Having been given the opportunity to leave, Buu Ngoc thanked Dong Thap Club.

After a long period of failing to reach a consensus, the meeting on the afternoon of December 19th between VFF representative Buu Ngoc and the leadership of Dong Thap Club concluded in a way that satisfied all parties.

At 3:40 PM, the meeting officially began. Mr. Duong Nghiep Khoi (VFF Deputy Secretary General in charge of legal and competition matters) chaired the meeting between the two parties involved. Buu Ngoc was accompanied by his lawyer to protect his rights, and representing Dong Thap Club was CEO Vuong Thanh Trung. The positions of both sides remained unchanged from the beginning of the meeting. Buu Ngoc was still being demanded by the club to pay over 2 billion VND in compensation if he wanted to receive the contract termination papers.

Having been allowed to leave, Buu Ngoc thanked Dong Thap Club. The meeting between Buu Ngoc (left) and representatives of Dong Thap Club, chaired by VFF Deputy General Secretary Duong Nghiep Khoi, yielded satisfactory results for all parties. Photo: VH

The tense atmosphere lasted for over two hours as neither side was willing to back down. The meeting room door kept opening and closing. Repeated phone calls in the hallway kept the reporters on edge. Mr. Khoi joked, "After the first half, there's the second half, and then even extra time. It'll probably be 9 o'clock before it's over."

But fortunately, Mr. Khoi's prediction did not come true. At exactly 6 PM, Mr. Khoi relievedly invited the reporters in to announce the results of the meeting between the parties. Mr. Khoi said: “After many complications between Buu Ngoc and the club, I am pleased to announce that the meeting between the parties has yielded results. From December 20, 2014, Buu Ngoc can sign a contract with any club he wants. Hopefully, Buu Ngoc will maintain his peak performance to play well and contribute to Vietnamese football.”

For his part, Buu Ngoc stated: “I cannot disclose the amount of compensation paid to Dong Thap to receive the contract termination papers. That is part of the confidentiality agreement between me and the club's leadership.”

Although not explicitly stated, it's highly likely that Buu Ngoc paid Dong Thap for the contract termination papers to receive the contract. Based on Buu Ngoc's demeanor and frequent phone calls on the sidelines of yesterday's meeting, it's possible he negotiated a suitable price with the clubs he intends to join.

According to VFF regulations, December 20th will be the deadline for clubs to register their squad lists for the 2015 season, a very tight deadline for Buu Ngoc personally. Even so, the future remains uncertain for the player from Dong Thap.

Buu Ngoc stated: “After today's meeting, I will make an official decision on which club I will play for. Currently, I am receiving offers from three clubs: XSKT.Can Tho, QNK.Quang Nam, and Hanoi T&T.” It is possible that today, Buu Ngoc will make an official decision on whether to play for XSKT.Can Tho, a club near his home, or join the team under Chairman Hien.

After announcing the results, Buu Ngoc asked the media for a minute to say a few words to the club he had been with for so long: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the leaders of Dong Thap Club and the coaches who helped me get to where I am today. I would like to thank the Dong Thap fans for their love, trust, and encouragement over the past time. I am very sad to no longer play for the club, but due to family circumstances, I have to leave.”

According to the Cultural Center