V-League, 18 years old with many worries

What people appreciate most is that the audience has increased compared to the previous season and according to statistics, V.League 2018 has an average of 6,297 people/match (2017 season was 5,600 people/match). VPF and the clubs have made good use of the effect from the "Vietnam U.23 fever" at the beginning of the year. HAGL's YouTube channel is even among the top clubs in the world.

Next, V-League 2018 found the absolute champion Hanoi FC, they were crowned early 5 rounds early, an "unprecedented" record of Hanoi. After 18 years, for the first time VPF received television copyright from partner Next Media (copyright owner) although not large.

Professional league for non-professional clubs

At the 2018 Vietnam Professional Football Tournament Summary Conference, Mr. Le Hoai Anh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation, said that there are only 5 clubs in the V-League that meet Asian standards, eligible to participate in professional tournaments organized by the Asian Football Federation. These 5 teams include: Hanoi FC, SHB Da Nang, T.Quang Ninh, SLNA and FLC Thanh Hoa. The consideration of a club meeting the standards includes many factors such as: Youth training and competition, facilities, finance, etc.

Bau Tu: "We have been doing professional football for 18 years, but in terms of professionalism, I think the clubs need to change more. If everything gets better, running the tournament will be simpler for us." Photo: Internet

“The rest mostly lack factors related to facilities and stadiums,” said Mr. Le Hoai Anh, refusing to give a specific list. Last year, after winning the 2018 V.League, Quang Nam Club was supposed to represent Vietnam in the AFC Cup, but because they did not meet the AFC’s standards, Quang Nam had to give up their spot to the second-placed FLC Thanh Hoa. For a long time, the AFC has been very strict and will impose heavy penalties if Vietnam grants a license to any club with inappropriate criteria.”

Despite meeting the same standards as Vinh Stadium, coach Raul Longhi of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club (Malaysia) still thinks that Vinh Stadium is too bad and that is the reason why his team lost to SLNA in the 2018 AFC Cup. V-League teams are all fed up when talking about Hai Phong's Lach Tray Stadium.

The main difficulty is funding because clubs know that only when the pitch meets standards can matches be played well, attracting more spectators and reducing player injuries. When competing in regional football tournaments, Vietnamese players are always amazed by the pitches of the Thai-League or M-League.

Sad thing

The shameful incident of Deputy Head of the Referee Board Duong Van Hien and former Vice Chairman of the VPF Board of Directors Tran Manh Hung associated with the audio recording scandal caused a stir in public opinion, negatively affecting the image of Vietnamese football.

Then the scandal of boss Gu, the Vice President of VFF at the hotel to the point of having to resign also made the image of VFF officials much uglier. Few people thought that after 18 years of being associated with "professional football", the pitch bosses would still behave like gangsters.

Despite many efforts, referees have remained the weakest link in Vietnamese professional football over the past 18 years. General Secretary Le Hoai Anh bitterly commented on the team in black: “The mistakes are not only in common judgment but also in law. That is very sad.”

Two typical cases are referees Nguyen Van Kien and Tran Van Lap who made very serious and unique mistakes. Although VPF has issued a document requesting that these referees not be invited to officiate indefinitely, people still do not forget about them.

Bad pitches and slow drainage are common problems of Vietnamese grass fields. Photo: Internet

19 years old full of hope

Mr. Tu had a first season that was considered to be quite solid in his management, with flexibility and firmness at the right time. The 2019 season is expected to start on March 3, 2019 with the National Super Cup match between Hanoi FC (V-League 2018 champion) and B.Binh Duong (National Cup 2018 champion).

Next, on March 10, the 2019 National Cup will kick off. On March 30, the 2019 National First Division will begin competition and on March 31, the first round of the 2019 V-League will also take place. The final match of the 2019 season is the 2019 National Cup final, taking place on November 3.

If the Vietnamese national team competes successfully at the AFF Cup 2018, with the VPF's open, transparent and law-abiding management, fans have the right to hope for success next season.