The Nam Dinh football team when "Everyone eventually leaves us."
(Baonghean.vn) - "For the past four months, we haven't received any salary. We've had to ask our parents for money for food, and some of us are dependent on our wives. The team is like it's in a state of clinical death," a Nam Dinh player lamented.
As predicted by experts before the relegation play-off match between XSKT.Can Tho and Nam Dinh at the end of last season: "With this kind of football system, the losing team will be doomed, and the winning team will also be struggling." The subsequent events for the team playing at Thien Truong Stadium unfolded exactly as predicted.
"Everyone will eventually leave us."
As 2018 draws to a close, the promised 20 billion VND from last year still hasn't arrived in the coffers, which truly means everything is over. For the past four months, the coaching staff and players have been struggling to survive, relying on their families for support, barely having enough to eat, let alone train.
Currently, Nam Dinh is facing a situation where "there are no more foreign players, and our own players are gradually leaving." Despite their strong desire to contribute, the team has had to reluctantly part ways with many key players such as Dinh Viet Tu (to Quang Nam) and Le Sy Minh (to Than Quang Ninh) due to a lack of funds for signing bonuses.
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| The joy of the audience in Nam Dinh was short-lived. (Image: Internet) |
Previously, key players like Van Thuan and Huu Quy had also found new clubs. Those familiar with the team believe that after parting ways with Sy Minh, the player who had been with the team for 11 years is not expected to be the last name to leave the Nam Dinh team before the start of the 2019 V.League season.
“Sy Minh is a free agent, but no one in the club's management has called him, no one has contacted him, no one has tried to keep him. So what can Sy Minh do when the transfer window is closing and clubs are focusing on preparing for the new season?” lamented Do Manh Cuong, one of Nam Dinh's loyal supporters. Sy Minh's situation is also the situation of many Nam Dinh players right now.
Tired of waiting
The players from neighboring Thanh Hoa are also owed four months' salary, but it's simply a matter of procedure. Upon learning of the situation, the Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Pham Dang Quyen, signed an urgent document instructing relevant departments and agencies to quickly complete the process of taking back the team from INTERPRO Football Development Joint Stock Company to pay the players' salaries. Nam Dinh, however, is different.
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| Coach Van Sy's worries about making ends meet. Photo: Internet |
Even Nam Ha Pharmaceutical Company wanted to sponsor 20 billion VND per year for 3 years. It's a rather modest contract, but in this "better safe than sorry" situation, the coaching staff, players, and fans of Nam Dinh are all eagerly anticipating it. However, according to our investigation, the provincial leadership and the sponsor have yet to reach a consensus on the rights and interests of all parties involved.
To date, six foreign players have trained with the team. According to the schedule, Nam Dinh was supposed to participate in the Viettel Open 2019 in Hanoi, but due to financial issues, the team had to withdraw. “Seeing the team in this situation is truly disheartening; the future looks bleak. Yesterday, Coach Sy said we can’t keep training like this without any action. If there’s no progress in the next day or two, we’ll disband; it’s better for everyone to go their separate ways,” a Nam Dinh player said with a choked voice.
Indeed, if things continue like this, Nam Dinh might as well disband early. Without training funds, the need to buy foreign players, with key players leaving one after another, and the morale of the coaching staff and players low, sooner or later Nam Dinh will find it difficult to remain in V-League 2019.
