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V are the champions: Nigerian striker Anjembe Timothy celebrates after scoring a goal for V-League team Hoa Phat Ha Noi. The national football championship continues to be a lucrative market for foreign footballers. — VNS Photo Quang Thang |
The premier league, which closed in June, saw 70 foreigners competing for 14 V-League teams with monthly salaries of between US$5,000 and $12,000.
Foreign footballers actually have made the V-League more competitive since the football governing body, VFF launched its first professional league in 2001 and allowed teams to offer contracts to foreign players.
For the new football season, which begins next month, the VFF has issued regulations restricting V-League teams to a maximum of four foreign players, three of whom will be allowed to play at any given time. However, despite the match-day restrictions, teams are proving happy enough to bolster their squads with players from Africa and South America.
The last two years has also seen a growth in teams offering contracts to naturalised foreign players who do not affect the foreign-player quota.
In effect this means that V-League teams will be permitted to play one foreign-born player from next year, in addition to three foreign passport holding players.
"The V-League still has great potential. Currently, at least 20 unofficial agents are plying their trade in Viet Nam," said American-Vietnamese Mae Mua, who was granted a FIFA Players' Agent License in 2006.
"Most of V-League teams are looking for forwards from African countries as they are quite cheap, and they're more powerful than local forwards, while good European players are expensive," Mua said, adding that a European striker in the 32-34 age bracket would require a minimum salary of US$500,000 each year.
Mua, who is still the only official FIFA-agent in Viet Nam, said her job has become tougher as teams have set higher standards for potential players.
The agent, who has worked in the Vietnamese League for over a decade as a former representative of the British sports marketing firm Strata, said Vietnamese coaches are often happy with African players.
Nigerian-born Olushola Aganun, who was recruited by Dong Thap FC with a salary of around $3,000 last year, recently signed for Hoa Phat Ha Noi after a successful season, where he netted 10 goals for Dong Thap.
A source said Olushola had signed for the Hanoian team for a salary of around $7,000 a month.
Anjembe Timothy, who also played for Dong Thap last year, also moved to Hoa Phat Ha Noi after a good season.
Ninh Binh team coach Nguyen Van Sy said teams with limited funds were keen on signing African players.
"We offer six-month or one-year contracts and decide to extend the deal if the player is a success in their first year. It's the best option for us as we avoid risk," Sy said.
"Most teams recruit foreign strikers rather than defenders and midfielders. It's a reason why foreign forwards have continuously won the award as the V-League's top scorer since 2003."
Last year, Hai Phong became the first V-League team to announce a mega-contract with Brazilian superstar Denilson de Oliveira. But the deal fell apart when the Brazilian left the team after receiving US$10,000 for three weeks in Viet Nam, plus $15,000 for his 50 minutes of play and a solitary goal.
Mua said that the V-League this year, which kicks off next month, continues to lure African footballers and naturalised Vietnamese players.
Last year, foreign-born players Huynh Keskey Alves, Phan Van Santos, Dinh Hoang Max (Maxwell) and Ukraine-born Dinh Hoang La (Mykola) were called up to train with the national squad ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers, but all failed to make the final squads. — VNS
Hanoi T&T 's 1-1 away draw with Ninh Binh in the 24th round on Sunday meant they lost their chance to win the top-tier V-League championship two rounds early.