SLNA dedicates its first victory to 'player number 12'.

(Baonghean) - After 7 rounds, last week, SLNA finally secured their first victory at Vinh Stadium in the 2017 season. Besides earning 3 points to escape the bottom of the table, SLNA's victory also holds significant meaning as the young SLNA players have shown they have overcome their own limitations.

Despite playing with a depleted squad and falling behind to the visiting team, SLNA, with their tireless fighting spirit and the brilliance of Khắc Ngọc, turned the tables and secured an emotional victory.

It's a pity that very few Nghe An fans witnessed their team's spectacular victory firsthand, because they had already been so disappointed by SLNA's lackluster performance and inexplicable loss of points at their home ground in Vinh, so many no longer wanted to go to the stadium to watch SLNA "lie down" and be "tormented" by the visiting team.

Fans have always been a special source of moral support and are known as the "12th player" of SLNA. Photo: Duc Dung.

That day, witnessing the image of disabled fan Nguyen Ba Ky lying on a folding bed attached to wheels, brought to the stadium by his family to watch the SLNA players' runs throughout the match, made many people think.

Many people have raised questions: Why didn't a disabled person like Ky stay home and watch the live broadcast on TV instead of having to be brought to the stadium by family members? Why did Ky still come to cheer on SLNA despite their consecutive heavy defeats? If all football fans in Nghe An had the same intense love and belief for SLNA as Ky, surely things would have been different?!

After the match, Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh - President of SLNA Club - went down to the field and called the players over to Ky, saying: "You must look to fans like Ky as inspiration for training and playing, so as not to let down the fans."

If only all football fans in Nghe An province in particular, and fans of football teams in Vietnam in general, always stood by their teams, both during difficult times and when they were in good form, surely the players would feel energized and strive their best every time they stepped onto the field to live up to the fans' expectations.

Unfortunately, the "love of football" among some fans today is merely a "mob mentality," a "crowd-based" movement. They cheer as if they themselves scored the victory when the team wins, and criticize, even using harsh language, when the team performs poorly. In some matches, people even buy tickets on the "black market" at dozens of times the original price, pushing and shoving to get into the stadium, pretending to be passionate football fans who needed to see the game. However, when their team falls behind, they abandon the match and leave.

Perhaps, besides criticizing players who lack ambition and fighting spirit, and the tournament organizers for their unscientific management that causes frustration, football fans should also reflect on their own methods of cheering and supporting. Have they ever shown the same love for their team as Mr. Nguyen Ba Ky, standing up on behalf of the fans to criticize the teams and players?

Therefore, many people jokingly say that SLNA's victory over SHB Da Nang is a victory dedicated to a special fan, Nguyen Ba Ky!

Duc Dung