To make every match… sell out!

(Baonghean) - After the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) handed down very heavy penalties to six Dong Nai players for match-fixing in the game against Than Quang Ninh (July 20, 2014), including a lifetime ban from participating in any football activities organized by the VFF, it means their football careers have come to an end. This brings to mind the current issue that is attracting public attention in Vietnam: wherever HAGL plays, there is a ticket frenzy. So, how are these two seemingly contradictory issues related?

First of all, it must be said that this year's V-League has seen a significant change: the high demand for tickets. This is good news. It's good news because the more tickets sold, the higher the revenue for each team and the organizing committee, and this helps to partially solve the problem of "using football to fund football." Furthermore, as football develops and fans' love for their teams grows, the appeal of advertising contracts, television rights, merchandise sales, jersey sales, etc., increases. These are the sources of revenue that sustain football clubs in countries with developed football industries.

But that's not the case. In the current V-League, ticket frenzy only occurs when HAGL's young players are playing. For matches without HAGL, attracting even a few thousand people to the stadium is incredibly difficult, like finding a needle in a haystack, except, of course, for clubs with a long tradition and popularity among the local people like SLNA, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong…

The match between SLNA and HAGL attracted a large crowd to Vinh Stadium. (Photo: DC)

For example, in the recent match between SLNA and HAGL at Vinh Stadium, to get a ticket from the organizers, if not through official channels, fans had to wait for hours at ticket counters. But not everyone has the patience or the health to wait that long, while still wanting to see their idols play, so they resort to ticket scalpers. So what is the reason for HAGL's immense appeal? Even though many believe that " bầu Đức's youngsters" are not yet mature enough to play in the V-League.

Firstly, it's undeniable that since the introduction of this generation of players, Vietnamese football fans have been completely captivated by their talent and professional training according to "European standards." Especially in the consecutive U19 tournaments, they showcased incredibly beautiful, effective, and convincing football, making fans believe that this is the "future" of Vietnamese football. Only this generation of players can make fans believe that Vietnamese football can escape the "Southeast Asian pond" and reach the "big ocean." Some even optimistically envisioned seeing players like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, and Xuan Truong play in the World Cup. Therefore, when Chairman Duc announced the U19 team's participation in the V-League, fans eagerly awaited to see the "future" of Vietnamese football compete.

Secondly, the media's excessive attention to them inadvertently created a crowd effect. Many people crowded to buy tickets out of curiosity, wanting to see their idols. However, it must be said that since HAGL's appearance in the V-League and their display of beautiful, dedicated, and even spontaneous football, it has been a new feature in the top national league this year. Therefore, they deserve to be eagerly awaited by fans every weekend.

Returning to the story of the six Dong Nai players who recently received harsh sentences from the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation), whose careers will be over if their appeals are unsuccessful. Compared to the HAGL players, names like Nguyen Thanh Long Giang (born 1988), Nguyen Duc Thien (born 1988), and Phan Luu The Son (born 1991) are clearly senior figures. Yet, they conspired to fix matches for personal gain, forgetting that they were deceiving the fans. And when they play football while simultaneously engaging in such theatrical antics, who would still come to watch them play?

Those were the "unlucky" ones exposed in a specific match, but only God knows how many more people and matches have been tainted by match-fixing. All we know is that in recent years, there have been no shortage of negative incidents that have tarnished the image of Vietnamese football, most notably the match-fixing scandal at the 23rd SEA Games; the match-fixing scandal involving nine Ninh Binh players in an AFC Cup match against Kelantan (Malaysia)...

Of course, we can't generalize about all the players currently playing in the V-League, as they are just a few bad apples spoiling the bunch. But this also shows that if we want every match to be a box office hit, each player must strive to play for their team, for their professional responsibility, and especially for the fans.

Canh Nam