VietNamNet Bridge – Chairmen of four football clubs met with the Vietnam Football Federation’s (VFF) Vice chair, Le Hung Dung, in HCM City on September 15.


Khanh Hoa FC's Chair Le Tien Anh.

A week after Hanoi ACB FC’s Chair, Nguyen Duc Kien, made the shocking statement about the current situation of Vietnam’s football, Kien and the chairs of three other FCs – Vo Quoc Thang of Dong Tam, Doan Nguyen Duc of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, and Le Tien Anh of Khanh Hoa – met with VFF Vice chair Le Hung Dung.

At the meeting, Kien insisted to ask the VFF to change thoroughly and reform V-League.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s Chair, Doan Nguyen Duc, frankly pointed out VFF’s weakness. “Five years ago, V-League was praised to be the leading football league in Southeast Asia, but now it is inferior than the Thai League. Why? This is the fault of the VFF. Businesses have invested a lot in football but why our V-League is not good? Does the Federation realize the problems and want to deal with them?”

Duc said that V-League has degraded owing to the faults of the chief organizer, while Hoa Phat Hanoi was dismissed due to the faults of referees. “All of us know that referees made mistakes but they are not punished. Mr. Long (Chair of Hoa Phat Hanoi), thus, was anxious and angry. We invest VND60-70 billion (over $3 million) a year but we earn nothing,” Duc said.

He asked VFF to change overall, particularly the organizing board of V-League, and impose strong sanctions on referees.

He said that 14 investors in 14 FCs in Vietnam do not allow involvement in the game. “We invest in football but we do not have the right to elect the VFF’ Steering Board. I’ve never been invited to attend VFF’s annual summary meetings. I think if VFF does not change, nobody would play with it.”

Hanoi ACB’s Kien confirmed that investors do not want to leave VFF or to organize their own league, called Super Liga. They only wanted VFF to reform.

He proposed VFF to change the chief organizer of V-League and the chief of the National Referee Council. “I nominate Mr. Pham Ngoc Vien as the chief organizer and Mr. Doan Phu Tan as the Chair of the Referee Council,” Kien said.

He also proposed to set up two organizing boards for the V-League and First Division tournament. According to Kien, the chief organizer must be chosen by FCs while VFF can select 3-5 experts as supervisors.

“I, Mr. Duc and Mr. Thang are willing to invest more in football if the football environment changes for the better,” Kien said.

Dong Tam FC’s Chair, Vo Quoc Thang, said that investors are ready to pay more for referees to help them devote their mind to the job.

Khanh Hoa FC’s Chair, Le Tien Anh, said that VFF does work in a transparent manner. He suggested the VFF to organize an extraordinary meeting.

VFF Vice Chair, Le Hung Dung, pledged to hold the meeting early with the participation of all 14 FCs of V-League and 14 FCs of the First Division tournament.

PV