"If we want football to develop, we must say no to negativity."

In an interview with reporters from Vietnam Television, Vietnam News Agency, National Defense Television, and the TTVH newspaper regarding the negative incident involving the six Dong Nai Club players who were recently detained by C45 for investigation, VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized: "For football to develop, we must say no to negativity."

Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan affirmed the VFF's stance against corruption.

Vice Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan said:This is a very serious matter, affecting not only the club's reputation.This not only affects the prestige of the tournament but also greatly impacts the reputation of Vietnamese football. The VFF's stance is to fight to the end to eliminate negative and unsportsmanlike phenomena from football. All cases related to negativity in football competitions, especially violations of professional ethics, match-fixing, and cheating in matches, will be severely punished. Players need to understand that if they violate the rules and fall into temptation, the door to their future career development will close.”

When asked about the underlying reasons behind some players falling into a spiral of negativity, most notably the scandal involving the Ninh Binh Club players and, most recently, the scandal involving the Dong Nai Club players, Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan shared: “We believe that the football environment is not inherently bad. The most important thing is the awareness of those involved in football activities. In reality, many players have matured and achieved success in the football environment, overcoming difficulties related to circumstances and injuries to play and contribute, becoming beautiful symbols in the hearts of fans.”

However, alongside that, there are still some players who, due to a lack of self-awareness and professionalism, have had moments where they lost control of themselves in the face of negative influences, violating ethical principles and affecting their reputation, career, and future."

A key figure in the latest corruption scandal at Dong Nai Club writes a statement before the police - Photo: Phan Tung

To address the issue of raising awareness of professional ethics among players in the current situation, Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan stated: “Most clubs have made many efforts in youth training recently. However, the issue of cultural and ethical education alongside professional training needs to be reconsidered and given due attention. Because a talented player who is not nurtured in ethics will have their ability to contribute to their career significantly affected. There will be moments when those players will lose everything; their sweat, hard work, and reputation will be quickly erased when they fall into the temptations of gambling.”

To improve this, we believe that the contributions of many stakeholders involved in football are necessary, and the role of the press is extremely important in helping to identify, promote, and educate players not only about training but also about having a correct and clear understanding of their profession and society. This should not be taken lightly; it must always be a top priority.”

Responding to concerns that Vietnamese football could fall into a major crisis if the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) continues to expand its scope and take strong action against corruption, Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan affirmed: “For football to develop, we must say no to corruption. In the coming time, the VFF will continue to set out directions in the fight against corruption, and directions in the organization and management of professional leagues.”

Vietnamese football has gone through difficult times. For example, the 2005 corruption scandal caused widespread concern for Vietnamese football, but with a determination to clean up the sport, we took decisive action. As everyone knows, two years later, our national team reached the top 8 at the 2007 Asian Cup, and just one year after that, we won the Southeast Asian Championship. This clearly demonstrated the Vietnam Football Federation's stance and the effectiveness of its efforts in combating corruption within Vietnamese football.

According to Bongdaplus