The 'red-colored' farewells

(Baonghean) - Song Lam Nghe An has a glorious past with enough strength to make opponents wary. But now, the label of the "big guy" of V-League years ago only remains in memory. Many causes have been dissected, many reasons have been given, but there can be no complete explanation for the question "Why is that?".

No one can deny that SLNA is the most traditional and successful club in Vietnamese football, once a “tiger”, one of the championship candidates with many eye-catching matches for fans. Song Lam Nghe An has won the national championship (V-League) 3 times, the spring training championship once, the Vietnamese Super Cup 4 times and the National Cup 2 times.

Hoang Thinh (yellow shirt) said goodbye to SLNA to join Thanh Hoa

How can Nghe An fans forget the great contributions of former coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh in his 19 years as head coach of SLNA. He and Nghe An football overcame many difficulties to achieve glory with a generation of talents such as: Nguyen Huu Thang, Van Sy Hung, Ngo Quang Truong, Vo Van Hanh...

Every Nghe An fan's heart is deeply engraved with the image of SLNA in the "era of rise" with successes under the reign of coach Nguyen Huu Thang. The image of the "symbol of Nghe An football" rushing onto the field with arms outstretched, a face radiant with happiness when the home team held Hanoi T&T to a draw to win the 2011 championship is forever intact in the hearts of fans. Everything is like a beautiful dream, enough to make fans of the homeland comfort themselves. The reality is being surrounded by harsh truths, because financial constraints have caused the "best children" to leave one by one, leaving behind sorrows...

There are so many questions that fans have asked that no one can answer, no words of encouragement are enough to warm the hearts of loyal fans. Where is the SLNA of the past? When will the image of the "fire pan of Vinh city" "explode" again with convincing victories, goals that make fans happy? It will be very difficult to find an answer if the "sad songs" still exist there like a "serious disease". Financial difficulties when entering the professional tournament have made SLNA become a "poor child" in the "sky" of V - League full of tycoons.

Although SLNA does not know what relegation is, in reality, they are making fans live in anxiety with the goal of entering the Top 5. The fear of losing is a constant obsession against any opponent, whether they are strong or weak. All because of the "bleeding" of talent that continues without knowing when it will stop.

“Our” team has lost dozens of players in the squad, most of whom were key players who had “made waves” in SLNA’s colors, as well as in the national team. Cong Vinh, Hong Son, Trong Hoang, Quang Tinh, Hoang Thinh… All carry within them the flow of maternal love, always wanting to live, wanting to contribute to the “mother” who “gave birth” to them. They understand better than anyone that SLNA has helped them become famous as they are today… But, they have left one by one with heavy steps and heavy hearts because of nostalgia. Although very painful and regretful, Nghe An fans understand that those separations are obvious and inevitable. Didn’t the ancients say “strong because of rice, bold because of money”? Poverty has made SLNA “sell” its “children” who have “grown enough feathers and wings” to continue to exist with their “young children” to the worries of fans.

SLNA's leadership, whether they want it or not, must accept that, and are "powerless" because without "reality" they cannot "uphold the path". Nghe An fans, no matter how regretful they are, can only look up and watch the footsteps leave the "fire pan of Vinh city" in regret... Knowing that clearly, but there is no other way, a football player's career is very short, those talents, no matter how madly in love they are, have devoted themselves to their hometown team, but there will come a time when they have to leave because of life,... Because by their side is their family, they have to worry about the lives of their mothers who are bent over, their wives who always wait for them to return after matches, and the future of their children...

Dinh Dong once shared: “My son is only one and a half months old, for his future I had to leave SLNA. Having to say goodbye to my teammates and home fans, I was very sad. I wanted to stay, but the amount of money I offered was not accepted by the club. The club only paid me about 1 billion VND, while I wanted more. Actually, I thought a lot before leaving SLNA, just because I was worried about my family in the future.” How could fans say they weren’t angry, not regretful when they left, leaving SLNA in a difficult situation. But then, they had to swallow their tears while understanding that even though those “warriors” “left without looking back”, behind them was “a path of sunlight and falling leaves”.

It is unimaginable what will happen to the pride of Nghe An if the current pillars such as Ngoc Hai, Phi Son, Nguyen Manh… After a few more seasons, they will listen to the “Song of the Ship” to find the “promised land”. While we are gradually losing our leading position in youth training. I am afraid that if we still cannot solve the financial constraints, fans will continue to witness unwanted separations…

Kim Thuy