VietNam Culture: players

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Top players await Golden Ball result

Fan favourite: Former national team captain Nguyen Minh Phuong (right) plays in a friendly at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — More than 100 sports journalists, coaches and experts have cast their votes for their favourite men's and women's footballers in the prestigious Golden Ball contest. The outcome will be announced next week.

The vote, organised by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper, is to select the best from a list of 29 candidates who also include young and foreign footballers.

V-League two-time champions Becamex Binh Duong dominate the list with three candidates – Nguyen Anh Duc, Nguyen Vu Phong and Huynh Quang Thanh.

Dong Tam Long An follow with two key players Phan Van Tai Em and Nguyen Minh Phuong.

On the women's list, announced by the organising committee on Tuesday, six Ha Noi players who helped the national team win the Southeast Asian Games in Laos for the fourth time are included.

Ha Minh Tuan of Da Nang and Nguyen Van Quyet of Viettel are promising candidates for the best young players of the year.

Argentinean goal poacher Gaston Merlo, the best striker in the national football V-League championship twice in a row, will face stronger competition from Brazilian Leandro De Oliveira, who moved to Binh Duong after a three-year contract with Hai Phong, Antonio Carlos of Dong Tam Long An, South African Kubheka Philam from Binh Duong and Nigerian Samson Kayode from Dong Thap.

Merlo, who helped Da Nang win the V-League title in 2009, won Best Foreign Player in the vote last year.

Last year, young playmaker Pham Thanh Luong from Ha Noi ACB won the men's Golden Ball, while HCM City's Doan Thi Kim Chi clinched the women's title for the fourth time

Striker Le Cong Vinh from Ha Noi T&T and former national forward Le Huynh Duc, who now coaches Da Nang, both won the Golden Ball three times in a row.

The new winners will be announced at an award ceremony in HCM City on March 28. — VNS

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Finding the best footballers

HA NOI – More than 100 sports journalists, coaches, and experts have cast their votes for their favourite men's and women's footballers in the prestigious Golden Ball award. The outcome will be announced next week.

The vote, organised by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper, is to select the best from a list of 29 candidates who also include young and foreign footballers.

V-League two-time champions Becamex Binh Duong dominate the list with three players – Nguyen Anh Duc, midfielder Nguyen Vu Phong and left winger Huynh Quang Thanh.

Dong Tam Long An follow with two key players Phan Van Tai Em and Nguyen Minh Phuong.

On the women's list, announced by the organising committee on Tuesday, six Ha Noi players who helped the national team win the Southeast Asian Games in Laos for the fourth time, are included.

Ha Minh Tuan of Da Nang and Nguyen Van Quyet of Viettel are promising candidates for the best young players of the year.

Merlo, who helped Da Nang win the V-League title in 2009, won Best Foreign Player in the vote last year.

Last year, young playmaker Pham Thanh Luong from Ha Noi ACB, won the men's Golden Ball, while HCM City's Doan Thi Kim Chi clinched the women's title for the fourth time

Striker Le Cong Vinh from Ha Noi T&T and former national forward Le Huynh Duc, who now coaches Da Nang, both won the Golden Ball three times in a row.

The new winners will be announced at an award ceremony in HCM City on March 28. – VNS

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Vietnamese teen star to compete in Australian Open

Nguyen Hoang Thien

Nguyen Hoang Thien has earned a berth in the Australian Open junior category which starts on January 24 in Melbourne as he jumped from 323 to 212 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings announced January 3.

16-year-old tennis player, who is the first Vietnamese to compete at one of the four grand slams, will have to beat 63 other contestants in the tough tournament from January 19 to be among the 8 best players competing in the final round from 24th.

Thien has set a target of entering the world’s top 200 young tennis players this year.

He will warm up for the Australian Open by taking part in the Loy Yang Traralgon International from January 15-20 in Traralgon, Australia.

Also at this competion, he used to win the championsip title of Group V and advance into the semi final of Group III.

Australian Open is an annual event organized by the International Tennis Federation.

It consists of both men's and women's singles and doubles draws as well as a mixed doubles event.

There is also singles and doubles events for both boys and girls (players under 18) and for tennis players on wheelchairs.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

V-League lures foreign players

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

HA NOI — The V-League national football championship, continues to be a lucrative market for foreign footballers, with over 200 players flocking for trials at V-League teams annually.

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

Thanh Hoa coach ready for fresh new challenges

Glory days: Le Thuy Hai lifts the V-League coach of the year 2008 trophy after helping Binh Duong win consecutive titles. He now coaches Thanh Hoa. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — When he signed up as coach of Lam Son Thanh Hoa, Le Thuy Hai knew he would have difficulties.

However, after two months, he has come across more problems than he expected, but he is not complaining.

Several senior players have resigned to join other teams and many of the younger players need much improvement.

