Coach Calisto: "V-League needs to learn a lot from Thai-League"

That is the comment of former coach of Vietnam national team, currently leading Muang Thong Club (Thailand) Henrique Calisto. He said that the geographical distance between Vietnam and Thailand is not too far, but the level of organization of the highest football tournament of the two countries is too different.

Mr. Calisto shared: “I have been working in Thailand for seven months. I have realized the big differences between the V-League and the Thai-League (Thai National Championship). The stadiums hosting matches in the Thai-League always have more spectators than the V-League. Fans who come to the stadium enjoy a real football festival. They cheer enthusiastically throughout the 90 minutes of the match, immersing themselves in the real football atmosphere. They buy player shirts or souvenirs related to their favorite clubs. The stadium is clean, the pitch is very good. The matches in the Thai-League are not faster than in Vietnam but are of better quality. The players also have very good techniques. That has made the matches more intense and very difficult to win...

Coach Calisto when he was working in Vietnam.

To achieve the above, the Thais have invested a lot in organization. In other words, their organization level is higher than Vietnam. I think Vietnamese sports reporters or people working in football organization in Vietnam should come to Bangkok to have the opportunity to see with their own eyes how the Thais are doing because there are many things that the V-League needs to learn from the Thai-League."

Coach Calisto also said that although he is no longer involved in Vietnamese football, he still spends time following the Internet or reading English newspapers to see the situation of Vietnamese football: “When I heard the news that Dong Tam Long An was relegated, I was very sad. I have been with this club since its establishment, contributing to building and creating a brand. How could I not be sad when I heard the news that they had to play in the First Division. In the current situation, I cannot explain the relegation of Dong Tam Long An, but I think the team's leadership will know how to help the team return to the V-League soon.”

When asked how football managers in the Thai League handle matches suspected of collusion or match-fixing, the coach of Muang Thong Club said: “Since working in the Thai League, I have never heard anyone talk about incidents related to match-fixing or point-conceding. The fact that the public does not mention it is a good thing for Thai football. I think not only in Vietnam but anywhere else, if football managers do not find an effective way to destroy match-fixing, football will die because spectators will not come to the stadium and sponsors will turn their backs. We have two options: either you have to find a way to destroy it (match-fixing) or it will kill our football.”

According to Tuoi Tre