VietNamNet Bridge – Over ten years ago, the first player who was discovered to be on drugs is midfielder Phan Thanh Tuan of Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) FC.

In the subsequent years, many young football players could not hold themselves from drugs. SLNA dismissed Nguyen Van Y for theft and taking drug in 2004. In 2007, captain Luu Van Hien, also of SLNA’s U19 team was detected to take drug at his room. The same year, Hanoi ACB FC’s midfielder Nguyen Xuan Thanh was arrested with dozens of drug pills at New Century night club in Hanoi.

In early 2008, Hong Viet, 19, of SLNA was arrested in Vinh City for taking heroin with him. In March 2008, five players of Hanoi T&T – Le Hoang Anh Thi, Tran Quoc Tuan, Nguyen Trong Minh, Nguyen Xuan Tu and Le Sy Manh – were caught in the act when they were using drugs at a hospital in District 7, HCM City.

Striker Molina (red) of Binh Duong FC who died for drug shock at a hotel in HCM City in February 2010.

In late 2008, Nguyen Chinh Au, 17, of SHB Da Nang was arrested at a hotel in Da Nang when he was in drug with a group of young men.

It was also rumored that after winning the bronze medal of V-League 2008, some stars of Haiphong Cement celebrated their success at a discotheque in Haiphong, with strange pills on their tables.

It would be a shortcoming if foreign players are not mentioned in this black list.

Musisi, from Uganda, said goodbye to his Da Nang FC after the 2003 football season and he has never returned because he was infected with HIV/AIDS and a senior drug addict.

Before the V-League 2009, after random tests at a hospital in Nghe An, SLNA had to urgently finish its contracts with two foreign players - Kankam and Gordon – because they were positive to drugs.

The shocking case was striker Molina of Binh Duong FC who died for drug shock at a hotel in HCM City in February 2010.

In the latest case, former member of the national squad Huy Hoang on September 7 caused chaos on National Highway 1A in Thanh Hoa city. Hoang hit a woman on the road by his car. The player is suspected to lose control after taking drug. Hoang is now a player of SLNA.

The case is being investigated.

Compiled by S. Tung