Will SLNA give up AFC Cup 2018?
(Baonghean.vn) - Although SLNA did not bring their strongest squad to play Persija Jakarta in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Cup group stage, the Nghe An team's chances of advancing are still very high.
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| SLNA's coaching staff must carefully calculate to be ready for three fronts: V.League, National Cup and AFC Cup. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
Whenever Vietnamese fans and domestic public opinion think about competing in the AFC Champions League or AFC Cup, they mention that sooner or later, football teams will give up because they lack money to play in the tournament. This is what the Nghe An team did in the past and accepted the fine. However, when the mechanism and organization of the tournament have become more professional and open, the financial problem for clubs participating in the continental arena like SLNA is not the main problem.
Firstly, regarding the tournament entry fee, FLC Thanh Hoa and SLNA have been supported by 50% by the Vietnam Football Federation. When organizing a match at home, the home team receives a portion of the profit from ticket sales and 20,000 USD in organization costs. In each away match, in addition to the home team covering all accommodation and living expenses, the clubs are also supported with 20,000 USD, and each winning match also receives a bonus according to the regulations.
That means that if they play “all in”, the amount of money that the teams earn is not much different from the cost, a way to encourage clubs to invest in the AFC Cup arena, increasing the attractiveness of the tournament.
Consistently, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang affirmed: “Finance to participate in the AFC Cup is not a problem for SLNA. The problem that I am worried about is that our team is not strong enough to go deep in this tournament. However, we always want to give our best in every match, every tournament within our ability and give the best to the audience, at the same time we also want to affirm that SLNA not only represents Nghe An football but also the image of Vietnamese football”.
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| SLNA is facing difficulties in terms of personnel. Photo: SLNA FC |
In the AFC Cup 2018 journey, SLNA is holding many advantages in the knockout round with 7 points after 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 points more than the 3 opponents behind, Johor Darul Ta'zim and Persija Jakarta, but when V.League 2018 is near, coach Nguyen Duc Thang must have some calculations because V.League is the most important goal of the Nghe An team.
In the second leg, after the away match against Persija, SLNA has one more match against Tampines Rover at home and Johor DT away. If they draw in the match on March 14, get 3 points against Tampines Rover at home and even lose to Johor DT, SLNA will still have 11 points and have the potential to become the second-placed team with the best record to enter the knockout round.
In the context that SLNA is becoming a “miniature hospital” due to many injuries, the above calculations of Coach Nguyen Duc Thang are completely reasonable, avoiding losing both the lead and the net, the AFC Cup does not have enough potential and the V.League is in a bad shape - at that time, the goal of maintaining the enthusiasm at the “Fire Pan of Thanh Vinh” of SLNA will once again be unfinished. Therefore, it is not possible to say let go or kick but “cut your coat according to your cloth”./.
SLNA lets key players rest in AFC Cup return match
(Baonghean.vn) - This morning (March 12), Song Lam Nghe An Club flew to Indonesia to prepare for the second leg against Persija Jakarta on March 14. During the away trip, many key players were given a rest.
