Ha Duc Chinh - overcome the pressure!

Witnessing Ha Duc Chinh's missed opportunities, many people took to social media to post harsh words against the striker from Phu Tho. Some even went to Ha Duc Chinh's personal page to vent their anger and insults. As for Ha Duc Chinh himself, immediately after being substituted by coach Park Hang-seo, he covered his face and sobbed uncontrollably on the bench. Surely, Ha Duc Chinh must have been even more saddened and disappointed when a number of home fans labeled him a "villain."

Unfortunately, this is commonplace in Vietnamese football. Nowhere else is the line between hero and villain as thin as in the football scene of the S-shaped country. When they win, everyone celebrates them as national heroes; when they lose, they are mercilessly criticized. Many say, "If you're a public figure, you have to accept it, don't complain." That's absolutely true.

However, criticism and negative feedback must be moderate and constructive, not insulting or belittling others simply because they make purely professional mistakes.

Ha Duc Chinh had a disappointing performance in the first leg of the final. Photo: Internet

Ha Duc Chinh's situation now is similar to that of Ho Tuan Tai more than a year ago. Due to a failed shot in injury time during the match between Vietnam U22 and Indonesia U22 in the group stage of the 29th SEA Games (August 2017), striker Ho Tuan Tai faced a barrage of public criticism.

On social media, the personal page of "Van Quyen's cousin" is filled with harsh and offensive words directed at the player born in 1995. This is a significant shock for the striker, who is only 22 years old.

Since the SEA Games held in Malaysia, despite his best efforts, Ho Tuan Tai has yet to rediscover his form. Over a year has passed, and the player from Hung Nguyen (Nghe An) has not been called up again for the Vietnam U23 team or the senior national team. Worse still, Ho Tuan Tai no longer regularly appears in the starting lineup for the Nghe An team in important matches in the V.League and the National Cup. Of course, Ho Tuan Tai's decline has many other contributing factors.

Ho Tuan Tai also once found himself in a similar situation to Ha Duc Chinh is now. Photo: Internet

It's not just young players like Ho Tuan Tai and Ha Duc Chinh who get insulted and abused. Even big names like Le Cong Vinh have to endure insults year after year. Who is Le Cong Vinh? He's the player with the most appearances for the Vietnamese national team (85 matches), the top scorer for the Vietnamese national team (51 goals), the player who scored the "golden" goal that helped the Vietnamese national team win the AFF Cup for the first time (in 2008), and the first Vietnamese player to play in Europe (Leixoes Club - Portugal...).

Therefore, what Ha Duc Chinh is enduring is normal in Vietnamese football as well as in world football. That is the dark side of fandom. Admittedly, not all those who are cursing and insulting him are genuine football fans.

Hopefully, Ha Duc Chinh will learn to overcome the pressure and mature further in the near future. Who knows, in the upcoming second leg of the final, the striker born in 1997 might shine and help the Vietnamese national team win the 2018 AFF Cup./.