Striving for a healthy playing field.

(Baonghean) - Yesterday morning (June 9th), the Organizing Committee of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament conducted personnel checks on the participating teams. The results showed that only a few players on the teams' registration lists were ineligible to participate (mainly due to missing documents), and no team faced a shortage of players after the checks. Monitoring of personnel-related issues will continue until the end of the tournament...

Before 7:00 AM, most teams had gathered at the Provincial Sports Center to prepare for the personnel verification process. Outside the center grounds, there was a bustling atmosphere filled with the excited chatter, playful antics, and running of the young players. Inside the meeting room, where the personnel subcommittee officials worked, it was quite quiet as the teams were instructed to maintain order to ensure maximum concentration on the task. At some of the verification tables, the atmosphere was tense as officials repeatedly questioned suspected players. Cao Thanh Xuan, a referee participating in the personnel verification, stated: "The personnel verification must be conducted seriously, without favoritism, to ensure a fair and transparent playing field for the children."

Upon inspection, most units strictly complied with the regulations regarding documentation, and very few suspicious cases were found. Units with thorough preparation included Vinh City, Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, Cua Lo Town, Thai Hoa Town, etc. Some units lacked certain documents, such as original birth certificates and school confirmation letters for players, including Nam Dan, Tan Ky, Do Luong, Hoang Mai Town, Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc, etc. Two players from the Ky Son Youth Team were ineligible to compete due to their inability to provide the necessary documents. For the remaining cases, the teams requested to provide the required documents, and the subcommittee requested the coaching staff to commit to providing all necessary documents before the competition.

Coach Le Van Hung of the SLNA U13 team – one of the two SLNA club coaches participating in the personnel verification – said: “This is the second year I have participated in the personnel verification for the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, and it is encouraging that most teams have complied seriously. However, to select the best and cleanest players for the club, SLNA's youth training staff will closely monitor the matches to detect any suspected cases of cheating, especially age fraud. It's possible that some fraudulent players might pass the document verification, but during matches, from a professional perspective, it's not difficult to identify them through their technique and playing style.”

Review of the Thanh Chuong team's personnel for the 2015 season.

Prior to the 17th season in 2013, when the qualifying rounds were held in various districts and the finals were held in Vinh City, teams that qualified for the finals had to undergo two personnel checks (qualifying and final rounds). For teams that had passed the qualifying rounds, if there were any doubts about their personnel, the Organizing Committee would send officials to the players' hometowns and families 1-2 weeks before the finals to conduct a further investigation and verification.

However, since the 2013 season, under the new competition format, teams have been brought to Vinh to compete in the qualifying rounds, reducing the personnel verification process to just one round. This has also created some drawbacks: after checking the player's documents and background, any remaining doubts can affect the match schedule as the organizing committee will have to spend time verifying the information. Therefore, the personnel verification process must be thorough and meticulous. Therefore, after checking the records (including birth certificates, school transcripts, age verification documents with photos certified by the homeroom teacher, school principal, and local police), the officers also carry out further verification measures such as cross-checking the names of teachers teaching various subjects, grades in those subjects, etc., or even checking the students' actual abilities in subjects listed in their transcripts such as Math, Foreign Languages, and Art. In addition, during the competition, if there are any suspicious cases or complaints, the personnel subcommittee is ready to re-verify and resolutely handle any violations.

It can be said that, given their age-related psychological characteristics, young players in their teens and early twenties always compete with inherent innocence and honesty. However, in some teams, due to the pursuit of achievements, many sports officials have included players who are over the age limit in the tournament lineup, undermining the integrity of the competition. In such cases, the organizing committee has no choice but to take decisive action to set an example for other teams. According to football experts, at this age, even a one-year age difference can lead to significant differences in physical ability and tactical thinking, affecting the outcome of the match.

Minh Quan