VietNamNet Bridge - If last year the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF) – the organizer of major football tournaments in Vietnam – had up to 10 sponsors for the TV rights royalty, this year, it has just found two sponsors, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Dong Tam Long An, and sought only VND10 billion for TV rights royalty for the V-League 2013.


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The VPF's officials at a press conference on January 24.


According to VPF’s Deputy Director Pham Phu Hoa, initially, the VPF was expected that each sponsor would contribute VND7.5 billion ($350,000) to the TV rights royalty in 2013. However, due to the fall of the number of teams involved in the V-League, the number of matches also decreases. In addition, due to economic crisis, finally VPF decided that each sponsor would contribute only VND5 billion, the same with 2012.

However, if the VPF had 10 sponsors for the V-League TV rights last year, this year it currently has only two so it can collect VND10 billion, equivalent to one third of the last season.

In fact, the two sponsors are “relatives” of the VPF because VPF’s Chair--Vo Quoc Thang, is the boss of Dong Tam while VPF’s Vice Chair--Doan Nguyen Duc, is the bost of Hoang Anh Gia Lai group.

VPF’s Deputy General Director--Pham Phu Hoa, said the company is trying to negotiate with a number of other sponsors, but in the current context, businesses seem to pay less attention to professional football tournaments at this moment.

In addition, the funding for professional football tournaments during the year will come from Eximbank, which has its Chairman Le Hung Dung as VPF’s Vice Chair. This shows that, if not because of obligations to their positions at VPF, these companies shall not pour money for football, which is being devalued in the eyes of the fans.

This year, Eximbank will finance the V-League, the First Division Tournament and the National Cup with a total amount of VND47 billion ($2.2 million,) including more than VND39 billion for V-League, VND5.5 billion for the First Division and VND2.5 billion for the National Cup.

The VPF has to lower the bonus for winning teams in this season. Accordingly, instead of giving VND10 billion ($500,000) of bonus for the V-League 2013 champion as its plan announced in 2012, VPF will give the winner only VND4 billion. The First Division Tournament’s champion will receive VND1 billion, instead of VND2 billion.

Also in the difficult circumstance of many football teams, the VPF has decided to support each club playing in the First Division and the V-League VND30 million ($1,500) for the match on the guest stadium.

Particularly, two representatives of the Vietnamese football at the AFC Cup 2013, SHB Da Nang and Saigon Xuan Thanh, will get VND200 million for traveling cost from the VPF for the first round. If they move into the next round, they will receive an additional VND300 million for each match.

Compiled by Nam Nguyen