"Everyone can see our problem. Many senior players have gone, I have to work with juniors who are competing in their place – and continue to train more," Hai said.

"I realised their were difficulties when I signed the contract, but as a coach I accepted the challenge to make things perfect."

After the 2010 season ended, several of Thanh Hoa's qualified players, including national team member Le Phuoc Tu and midfielders Tran Anh Tuan and Khanh Lam, left to other clubs.

Meanwhile naturalised Vietnamese player Le Tostao and three other foreigners also said goodbye.

Their departure pushed Thanh Hoa to the brink. The problem could have become worse as some others also expressed a desire to quit. However, when Hai became coach, he persuaded them to stay.

He is known for his strong personality and is respected by players.

Under his management, Thanh Hoa have lured talented midfielder Trinh Phong Thu from Ha Noi ACB and Anh Tuan from Hai Phong.

Halfback Trong Hai has also returned home after two years playing for Ha Noi T&T.

"We still lack players, but I have just signed contracts with two foreign players – a striker and a midfielder. We are testing some newcomers and need one more forward and one defender," Hai said.

The 64-year-old who has won several titles with other clubs, now wants to succeed with a low-ranked team. This was major reason for him signing Thanh Hoa despite receiving many other offers.

"A coach is not so necessary with a highly qualified team. Earning success with these teams does not surprise anyone," said Hai.

"I like to conquer challenges, that is why I am here. Once I made my choice, I did not complain, because it would not solve the problems.

"People can evaluate me through my activities and the results," Hai added. — VNS

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Thanh Hoa coach likes a challenge

HA NOI – When he signed up as coach of Lam Son Thanh Hoa, Le Thuy Hai knew he would have difficulties.

However, after two months, he has come across more problems than he expected, but he is not complaining.

Several senior players have resigned to join other teams and many of the younger players need much improvement.

"Everyone can see our problem. Many senior players have gone, I have to work with juniors who are competing in their place – and continue to train more," Hai said.

"I realised their were difficulties when I signed the contract, but as a coach I accepted the challenge to make things perfect."

After the 2010 season ended, several of Thanh Hoa's qualified players, including national team member Phuoc Tu and midfielders Anh Tuan and Khanh Lam, left to other clubs.

Meanwhile naturalised Vietnamese player Le Tostao and three other foreigners also said goodbye.

Their departure pushed Thanh Hoa to the brink. The problem could have become worse as some others also expressed a desire to quit. However, when Hai became coach, he persuaded them to stay.

He is known for his strong personality and is respected by players.

Under his management, Thanh Hoa has lured talented midfielder Phong Thu from Ha Noi ACB and Anh Tuan from Hai Phong.

Halfback Trong Hai has also returned home after two years playing for Ha Noi T&T.

"We still lack players, but I have just signed contracts with two foreign players – a striker and a midfielder. We are testing some newcomers and need one more forward and one defender," Hai said.

Hai who has won several titles with other clubs, now wants to succeed with a low-ranked team. This was major reason for him signing Thanh Hoa despite receiving many other offers.

"A coach is not so necessary with a highly qualified team. Earning success with these teams does not surprise anyone," said Hai.

"I like to conquer challenges, that is why I am here. Once I made my choice, I did not complain, because it would not solve the problems.

"People can evaluate me through my activities and the results," Hai added. – VNS

Yes or no for naturalized players in national squad?

Vietnamese football analyst Nguyen Van Vinh

Photo: Tuoi Tre

In our discussion on whether Vietnam should recruit naturalized foreign footballers for the national team, currently a hot topic after Vietnam’s early exit at Suzuki Cup, respected football analyst Nguyen Van Vinh turns the question on its head.

“Does Malaysia have any naturalized foreign players on its team?” he asked.

“Whatever you do with naturalized players is OK, as long as it is to improve domestic football in Vietnam,” the former coach and technical director of V-League club Hoang Anh Gia Lai told Tuoi Tre.

He added that we could not compare foreign players being granted citizenship in Vietnam with similar stories in other countries.

“The difference is the way and motivation we grant citizenship to them,” Vinh said.

In foreign countries, a player of foreign origin is only given the honor if he or she is well integrated into the local culture and society.

An example, the Germans -- who are much proud of their stock -- introduced their national football squad to the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa in June with 11 players of foreign origin.

They are, however, almost 100 percent Germans before learning to play football, Vinh said, adding that they grow up and rely on professional training in Germany to become talented. As such, they should not raise any eyebrow when given the honor to don the national cap and play for the national team.

In Vietnam, non-native footballers came to Vietnam on a football contract with local clubs and were later awarded citizenship with strong legal support from their clubs.

The reason these clubs wanted to naturalize these foreigners is to evade the local rule capping the number of foreign players on any team at three.

Consequently, admitting naturalized players into the Vietnamese national team cannot help improve the domestic football landscape.

