Mr. Duc's Hoang Anh Gia Lai has fallen dramatically in value; VPF tightens rules, First Division champion not sure to be promoted to V-League
Vietnamese badminton team won the International Challenge men's doubles for the first time; VPF tightened the rules, winning the First Division championship does not guarantee promotion to V-League; Mr. Duc's Hoang Anh Gia Lai's price dropped dramatically... are notable sports news in the past 24 hours.
Vietnam badminton wins men's doubles championship at International Challenge for the first time
Nguyen Dinh Hoang and Tran Dinh Manh have made history for Vietnamese badminton by becoming the first duo to win the International Challenge.
In the final match of the men's doubles event of Vietnam International Challenge 2025 in Hanoi, Vietnam's No. 1 men's doubles pair Dinh Hoang - Dinh Manh, ranked 139th in the world, faced off against No. 4 seeds Kazuki Shibata - Naoki Yamada (Japan), an experienced duo ranked 80th in the world.
This final is also the first time Vietnamese badminton has participated in the final match of the men's doubles event in the Challenge system.
The duo's Vietnam International Challenge 2025 championship is not only a personal achievement for Hoang and Manh, but also a milestone for Vietnamese badminton. This is an important turning point, affirming that Vietnamese men's doubles badminton is ready to conquer international playgrounds.
Previously, Vietnam only won the doubles event once thanks to the mixed duo Do Tuan Duc and Pham Nhu Thao at the Vietnam International Challenge 2018. At the Vietnam International Challenge 2025, the men's doubles event was also the only event of host Vietnam reaching the final, when expected names such as Le Duc Phat and Nguyen Hai Dang left the tournament early.
After this tournament, Vietnamese tennis players will continue to have the opportunity to participate in the 2025 Asian Championship. Therefore, the matches at the Vietnam International Challenge 2025 are an opportunity for each tennis player to accumulate experience to be ready for more important competitions.
Mr. Duc's Hoang Anh Gia Lai stock has fallen dramatically in value.
According to the latest update from Transfermarkt on the value of football teams in V-League 2024/2025, Hoang Anh Gia Lai is valued at 2.19 million Euros, ranked 13/14 teams in V-League 2024/2025.
Over the years, the Mountain City team has gradually fallen in terms of squad value as it has been unable to retain quality players. Mr. Duc’s team is only above Quang Nam and even lower than Da Nang (2.58 million Euros) – the team at the bottom of the rankings and at high risk of relegation.
Also according to Transfermarkt, Nam Dinh FC is in absolute lead with 6.09 million Euros. This is understandable as the Southern team owns a squad of quality foreign players.
The second most valuable team in the 2024/2025 V-League is Hanoi Police Club with a valuation of 5.41 million Euros. Following is Mr. Hien's team - Hanoi FC with a value of 5.08 million Euros. Binh Duong and The Cong Viettel share the next positions with valuations of 3.85 million Euros and 3.41 million Euros, respectively.
Coach Popov is in the sights of Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club?
Earlier this March, Dong A Thanh Hoa Club officially said goodbye to coach Velizar Popov after more than 2 years of association. After leaving the Thanh Hoa team, the Bulgarian strategist was rumored to lead the Hanoi Police Club. However, the police team has no intention of parting ways with coach Alexandre Polking.
According to the latest information, Coach Popov is receiving attention from a number of Southern teams, including possibly Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, the club that owns Cong Phuong.
Currently, Huynh Quoc Anh is taking on the role of interim coach replacing coach Nguyen Anh Duc at Binh Phuoc Stadium and the team is still looking for a new captain.
In an effort to win a ticket to play in the V-League, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc is in dire need of a high-class coach like Velizar Popov. With strong financial potential, the Southeast team is capable of recruiting the 49-year-old strategist.
If coached by Velizar Popov, Cong Phuong will have the opportunity to maximize his potential and help the team achieve its promotion goal.
Currently, Cong Phuong has returned to training and competition after a long time on the sidelines due to injury. Consecutive injuries have caused Cong Phuong to stagnate and miss the Vietnam national team's recent training sessions.
VPF tightens rules, First Division champion not sure to be promoted to V-League
The organizer has just revised and supplemented the regulations to tighten professional requirements for clubs participating in the highest tournament in Vietnam.
Based on the consensus and written approval from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) announces the amendment and supplementation of the National First Division Tournament Regulations 2024/25 andV.League 2024/25.
Accordingly, the regulation "The champion club wins the right to be promoted and move up to compete in the V-League 2025/26" is amended to: "The 01 club with the highest ranking among the clubs participating in the First Division that has met the requirements for implementing the licensing process and is granted a License to participate in the V-League by the VFF will win the right to be directly promoted and move up to compete in the V-League 2025/26".
Similar to the play-off spot, the regulation "The club ranked 13th in the V-League will play a play-off match with the runner-up of the 2024/25 National First Division to determine the team that qualifies for the 2025/26 V-League" is revised to: "The club ranked 13th in the 2024/25 V-League will play a play-off match with the club that qualifies for the 2024/25 National First Division to determine the club that qualifies for the 2025/26 V-League".
Thus, the First Division teams no longer have a default place in the V-League next season (for the champion team) or a place in the play-off (for the runner-up team), but their performance is only a "necessary condition". To be able to participate in the V-League next season, they need the "sufficient condition" of meeting the criteria of professionalism and licensing. Otherwise, their place will be rotated to the next lower ranked team that meets the conditions.
The above changes show that VPF focuses on and increasingly tightens the level of professionalism with First Division teams when promoted. This is necessary in the roadmap to upgrade the national professional tournament system./.