Vietnam football field, bonus story and consequences

Seven seasons ago, Vicem Hai Phong was offered a bonus of 10 billion VND for their last four matches, avoiding relegation and they escaped. Now, XSKT.Can Tho is offered a bonus of 3 billion VND by the “strange owner”, equal to the prize for the championship team if they do the same.

Remain in the league and win the championship

It must be said that this is a strange story, because Mr. Hien is the owner of Hanoi FC but promised to give a bonus to XSKT.Can Tho, an unrelated team. Moreover, Hanoi FC also has a match against this opponent in round 25 of V-League 2018, the match in which they are expected to be crowned champions. What's more strange is that if they stay in the league, XSKT Can Tho will be rewarded with the same bonus as the champion Hanoi FC. How strange!

Mr. Hien has promised a reward of 3 billion VND if Can Tho football team successfully stays in the league this season. Photo: Internet

But those who are familiar with the twists and turns of Vietnamese football know that this is not the first time there have been such strange rewards. Last year, Mr. Hien awarded the Central team a total of 8 billion VND, including 4.5 billion VND for winning the 2017 National Championship and 3.5 billion VND for winning the 2018 National Super Cup.

This is also a strange story because, in theory, Mr. Hien is not related to the Quang Nam team. Five years ago, public opinion rumored that those five clubs included Hanoi T&T, SHB Da Nang, QNK Quang Nam, Saigon and a question mark for Than Quang Ninh related to this owner named Do.

The reason for this question is related to the SHB Bank of Mr. Hien sponsoring the football team of the Quang Ninh Coal Mine. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training, VFF once sent a delegation to inspect the legal status of these football teams of Mr. Hien and concluded that he did not hold any position in the club.

In theory, Mr. Hien's act of picking his pocket to reward Quang Nam, XSKT.Can Tho or any other team does not violate the tournament's regulations, it is simply a personal matter. It can be understood that Mr. Hien rewards in the role of a business partner outside of football. Or more easily understood, from Hanoi he saw that the situation of the Tay Do team was too difficult, so he offered rewards as a... benefactor.

In fact, in terms of expertise, it does not affect the match between Hanoi FC and XSKT.Can Tho, the away team will definitely lose. Not to mention, with a little bonus, the Can Tho players, who have long been in debt for transfer fees, will be more enthusiastic in practicing, helping them not to give up before the reverse final match.

Thinking back on the past

But whether that will promote the development of the club and Vietnamese football in the long term is another story. Remember, more than ten years ago, the Hai Phong team leader offered a bonus of 10 billion VND to the players who did not get relegated in the last four matches of the season.

That amount of money saved Vicem Hai Phong from relegation, but it was enough to “kill” Hoa Phat and leave a “stain” named referee Tran Cong Trong at the end of the 2011 V-League season. Only the players and the Vicem Hai Phong coaching board know whether that money actually reached the players or not?

Hai Phong team leaders once offered a bonus of 10 billion VND to players who did not get relegated in the last four matches of the season. Photo: Internet

In fact, in the past, Vietnamese football also had a story of this club "throwing" bonuses to another team with a specific deal that was beneficial to them. Huu Thang of SLNA once took 170 million VND to fly to Ho Chi Minh City... to meet the players of Saigon Port (formerly) so that the home team could win against Nam Dinh, indirectly helping Nghe An football win the 2001 season.

As a result, that season SLNA won the championship and Huu Thang was later imprisoned for several months after the scandal broke out. A championship that even Nghe An fans were not excited to mention again.

Even Mr. Duc also gave a "lucky money" to the referee in Pleiku because of a rather simple way of thinking: "Did anyone bribe the referee to admit defeat? I confirm that I gave the referee, supervisor, and security guard 100 USD each on the 27th of Lunar New Year that year. That was a lucky money gift, not a bribe. At that time, the authorities wanted to prosecute me but there was no evidence so they gave up," Mr. Duc shared.

It seems that with the current way of doing things, there are still many strange things happening on Vietnamese football fields. On weekends, spectators come to the stadium and “hear so many strange things…”. That’s Vietnamese football!