“The national football team of Malaysia include all domestic players, but can still advance to the finals of the ongoing Suzuki Cup,” Vinh said.

The bottom line is, to make the Vietnamese national team stronger relies on well thought-out development plan, not on the use of naturalized players, according to the expert.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

AFF Cup flop needs sober reflection

by Tien Thanh

HCM CITY — Viet Nam's elimination from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2010 capped a significantly unsuccessful year for national football in the regional arena.

After scaling euphoric heights by winning the AFF Cup in 2008, Vietnamese football has come down to earth, firmly.

After co-hosting the Asian Cup 2007, Vietnamese football experienced considerable progress, culminating in victory at the AFF Cup two years ago.

The next year was also a positive one as the nation's top-tier V-League saw the emergence of former football star, Le Huynh Duc, as a prospective young coach. Duc led Da Nang to a comprehensive win at the nation's top championship.

Meanwhile, Binh Duong made history by becoming the first Vietnamese football club to reach the semi-finals at a continental level competition, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

And then the national Olympic team (Under 23) put in an impressive performance on their way to the finals of the 25th SEA Games in Laos.

However, the momentum of the previous three years was not carried successfully into 2010.

In the last 12 months, there has been no promising result in competitions both at the club and national team level at regional competitions.

False dawn

After beating Thailand to take the AFF Cup 2008, many fans, experts and even the players themselves seemed to take it for granted that Vietnamese football level has surpassed other countries, especially Malaysia, as local clubs hammered Malaysian counterparts at the AFC Cup.

Star striker Le Cong Vinh, who scored the decisive goal in the final two years ago to help the country win the first AFF Cup, and missed out this year because of injury, had predicted that Viet Nam would reach the final before the semi-final matches.

An Olympic defender had also said that Viet Nam would beat Malaysia while an official of the Ha Noi Football Federation, said that Viet Nam had reached a certain (higher) class as a result of a highly-competitive football championship, V-League and exposure to international competitions.

These people, however, did not take into consideration the role foreign and naturalised players play in the V-League. The success of V-League as well as clubs like Da Nang and Binh Duong at AFC Cup can be significantly attributed to players like Argentina's Gaston Merlo, South African Philani or Brazilian-born Huynh Kesley.

After a wonderful start with a 7-1 demolition of Myanmar, the team seemed to adopt the pride of defending champions, choosing to go on the offensive against all teams.

This strategy failed both times, against the Philippines and Malaysia.

For football fans, the losses were salt rubbed into the wound of the SEA Games defeat against Malaysia in Laos last year.

The defeats have re-ignited the debate about using naturalised players, but if we take the long-term view for the benefit of the national team, it is better to focus on building a really professional football environment and creating more opportunities for talented young local players to improve their skills. — VNS

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Vietnam wary of Malaysian coach’s praise

Malaysia's coach Krishnasamy Rajagobal

Vietnamese players have said they will not be lulled into complacency by the Malaysian coach’s claim Vietnam will easily beat his team in the first-leg of the Suzuki Cup semifinal in Kuala Lumpur today.

Krishnasamy Rajagobal had said earlier Vietnam will sail into the final.

“I am impressed with… his skills in controlling the match, making precise passes, and hitting dangerous free kicks,” he had said of the Vietnamese captain Minh Phuong.

Phuong shrugged off the compliment saying he is not a star and just wants to do his best for the team.

Midfielder Vu Phong is wary of the sweet talk.

“I have a feeling that Malaysia is selling us a dummy, especially with its coach paying us such compliments,” he said while thanking Rajagobal for his kind words.

He would never underestimate Malaysia, he said.

“If we show respect to the opposition, it is easy for us to achieve good results.”

“We will try our hardest to beat Malaysia,” he added when Vietnamese fans are heading for Malaysia in huge numbers to watch the match.

Another team member said: “It is not easy to conquer Malaysia’s young players. They are strong and have nothing to lose. Therefore, if we underestimate them, we will pay the price.”

Calisto is wary of a team that stole the gold medal from Vietnam at the Sea Games two years ago.

Rajagobal: We qualified from group A without some key players. Fortunately, they have fully recovered from injuries for the semifinals. We are determined to beat Vietnam 1-0 or 2-0 to take an advantage into the second-leg in My Dinh.

"We will do our best for a berth in the final," he added.

Calisto: “We will not play for a draw against Malaysia because it is very dangerous to play that way. They have young players who are clever at controlling the game, especially forwards Fadee and Talaha.

I don’t have many choices because of the absence of four key players with injury. If we want to get a good result, we should always be in full command.”

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Foreigners add spice to AFF

by Tien Thanh

Exotic flavour: English-born Filipino Philip James Younghusband (right) is one several ‘imported' players competing in the AFF Suzuki Cup's semi-final round. The Philippines will meet co-host Indonesia in the game's first leg on December 16 in Jakarta. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HCM CITY — The semi-finals of the region's biggest football championship will be especially significant this year, as foreign-born players are competing on several teams.

