Huu Thang and the mission to rescue the "sinking ship" of Ho Chi Minh City FC.

The journey of the "sinking ship"

In recent days, rumors have been circulating on social media and in some newspapers that Ho Chi Minh City FC is about to disband after spending 150 billion VND on this season, but the club's main sponsor has not yet received fulfillment of the previously signed agreements from Ho Chi Minh City.

This news has caused confusion and even outrage among fans. Previously, when the sponsor took over the club, they promised to create a solid foundation and a "new force" in Vietnamese football. However, after only two seasons, the sponsor has threatened to dissolve the club.

Saigon Port won the championship in the 2001-2002 season.

Remember the Ho Chi Minh City Football Club, formerly known as Saigon Port Football Club, with its long tradition, impressive achievements, and the love and support of many fans? Yet, the very organization that built the team's brand abandoned its own creation. At the end of 2008, the Saigon Port leadership announced they no longer had the funds to maintain the team. This meant the Saigon Port name was abolished. Subsequently, the main sponsor, Vietnam Steel Company, stepped in, and the club's leadership decided to change the team's name to operate under a professional model. The name Ho Chi Minh City Football Club was chosen with the agreement of the club's managing entity, Ho Chi Minh City Football Company Limited, and the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation.

The club's leadership aspired to become a model football club, seeking to attract support from the government and sponsorship from city businesses. Therefore, on January 22, 2009, the club officially changed its name to Ho Chi Minh City Football Club. However, from then on, the club declined and was relegated in the 2009 season. In 2016, Ho Chi Minh City Football Club won the National First Division championship and returned to the V.League.

Ho Chi Minh City FC returned to the V.League after many years of absence by winning the First Division championship in 2016.

In his debut season with Ho Chi Minh City FC in the V.League 2017, former striker Le Cong Vinh from Nghe An province was entrusted with the responsibility of acting chairman of the club. At that time, Cong Vinh was the youngest football club leader in the V.League. He shared: “I think, first and foremost, if we want to dream of winning the championship, we must create fair, noble football with pride. Whether the team wins or loses someday, the Ho Chi Minh City fans must win. That is the goal we should aim for.”

Despite being the club's acting president, Cong Vinh still personally sold tickets and signed jerseys for fans.

And CV9 immediately got to work, making many positive changes, such as directly selling tickets to fans, renovating the locker rooms and restrooms at Thong Nhat Stadium, buying a new bus, and signing a sponsorship contract with a famous Japanese jersey brand... Despite the significant investment, Ho Chi Minh City FC only finished 12th in the league table at the end of the season.

After the 2017 season ended, the Ho Chi Minh City FC leadership set an ambitious goal: to transform the team into a dominant force in the 2018 V.League. Accordingly, Cong Vinh continued to take decisive action, terminating the contracts of 13 players at the end of the 2017 V.League season and bringing in several high-quality new signings. These included the new head coach, Toshiya Miura, along with top-notch assistants such as goalkeeping coach Vo Van Hanh, fitness coach Martin Forkel, and language assistant Tran Hung Cuong... They also brought in new players like Phi Son, Van Thanh, Thanh Diep, Ngoc Duc, and Ngoc Thinh.

Entering the 2018 season, Cong Vinh orchestrated "blockbuster" transfers, bringing in expensive contracts with quality coaches and players for Ho Chi Minh City FC.

At the beginning of the 2018 season, Cong Vinh simultaneously unveiled the club's new logo and YouTube channel. The new Ho Chi Minh City FC logo features a circular outer border enclosing a powerful ship sailing on the waves!

However, just as the Ho Chi Minh City FC team was beginning to set sail with disappointing results, Chairman Le Cong Vinh unexpectedly announced his resignation, much to the surprise of the team members. Thus, after just over a year of working together, Cong Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City FC parted ways.

Speaking about this "failed marriage," Le Cong Vinh said that he and his sponsor "didn't see eye-to-eye," so the separation was good for both of them. However, many believe this was a wise move by the former captain of the Vietnamese national team, as he quickly escaped from the "sinking ship."

Waiting for the strategic prowess of the new captain.

In recent days, while Le Cong Vinh was busy launching his autobiography, rumors surfaced that the club he recently left was about to disband. However, on the same day these dissolution rumors surfaced, Ho Chi Minh City FC quickly addressed the situation by introducing its new president, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang (former head coach of SLNA and the national team), and its CEO, Ms. Mae Mua (a well-known player agent in the V.League in the past).

As a coach, Huu Thang led SLNA Club to win the V.League championship in 2011.

According to experts, with the "lightning-fast" debut of the new Chairman and CEO, the Ho Chi Minh City FC club will not be dissolved immediately, but the official letter "claiming difficulties" after spending 150 billion VND is real. Therefore, the future of this club remains uncertain if the Ho Chi Minh City leadership cannot meet the demands of the main sponsor.

Coach Huu Thang unexpectedly debuted as the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Football Club, alongside Mae Mua as the club's CEO.

Many people hope that, with the tactical skills and connections of Coach Huu Thang, a former coach of the Vietnamese national team, and Ms. Mae Mua - who was once the first official player agent in Vietnam - the "sinking ship" of Ho Chi Minh City FC will soon be salvaged, rather than following the same path as the Saigon Xuan Thanh FC of Chairman Thuy years ago.

With coach Huu Thang's tactical prowess, many people hope that the Ho Chi Minh City FC "ship" will move forward.

For Coach Huu Thang, taking on a new role as the head of a club for the first time, he must unite not only the players from Nghe An currently playing for Ho Chi Minh City FC but also the entire coaching staff and players, ensuring they all share a common vision. Furthermore, leveraging his connections, he will work with the main sponsor to attract benefactors to invest in the club's continued development, so that he can rightfully be considered a "master" and "senior figure" to Le Cong Vinh in both personal and professional life.