The VFF is 'living in fear'.

(Baonghean.vn) - Before the disappointment of the U22 Vietnam team at the SEA Games 29 had even subsided, the VFF and fans had to witness the U18 national team's exit from the 2017 Southeast Asian U18 Championship. Our football scene is truly "living in fear," facing a deadlock in both development strategy and high-level management personnel..

Compared to the defeats of his seniors like Cong Phuong, the U18 national team's elimination from the group stage was even more painful. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team, after three consecutive wins, suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat in their final match against U18 Myanmar, putting them at a disadvantage in head-to-head encounters (equal points and goal difference) due to individual errors by young goalkeeper Y Eli Nie.

In just under nine months, six national team goalkeepers made elementary mistakes in goal. Naturally, the consequence was that we ended up empty-handed in three major tournaments with high expectations: the 2016 AFF Cup, the 2017 SEA Games, and the 2017 U18 Southeast Asian Championship.

What do we see in the report?

If you read the SEA Games 29 summary report by VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh: “The players have had time to train and compete together in the National team and youth tournaments, so they have a certain level of experience. The whole team is ready in terms of expertise as well as physical fitness, psychology, spirit… more united and determined than ever before,” many fans will be shocked.

If we still have gaps and shortcomings compared to football in other countries in the region, and we rectify them, there is still hope for the championship. But if, despite the team being "fully prepared in terms of expertise, physical fitness, mentality, spirit... united and more determined than ever before," we still suffer such a bitter defeat, then it is truly worrying.

When everything is going smoothly, things look rosy. Photo: AT

It is true that during the preparation for the 29th SEA Games, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) provided certain support to Coach Huu Thang and his team. These two organizations confirmed that they facilitated the complete suspension of the V-League, along with a series of training matches and practice sessions in South Korea before participating in the SEA Games.

Surprisingly, the final part of the report, analyzing the U22 team's failure at the 29th SEA Games, stated that the players "lacked match experience leading to incorrect decisions and behavior that affected the outcome of the match; their mentality was not stable enough; most of them had small physiques, lacked strength, and their basic techniques needed significant improvement."

Many believe that even in this report, the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) showed "insufficient mental stability," because at the beginning of the page it stated, "The entire team is ready in terms of professional skills, physical fitness, psychology, spirit... more united and determined than ever before," but at the end of the report it made a 180-degree reversal.

In our analyses of the U22 team's failure at the 29th SEA Games, we acknowledge that Huu Thang and his players did make professional mistakes in Malaysia. Besides Huu Thang's mistakes on the sidelines, the players made mistakes on the field, and even the spectators in the stands made mistakes with the "fireworks" scandal. However, whether these were the root cause of the team's failure requires an objective and impartial perspective.

In any case, the role of Vietnamese football managers and administrators, who bear primary responsibility for the development of football in the country, cannot be overlooked.

Reading the VFF's summary assessment, which seems to be evading its responsibility towards Coach Huu Thang and his team, VFF officials claim that their job is to find a head coach and completely delegate all professional matters to him, and that's it.

The VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) has yet to quantify where Vietnamese football stands compared to other Southeast Asian teams. As a result, they've switched from foreign coaches to foreign coaches, from long-ball football to short-passing games, but their achievements are still only slightly better than a few weaker teams in the region.

To attribute the failure at the SEA Games 29 to "the majority of players having small physiques, lacking strength, and needing significant improvement in basic technique" is unfair.

This is an accurate assessment, but without a well-structured development strategy and cooperation from many parties, it will be a long time before the Vietnamese national team achieves good results. To elevate a football system where "in 9 months, 6 national team goalkeepers made elementary mistakes in goal," it requires people who understand the profession and are truly dedicated.

When trust is stolen

The statements to the press and the insensitivity and shirking of responsibility shown by the VFF in its SEA Games 29 summary report have caused fans to lose a great deal of faith. If the VFF always claims to be right, that it has fulfilled all its responsibilities and that the failure is due to Huu Thang, who bravely took full responsibility, then it's too easy.

Ultimately, the weaknesses stem from within the VFF itself! Photo: AT

Everyone knows that when Huu Thang took charge of the national team for the first time, his "lack of experience" was inevitable. If we only consider the economic aspect, with a salary only 1/20 of that of Luis Milla, the head coach of Indonesia, then Huu Thang's achievements deserve more praise than criticism.

Vietnamese football is currently a complete mess; the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) is in a state of disarray, with no one listening to anyone else and constantly trying to obstruct each other. Ultimately, the weakness stems from within the VFF itself!

In fact, while there is a crisis, it's clear that coaches Huu Thang, Hoang Anh Tuan, and their players don't deserve such harsh criticism after they've done their best professionally. This is the time for us to calmly look back at different aspects of Vietnamese football in order to find ways to rectify the situation.

An Thanh