'Children' who refuse to grow up

(Baonghean.vn) - It is not difficult to recall the football field accidents that SLNA had to bear the consequences of, and the scandals from the incidents of Dinh Dong, Ngoc Hai, and Nguyen Manh. All the previous lessons had to be paid a very high price. This time, it is even sadder when the person who made the mistake was not a young person, but a "senior" player at the Nghe An team.

Public opinion and domestic audiences mostly believe that SLNA is a somewhat negative football environment, with rampant violent behavior on the field. That may be a stereotype but it is also a viewer's perspective. Because, while bad behavior on the field is rampant, even the Nghe An players themselves are not out of it. Even the reputation of "cutting nails and cutting iron" of SLNA has made them the hammer and sickle of public opinion, become a hot topic and naturally become merciless victims of penalty points.

The lesson and price that SLNA had to pay for the above mistakes were too expensive. No one has forgotten the moment Dinh Dong's head "exploded" causing Nguyen Anh Hung to break his leg in V.League 2014 and the former SLNA defender was suspended for a whole year. Returning to the field after 12 months away from football to find himself was truly an extraordinary effort by Dinh Dong. However, V.League 2015 seemed to pass smoothly for the Nghe An team when Ngoc Hai suffered a major shock in his career when he collided with Pham Anh Khoa and had to pay nearly 1 billion VND in compensation for the SHB Da Nang player's surgery.

National team number 1 goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh took a long time to forget the pain at AFF Cup 2016. Photo: Quynh Trang

There is no good news, but bad news spreads far and wide. From small playgrounds to regional arenas, all the efforts and dedication of Nghe An players went down the drain just because of a moment of lack of restraint on the field. Now, recalling Nguyen Manh's "foot lift" in the second leg of the AFF Cup 2016 semi-final against Indonesia is like touching the wounds in the hearts of Nghe An fans.

Who would have thought that a gentle and quiet player like Nguyen Manh would have the act of hitting an Indonesian player. Thin cloth cannot hide the eyes of a saint. In V.League, although the referees may not be able to keep up with the situation, the injured player still knows how to speak up and the organizers also have video tapes to convict and impose cold penalties. But in the regional or international arena, the player receives a red card, plays with one less player and is sure to lose.

SLNA players today have only 2 people in the “8x” category, the rest were born in 1990 or later. However, the least have been in the V.League for a few seasons, the majority have been in the first team for 4 seasons, playing dozens of matches each year. However, those who are considered seniors make extremely regrettable mistakes like “children” just starting to play professionally.

Center back Hoang Van Khanh is growing up day by day since the shock of being eliminated from the Vietnam U19 team in 2014. Photo: Quynh Trang

Exactly 3 years ago, a "child" of SLNA was intervened by "boss" Duc, immediately removed from the U19 Vietnam team because of a rough tackle that broke the leg of the opposing team's player in the match between U19 Vietnam and U19 Tottenham. A painful fall for a talented, promising player. It seemed that Van Khanh would not be able to recover from that shock, but now, the 1995-born center-back of SLNA has proven that he is truly mature and is the number 1 choice in the SLNA defense as well as the U22 Vietnam team preparing for the upcoming 29th SEA Games.

To grow up, there must be stumbles and mistakes. A moment of recklessness on the field for a young player is completely understandable. But for a player born in 1991, playing 4-5 seasons in V.League, First Division, former captain of U21 Vietnam like Pham The Nhat, it is extremely regrettable.

Returning to Thế Nhật’s story, with the act of hitting Lê Trung Hiếu, this player lost nearly 70 million VND for the entire cost of treating the opposing team’s player, discipline from the tournament’s organizers and an internal penalty of 1 month’s salary reduction and 5 matches suspension. A high price for anyone who plays football to make a living. But Thế Nhật is still lucky that this is not a penalty point, along with other cases from Samson (Hanoi) and Pape Omar (FLC Thanh Hoa).

Pham The Nhat had to pay a heavy price for his lack of restraint on the field. Photo: Trung Kien

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang himself was also disappointed by his students' lack of alertness and courage. As a head coach, they have to calculate a lot, face countless pressures, and tasks to complete. If even an older player like The Nhat makes his teacher work harder, talking about achievements at this time is a bit too far-fetched.

Modern football has more and more tricks. And there are also many tricks that are beneficial or disadvantageous to the home team. Players have the right to use tricks but must always determine the limits. I think, every time Nghe An players go out to play, they need to be more "sober" and more aware of bringing emotions to the fans. Because at least, they are well-trained, professional and experienced. They are representatives, the face of an entire locality, a brand. With the previous generation leading, why do they still take turns making mistakes?

Having loved SLNA, no one can help but feel heartbroken when seeing the Vinh stadium deserted and deserted. But the time and opportunities they give to their players are limited. Their love is big enough to not give up on the team, but their patience is limited if the Nghe players still refuse to grow up like this!

Quynh Trang