Thai fans mocked Van Lam.
Under the J-League's fanpage post welcoming goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, hundreds of Thai fans left negative comments.
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| A post announcing Van Lam's joining Cerezo Osaka was posted on the J-League's Fanpage. (Screenshot) |
In less than two hours, the post had over 5,000 likes and hundreds of comments and shares. The majority of comments came from Thai fans, in English.
"Congratulations to Cerezo Osaka for signing such an unprofessional player," commented user Bunyarit Intachup. "Hopefully he won't give you any headaches." Fan Anucha Noncharee wrote: "The best goalkeeper in the universe." Khun Nattaphol was more polite, commenting: "From Thailand, good luck. Don't come back here again." And Aphiwat Maungrit wrote: "An unprofessional goalkeeper, skipping training and running away from the club. He did everything to get to Cerezo Osaka."
Cerezo Osaka was promoted to J-League 1 in the 2017 season and has since signed two Thai players: striker Tawan Khotrsupho and midfielder Chaowat Veerachat. Neither has played a single match for Cerezo's first team, instead playing for the U23 team. Thai fans even criticized Cerezo in comments on the J-League's post. Ceegame_11 wrote: "Welcome to J-League 2, Cerezo Osaka." Siwachat Saibua commented: "I thought a club like Cerezo Osaka would be better, why would they secretly sign players like that? This team lacks sportsmanship, there are many other teams to support."
There was also a comment from a Thai fan genuinely congratulating Van Lam, from fan MrBee Dek Say Play. Tony Sawangvitt commented: "Good luck to Van Lam. I hope he learns as much as possible at Cerezo Osaka before returning to help Kiatisuk at HAGL."
Cerezo Osaka announced the signing of Van Lam on January 30th as a free agent, after receiving an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from FIFA. Van Lam needs to quarantine in Japan and undergo a medical examination before signing the contract. Meanwhile, his former club, Muangthong United, is still suing Van Lam for breach of contract.
After loaning out two goalkeepers, Cerezo Osaka now has three goalkeepers: Kim Jin-hyeon, Van Lam, and Shu Mogi. Kim has been the first-choice goalkeeper for almost 10 years, while Shu is only 22 years old and has not yet played in the J-League.