Bau Duc speaks out about Cong Phuong's age fraud suspicion

The owner of HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy is not too concerned about recent information that striker Cong Phuong is 21 years old, not 19 years old.

"I have only heard this information but do not care. Anyone who doubts can go to Cong Phuong's hometown to verify," Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc - Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group - shared with VnExpress on the morning of November 8 after some information appeared that Cong Phuong was born in 1993, not 1995.

Mr. Duc hopes that the public will not pay too much attention to Cong Phuong, but let this player develop naturally on the football path. Photo: Duc Dong.

The businessman born in 1962 added: "Eight years ago, Cong Phuong from Nghe An entered the Academy to take the exam and was accepted. We followed the correct procedure. Candidates brought their application documents and we accepted anyone with the right year of birth. We cannot falsify documents for anyone. As for whether they falsified them or not, anyone who is interested should ask the local authorities."

Cong Phuong is one of the most outstanding members of the first course of the HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy. This player is the captain of the Vietnam U19 team, reaching the finals of Southeast Asian tournaments three times in 2013 and 2014. Recently, he and his teammates won the U21 International Championship held in Can Tho, wearing the HAGL Academy U19 team's jersey.

The striker from Nghe An, along with Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong... are very popular players today.

"Cong Phuong is now so famous that he is scrutinized wherever he goes and it is not strange that he is suspected of cheating on his age," said Mr. Duc. "What I hope is that the public will let the children feel comfortable and focus on playing football, and not distract them with unrelated issues outside of football."

According to VnExpress