An emotional season

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The matches took place fairly and objectively.

Referee Nguyen Dinh Thai - Head of the Referee Team of the 26th Nghe An Newspaper Cup

"This season, the referees' management of the matches went smoothly, the decisions were decisive and reasonable, there were not many tense situations that required consultation with the referee team during the 64 matches of both age groups. That proves that the tournament was open and attractive, finding a worthy champion. This was also the initial goal set in the professional meetings before the season and was strictly implemented throughout the tournament.

This year's season has a slight change, that is, in the youth age group, the offside rule is not applied like in previous years, so there are more attacking situations, more goals scored, creating excitement and enthusiasm in each match. Regarding penalty cards, there is only 1 red card given, not due to a dispute but a technical error when the goalkeeper rushed out to catch the ball outside the penalty area. This shows that although the children play with great determination, they are also very fair play, there are not too many tense and fierce situations that are common for children of their age.

What is special about this year is that the 20-member referee team has one female referee, who participated in the semi-final match for the youth age group, referee Nguyen Thi Thi (born 2001). This is one of the new winds in the 26-year history of the tournament. This is a female referee who is highly talented and promising according to the Nghe An Football Federation, and may accompany the tournament in the following seasons.

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Emotional championship

Coach Ho Huu Tien - Hoang Mai town

"From the beginning of the season, Hoang Mai Town Children's Team always decided to compete with the spirit of knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, being cautious in each match because there were many strong teams competing such as: Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, Quy Hop, Vinh City, Tan Ky... and with determination and solidarity, the "youngest" team of Hoang Mai Town won the children's championship very emotionally after the penalty shootout against Quy Hop, until this moment, our teachers and students are still moved to tears because we cannot believe it is true.

This glory comes not only from the efforts and determination of teachers and students, the support of the town leaders and parents, but also from the large-scale and professional organization of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup tournament. From information reflecting the training spirit of teachers and students before the tournament, to the matches, sideline stories... In particular, the final match was broadcast live on many platforms to help people at home watch their children compete remotely when they cannot be present in Vinh city. Currently, parents as well as the majority of people in Hoang Mai town are sharing the joy of the home team's victory."

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The tournament was organized on a very large scale.

Coach Van Duc Tri - Con Cuong district

"This year is the first year that Con Cuong district participates in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup with 2 age groups. This is the most prestigious and largest sports tournament for teenagers and children in the province, so the district leaders are very supportive and accompany the children. We see that this year's tournament is invested in a methodical and meticulous manner. The work of checking personnel, managing matches, and supporting the teams is taken care of by the Organizing Committee, so the teams are very confident to compete and contribute.

Although this year, both of our Con Cuong football teams stopped at the group stage, however, we are not sad and will use that as motivation to be more determined in the following seasons. The children have also experienced a big tournament and will gain more experience. Hopefully, after this tournament, Con Cuong district will have a satellite class of Song Lam Nghe An to nurture the football talents of the district's children like other districts."

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Coach Van Thanh Chuong - Thanh Chuong district

Second consecutive year in the top 4

This year's Nghe An Newspaper Cup was very professional in its organization. Before the season started, reporters went to the locality to report on the training spirit. During the tournament, both teachers and students were given attention in each match. Thanh Chuong District also excelled in reaching the semi-finals in the youth age group, which was also the second consecutive year they were among the top 4 teams; this was a proud achievement compared to many strong teams in the province.

For the following seasons to be more successful, teachers and students of Thanh Chuong district hope that the Organizing Committee will arrange a more extended competition time so that students have more time to rest and recover. In addition, if the football teams achieve high medals, it is possible to consider coordinating with the Department of Education and Training to award Certificates of Merit for excellent students in physical education and sports to them. This will be a very valuable source of encouragement, and at the same time promote the football movement of the next generations to develop even stronger.

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More determined in the following seasons

Coach Tran Van Hong - Ky Son district

Ky Son District is the farthest locality to participate in Nghe An Newspaper Cup, although the conditions are still difficult, the leaders, teachers and students of Ky Son District have made efforts to bring their children to Vinh City to compete. This year, due to a slight problem with age, entering the matches at the youth age, Ky Son players were weak in terms of physique and physical strength and stopped early in the group stage. However, this was also in the team's plan, from before because the opponents in the same group were considered very strong.

One thing worth noting in this year's season is that the Ky Son football team has 12 players, half of whom are ethnic minorities, from remote communes, but with the love of football, along with the importance of the tournament, the district has connected and created conditions for the players to come to Vinh to compete and gain experience. The wish of the teachers and students of Ky Son district is that in the future there will be an artificial turf field in the district to facilitate training and practice, as a premise to improve the achievements of the district in the following seasons."