XMXT.Saigon has set a bad precedent.

(Baonghean)Regarding the announcement by XMXT.Saigon to withdraw from the V.League, a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh - Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation, Chairman of SLNA Football Club - to better understand this matter.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh encourages the SLNA players. Photo: D.C.

PV:What are your comments on XMXT. Saigon's announcement to withdraw from the V.League?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:Clearly, the withdrawal of a team from the V.League effectively means the league has failed. This has disrupted the order of the competition. In this situation, the champion is practically decided, as Hanoi T&T only needs one more win to secure the title.

PV:According to him, what consequences did XMXT's withdrawal from the competition have?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:XMXT.Saigon's withdrawal from the league has tarnished the reputation of Vietnamese football. While XMXT.Saigon's withdrawal was wrong, the VFF Disciplinary Committee's decision was unconvincing, lacking clear evidence and relying solely on public opinion to issue a 4-point deduction. Meanwhile, many other matches showed signs of unsportsmanlike conduct, such as the 8-0 defeat of DTLA against SLNA in round 14, the 4-1 loss between V.Ninh Binh and SHB.Da Nang in round 8, and the 3-2 loss between DTLA and SHB.Da Nang in round 19… which drew public criticism, yet the organizers ignored these issues. Instead, they focused on the match between XMXT.Saigon and K.Kien Giang, deeming it negative based on a spam message, and deducted points for it.

This approach is unconvincing and has led to frustration for the disciplined team. In the current context, businesses face numerous difficulties in maintaining their operations; instead of encouragement and support, they are treated unfairly. Clearly, the VFF Disciplinary Committee's unconvincing disciplinary action against XMXT.Saigon has inadvertently ruined the entire tournament.

PV:How has XMXT.Saigon's withdrawal from the league affected SLNA, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:XMXT.Saigon's withdrawal from the league effectively deprives SLNA of their chance to win the championship. This has left both players and fans disheartened. Just when fans were excited about SLNA's race for the title, the team suddenly lost 6 points. All the hard work of the team and the fans who traveled to the stadium to support them has gone to waste! XMXT.Saigon's withdrawal has caused a significant loss for SLNA this season.

PV:Do you think it's right for a team to withdraw from a league and have all the results of their matches canceled?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:This is already stipulated in the VFF's regulations: if a team withdraws, the results of all matches involving that team are not counted. However, this rule is incorrect, and I have previously objected to and debated this issue. For example, in this case, if XMXT.Saigon withdrew from the tournament with only two matches remaining, the organizers could have awarded the victory to the two teams that hadn't played against XMXT.Saigon, thus maintaining the tournament's order. However, canceling all results distorted the tournament. The results of the last two rounds cannot be used to calculate the outcome of an entire season. The VFF claims they are following FIFA's rules, but FIFA has changed its approach!

PV:As a member of the VFF Executive Committee, do you have any suggestions regarding this issue?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:Whenever disciplinary decisions are made, they must be persuasive and convincing. Otherwise, it will lead to resentment, rendering the decision ineffective. Disciplinary actions should be educational, deterrent, and aimed at building and developing football.

Disciplinary decisions must be made cautiously, not based solely on rumors. Even SLNA, when playing in Kien Giang, received a message saying the team would intentionally lose the match, but the reality was different. You can't just see a message and then assume foul play is involved in a loss. A team might have a few players who play unenthusiastically, but you can't judge the entire team based on that, because football is a team game. Therefore, careful consideration is necessary; whoever is at fault should be disciplined, not have all the team's contributions erased.

We also need to review and revise the regulations regarding the cancellation of results for matches involving teams withdrawing from the league. It's different if a team withdraws at the beginning of the season than if they do so after the entire season has ended. This needs to be reviewed by a council to avoid disrupting the league and compromising fairness. Otherwise, it will set a bad precedent, as later on, other teams might use various excuses to withdraw from the league in the final matches, disrupting the competition. Teams deserving of the championship might not win, and teams deserving relegation might not be relegated. I will definitely propose this in upcoming VFF Executive Committee meetings to ensure fairness for all teams.

PV:According to him, regarding the alleged bribery of 100 million VND by the referee, the fact that the VFF Disciplinary Committee has yet to make a decision—is this due to the VFF's powerlessness?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:The VFF has involved the police in this matter, so they will have to wait for the police investigation results before drawing any conclusions.

PV:What did he say to the SLNA players when his team suddenly lost 6 points and almost lost their chance to win the championship this season?

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh:I encouraged the players, telling them that now they were playing for the team's colors, for the fans, and for honor. Regardless of the result, they had to give it their all. They couldn't let this or that matter cause them to become dissatisfied; once they stepped onto the field, they had to play with all their might!

PV:Thank you, sir!

Duc Chuyen (Execution)