Thai football makes 'revolution', what is the plan for V.League?
(Baonghean.vn) - The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) recently held an online meeting with football teams to discuss the future of Thai football. It is likely that the national championship will be organized in the same way as European national championships.
Thai League goes first
Accordingly, the meeting of the Football Association of Thailand agreed that the Thai League will take place from September 2020 to May 2021 if the Covid-19 epidemic is controlled and with the permission of the Thai Ministry of Health. This means that the following seasons of the Thai League will also take place according to the same schedule.
Thai football managers see this as an important turning point to change the national championship towards a more professional direction. If the tournament starts at the end of the year and ends in the middle of the following year, the tournament will not be held during the rainy season.
In addition, the Thai League will coincide with the European National Championships, in line with the international transfer market. This will help Thai clubs have the opportunity to recruit the best foreign players.
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| A stadium in the Thai League. Photo: FAT |
This organization plan of Thai League is expected to increase the number of spectators coming to the stadium. In the near future, the Football Association of Thailand will continue to discuss issues surrounding this adjustment of match time.
Accordingly, the organizers plan to continue to reserve the points of the teams (who have competed in 4 rounds) or reorganize the entire 2020 season when the tournament takes place in September. The issue of player contracts and salary reduction (50%) will also be presented by FAT in writing to FIFA, creating a basis for the teams to implement.
What is the plan for V.League?
This March 25, VPF Company has developed a competition plan according to the V.League method of regionally concentrated competition, expected until the end of the first leg. Regarding this plan, some clubs agree with VPF's plan, to compete centrally when authorized by competent authorities to organize the tournament, some clubs do not agree with the plan.
In addition, some clubs such as SHB Da Nang proposed that if there is not enough time to compete, they should consider a one-round match plan and to ensure players for the national team, SHB Da Nang also proposed that there will be no relegation in the 2020 season to reduce performance pressure as well as create conditions for domestic players to play more.
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| SHB Da Nang proposes a competition plan without relegation. Photo: VPF |
Based on the opinions of the Club, VPF will compile a report to the Vietnam Football Federation. Based on the developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, as soon as the authorities allow the organization, VPF will calculate and build many competition plan options for each time.
Among the solutions that VPF has proposed, there is no plan to extend the 2020 football season to 2021 like the Thai League did. Firstly, if the epidemic is under control by that time, it will coincide with the Lunar New Year and New Year of foreign players.
Organizing the National Championship during this time will directly affect regional tournaments such as SEA Games, AFF Cup which usually take place at the end of the year (October-December). This option is completely unfeasible for Vietnamese football because in 2021, we will host the 31st SEA Games.
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| Plans to participate in the SEA Games and AFF Cup will be affected if Southeast Asian teams organize the National Championship from around September to May next year. Photo: VPF |
In particular, the Southeast Asian National Championships are under the Asian Football Confederation system. Therefore, if Vietnamese football is organized between the end of this year and the middle of next year, Vietnamese representatives will also have to participate in larger tournaments such as the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.
In the past, the Vietnam National Championships were held from around September to May of the following year, such as the 1999-2000, 2000-2001, and 2001-2003 seasons. However, due to the AFC's plan, since the 2004 season, the V.League has usually been held from January to September every year.
How much money do V.League football fields need to replace the grass?
(Baonghean.vn) – According to research, with a cost of about 2 billion VND, football fields in V.League can completely rebuild Bermuda grass fields to FIFA standards. However, SLNA’s Vinh field will need more because it will have to replace the entire ground and irrigation system.