisibly improve the level of Thai football."

Be patient and follow the direction.

Talking about the performance of striker Ha Duc Chinh (SHB.Da Nang), coach Park Hang-Seo complained: "As far as I know, last year each club in the V-League was only allowed to use 2 foreign players, this year it increased to 3. Currently, 70-80% of strikers in the V-League are foreign players, if this continues, it will be very difficult for Vietnam to have good strikers. We need to see how using many foreign strikers affects Vietnamese football."

But if he doesn't have to face foreign strikers, will Mr. Park have defenders with good professional quality like Dinh Trong and Duy Manh? Why do 14 V.League teams register 3 foreign players, but there are still many young players like Sy Giap and Hai Huy who play well, but Duc Chinh doesn't?