SLNA CEO: 'Winning and losing and refereeing are part of the game'

(Baonghean) - In an interview with Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Ho Van Chiem - Executive Director of SLNA Club said: In sports, winning and losing and refereeing are part of the game. We must accept and overcome to overcome!

» Provincial Party Secretary: 'SLNA should not be proud of the past forever'

PV:As a club that is considered to have a rich tradition and has contributed a lot to the country's football, having won the V.League championship and many national youth tournaments, but in recent years SLNA's achievements have not been as expected. Can you explain the reasons for this reality?

Mr. Ho Van Chiem:Previously, SLNA was one of the leading clubs in systematic youth training and achieved many achievements. Many provinces and clubs came to SLNA to study. However, recently, many clubs nationwide have invested heavily in youth training, such as HAGL, Viettel, VPF... so there is a lot of competition in youth tournaments today.

Mr. Ho Van Chiem - Executive Director of SLNA Club presented flowers to comrade Pham Thi Hong Toan - Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee of the contest Song Lam Nghe An - Pride of Nghe An.

Regarding the first team playing in V.League, the achievements in recent years have not been as expected because of limited financial resources, so we cannot retain good players as well as select quality foreign players.

Currently, SLNA receives an annual investment of 25 billion VND from the province for youth training (including about 200 players from U11 to U21 and dozens of coaches) and the sponsor invests 30 billion VND for the first team and pays salaries for the club's administrative department. Meanwhile, some teams such as Hanoi, Binh Duong, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong... have to spend from 80 billion to hundreds of billions of VND for the first team each season. For example, Hanoi Club, to have the service of foreign player Moses, this team has to pay this player about 10 billion VND/year.

In 2014, U13 SLNA players were chosen to represent Vietnamese youth football on a successful tour in Japan.

PV:In addition to the funding provided by the province for youth training and sponsors for the first team, what strategies does the club have in transferring the players it trains and selling souvenirs, advertising, tickets... to increase revenue for the club?

Mr. Ho Van Chiem:The club's management has discussed this many times and has made plans to implement it, but it has not been effective. We only train enough young players for the first team. Normally, a player trained when he is qualified to play for the first team is over 20 years old, and by the age of 25, his obligation to serve the club is over. At that time, he has just become famous, which is also the time when the club wants to keep him, so it has to sign a new contract. Selling jerseys and souvenirs with the club logo is also not effective.

In the past, SLNA played with high results, the audience came to the stadium to watch, ticket sales achieved a large amount of revenue, but now with the development of the media, fans can easily watch live matches right at home, plus the quality of matches in V.League is not as high as foreign tournaments, so attracting audiences to the stadium is very difficult. However, we are always looking for ways to overcome this to have more revenue to cover the costs for the club.

A corner of the gallery displaying SLNA Club's achievements. Photo: Duc Dung.

PV:In the current development trend of football, is Nghe An's training system outdated, sir?

Mr. Ho Van Chiem:Regarding training methods and lesson plans, we still follow and update the lectures of AFC, FIFA... The coaches of SLNA youth teams are experienced players with full coaching qualifications, so we can say that in terms of expertise, we still meet the requirements well. However, currently, the facilities from the accommodation to the training ground of the club are still lacking, not meeting the training needs, especially the diet is still limited, affecting the improvement of the players' physical strength.

Despite facing some difficulties, SLNA is still one of the clubs with a large number of fans across the country, and is a club that provides many players for national teams. Currently, SLNA Club has a Party cell with 20 members, and mass organizations operate in a disciplined and effective manner. These are the "foundations" for SLNA to overcome difficulties and develop in the future.

PV:According to you, what is the reason why SLNA has had some poor matches recently?

Mr. Ho Van Chiem:That is because there are many young players so their mentality is not stable, plus the referees' handling is not really fair, leading to unfavorable results for the team. We also reminded the players to have a professional spirit, focus, and make more effort in each match. In sports, winning and losing and refereeing are part of the game. We have to accept and overcome to overcome.

At one time, Vinh Stadium was nicknamed "Fire Pan" with the enthusiastic cheering of Nghe An fans. Photo: Duc Dung.

PV:In the context of SLNA Club facing many difficulties in V.League, the Provincial Party Secretary had a meeting with SLNA leaders and players. In your opinion, what is the significance of this visit?

Mr. Ho Van Chiem:The visit and work of the Provincial Party Secretary is a great encouragement for the SLNA Club. We are very touched because when the Club is facing difficulties, we receive timely encouragement from the provincial leaders. This proves that the provincial leaders always care about the SLNA Football Club in particular and the provincial sports movement in general.

During this visit, the Provincial Party Secretary acknowledged the contributions of the SLNA team in the past time to the football movement of the province and the country. He also pointed out the shortcomings of the club and suggested development directions for the club in the coming time, as well as maintaining the identity and brand "SLNA - the pride of Nghe An".

In order not to disappoint the attention of the provincial leaders, the expectations of fans and sponsors, we determined that the SLNA Club needs to make more efforts, overcome difficulties, and focus on playing well in each match.

PV:Thank you!

Duc Chuyen(Perform)