'Humor' around the 2017 Vietnam Golden Ball

(Baonghean.vn) - The organizing committee has just announced the list of nominees for the best male player award. This year, there are also awards for women's football, futsal, young players and foreign players (a total of 6 voting categories). Looking at the content of the Golden Ball for football, public opinion is discussing the nomination criteria.

In fact, the Golden Ball award was voted by FIFA (before), so it is not surprising that the Golden Ball award of Vietnam is being scrutinized. The surprising thing we mentioned is that the Organizing Committee often "breaks the rules" to carry out the award.

Break the fence for who?

According to the regulations, players who “do not play for clubs in the VFF competition system” will not be on the nomination list. But surprisingly, the name Xuan Truong appeared, because he is “the only domestic player currently playing abroad”.

This year, Xuan Truong clearly did not play in the V.League, and the national team's jerseys last year were also considered failures. In the jersey of his home team Gangwon Club (Korea), the number of times Xuan Truong played could be counted on the fingers.

This is not the first time the player from Tuyen Quang has received similar favors. In last year's vote, although he did not play in the V.League, the product of the Pleiku Highlands training center was still on the nomination list (and won the Silver Ball award in 2016 with 229 points). Yet, being included in the voting list is so strange.

Golden Ball Award 2017 announcement ceremony. Photo: Internet

It is worth mentioning that in this nomination list, there are 3 faces from HAGL - the team that struggled to avoid relegation for most of V.League 2017, including Cong Phuong, Van Toan and Van Thanh. Remember, the 3 U22 Vietnam players failed to compete at SEA Games 29, even Van Toan only recently scored his first goal in V-League.

In the past, after the national team's failure at the 2011 SEA Games and the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, the Organizing Committee suddenly "lowered the criteria", only requiring excellent performance in the national team's jersey. That time, Huynh Quoc Anh was honored to the surprise of everyone and of this Quang Nam player himself.

Mr. Nguyen Giang Dong - Chairman of Saigon Club shared: "I cannot imagine how the election is done, I only heard that there are 150 votes, of which 60 are from journalists and reporters, the remaining votes are from experts and managers. This is also an issue that needs to be clarified, what is the role that is eligible to vote, and how many officials, how many managers, how many experts, journalists, reporters,...".

Who will be the owner?

Actually, the list is long, with Nguyen Anh Duc (B.Binh Duong), Pham Thanh Luong (Hanoi), Nguyen Tuan Manh (Sanna Khanh Hoa), Tran Phi Son (SL Nghe An), Vu Van Thanh (HA Gia Lai), Nguyen Van Toan (HA Gia Lai), Dinh Thanh Trung (Quang Nam)... But without a vote, we know that Anh Duc, Thanh Trung, and Van Quyet will share the top 3 positions... Hanoi and Quang Nam, whichever team wins the 2017 V.League, the players of that team will have a great chance to win this title.

Anh Duc, Thanh Trung, Van Quyet... are potential candidates for the 2017 Golden Ball. Photo: Internet

With such an arbitrary way of doing things, will the award still have its original value? The arbitrary and improvised way of doing things by the organizing committee has unintentionally reduced the value of the Vietnam Golden Ball.

AT