At the end of the 'afternoon market', V.League loses value?

(Baonghean.vn) - Clubs in Vietnam have been doing everything they can to try to fill the huge gaps in the stands. This further shows the disastrous 'devaluation' of the country's football.

FLC Thanh Hoa is the latest team to implement a plan to distribute free tickets to home fans to watch the FLC Thanh Hoa - Sanna Khanh Hoa match taking place on the afternoon of November 19. This is a very familiar and popular practice in Vietnamese football for many years. However, the action of the Thanh Hoa Stadium Organizing Committee also made many people feel surprised, even fed up. The question is: Why should a team competing for the championship, a key match affecting the throne, be afraid of the absence of spectators?

The answer is very simple: FLC Thanh Hoa's chance of winning the 2017 V.League championship is quite slim, coach Petrovic and his team do not have the right to decide in the competition with the two teams owned by Mr. Hien (Quang Nam FC and Hanoi FC). Therefore, Thanh Hoa fans have almost run out of hope for their team's ability to win the cup. Therefore, the Thanh Hoa stadium's organizers had to use the trick of 'giving away free tickets' to attract home fans to the stadium to cheer.

The name is to show gratitude to the audience, but the essence is to salvage some trust from the large fan base.

Thanh Hoa and SLNA fans are numerous and enthusiastic. Photo: Internet

The action of the Thanh Hoa stadium organizers is very special in world football, although in Vietnam it is quite normal. Nowhere else does the home team enter a key match fearing the risk of not having spectators to cheer and watch. Up until now, only Hanoi FC has had to accept that strategy, because of the indifference of the capital's fans. However, now FLC Thanh Hoa has had to follow the above path. Don't forget, Thanh Hoa stadium this season is a rare bright spot in the country's football. It also comes from the audience's trust when the tournament enters the "end of the afternoon market" period!

FLC Thanh Hoa's neighbor SLNA is not happier either. Recently, Vinh Stadium's Organizing Committee had to announce on mass media about the plan, 'to open stands B, C, D freely for spectators to watch the second leg of the 2017 National Cup final between SLNA - B.Binh Duong taking place on the afternoon of November 30'.

In contrast to FLC Thanh Hoa's slim chance of winning the 2017 V.League, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team are holding a great opportunity to lift the 2017 National Cup title (in the first leg, SLNA beat B.Binh Duong 2-1 away).

Faced with the risk of Vinh Stadium being empty of spectators in the most important match of this year's season for the Nghe An team, the Organizing Committee had to implement a plan to call on and stimulate fans to come to the stadium to cheer for Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team.

The concern of Vinh Stadium's Organizing Committee is completely reasonable, because throughout the 2017 season, "Thanh Vinh Fire Pot" has always been in a 'cold' state. Without quickly coming up with a suitable solution, the prospect of Nguyen Manh and his teammates having to compete in a desolate setting with empty stands is very likely to happen. Remembering the bustling atmosphere in the "final" match between SLNA and Hanoi FC (the last round of V.League 2011), Nghe An fans cannot help but feel sad.

Vinh Stadium is expected to be very crowded in the 2017 National Cup final. Photo: Tung Le

After all, the way the Thanh Hoa Stadium Organizing Committee and Vinh Stadium Organizing Committee are doing things is just a “last resort”. It reflects the general situation of Vietnamese football in the “twilight and dark” era. Giving away free tickets or opening the stadium for spectators to enter cannot completely solve the problem: Vietnamese fans are increasingly indifferent and turning their backs on domestic football. With a ticket price of only about 25-70 thousand VND, it cannot be a barrier for the world’s top football fans like Vietnam. If the current situation is left as it is, not only free tickets, opening the stadium freely, but even if given more money, Vietnamese fans may not be willing to enter the stadium to watch.

Let me borrow the folk song "If there is fate, one will welcome and one will see you off" to talk about the current situation of Vietnamese football: "If there is fate, one will welcome and one will see you off - If there is no fate, one will leave early and return late as one pleases - If there is fate, one will close the door and choose a husband - If there is fate, one will be like a broken stem of a mustard plant for sale - If there is fate, one will act high and mighty - If there is fate, one will fall into your hands - If there is fate, one will be picky and choose - If there is fate, one will lose value and follow you as a beggar"./.

Thanh Hung