After the eight-day competition in the group stage, defending champions Viet Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have qualified for the AFF Cup semi-finals.

This is only the second time since the tournament began in 1996 when the elite group of Thailand, Singapore, Viet Nam, Indonesia and Malaysia did not dominate the semi-finals.

With Viet Nam and Malaysia both suffering a defeat in the group stage, they are considered to be less consistent than Indonesia and the Philippines, who remain unbeaten.

Clash of natives

The first semi-final between Viet Nam and Malaysia is not only a match to decide which team will advance to the final, but also a testament to the different policies that Viet Nam Football Federation and the Football Association of Malaysia are applying to their domestic football leagues.

Viet Nam's V-League is considered the best football league in Southeast Asia by Indonesia's Austrian head coach Alfred Riedl and Laos' English head coach David Booth.

V-League allows its clubs to recruit foreign players. But, unlike Viet Nam and most countries in the region, Malaysia does not allow clubs in their Super League to use foreign players because they want to use and develop only local players for their Olympic and national teams.

Although the two countries are developing their domestic football leagues in different ways, both Viet Nam and Malaysia are using only native-born players.

Viet Nam's team had a few foreign-born players last year, but does not have any this year.

Although the Malaysian Olympic team edged Viet Nam in the final at the SEA Games' football competition last year in Laos, Viet Nam holds the advantage over Malaysia in the encounter between the two senior national teams.

"Viet Nam has a great chance to defend the title because their play is great and the defending champions also have good players led by an experienced tactician, Henrique Calisto," a football commentator on ESPN said.

"Although Malaysia has been weakened because of a few injured players, what they did in the SEA Games in Laos last year and in the group stage of AFF Suzuki Cup this year showed they have great character to come back," he said.

Foreign influx

Since the Tiger Cup 2004, foreign-born players have been part of the region's biggest football competition, with Singapore being the first country to use foreign-born players.

AFF Suzuki Cup this year saw two more countries opting to call up foreign-born players: the Philippines, which has eight foreign-born players, and Indonesia, which has two.

The second semi-final between Indonesia and the Philippines promises to be a very exciting match as it becomes a showdown between a varied attacking style and a highly-organised defensive style of play.

Indonesia's attacking capacity comes from targetmen Uruguayan-born Christian Gonzales and Dutch-born Irfan Bachdim up front.

Blistering wingers Oktovianus Maniani and Firman Utina on two wings will face the Philippines' solid and organised defence with lanky but reliable keeper Neil Etheridge, who grew up in England, at the goal.

"They (Philippines) defend very well and are organised, with goalkeeper Neil Etheridge being reliable at the goal. That is why they have conceded only one goal so far," the ESPN commentator said.

He predicted that Viet Nam and Indonesia would play in the final. — VNS

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Thais looking to dominate Indonesians again

Thailand coach Bryan Robson

Photo: AFF

Thailand coach Bryan Robson is hopeful that his team can maintain their good record against Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium when the two sides clash in their final Group A game on Tuesday evening.

The Thais have come out on top in both previous AFF Suzuki Cup meetings against the home side in Jakarta. They famously took the 2002 title by downing the hosts on penalties in the final and also won 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals two years ago.

With Thailand desperately needing a victory to guarantee their progression to the last four after drawing against Laos and Malaysia, Robson is hoping that luck will continue to shine on his side at the often hostile venue.

"I hope that it is a lucky stadium for us because sometimes things like that can work in your favour when the players believe in that as well," said the Englishman.

"But the most important thing for me is for my players to believe in themselves that they have the confidence to go out tomorrow and believe that they can win the game because I think we have the ability to achieve that.

"My players are used to playing in big games. They have been to big stadiums with passionate away fans so I don't have any fears about them being able to handle a big atmosphere at the stadium.

"And sometimes the better players respond to a great atmosphere. In the first two games, it's been quite quiet but maybe in this next game, my big players will rise to the challenge and enjoy the atmosphere in the stadium."

Indonesia may have already booked top spot in the group with two wins in as many games, but Robson dos not anticipate that it will make things any easier for his players.

"With Indonesia having qualified and finishing top of the group, they've got the job done and I suppose that the coach now can look to freshen things up for the semifinals and protect the players who are injured or on yellow cards.

On his part, Robson has pledged to make changes to his side that drew 0-0 with Malaysia on Saturday.

"We have been showing a bit of tiredness towards the end of both games so I'm looking to make some changes – not too many – tomorrow to freshen the team up again.

"Some players are playing their fourth games in nine days since last Sunday. It's very difficult to get the freshness back into them after a short period of time but I do feel that we're just that little bit fresher than we were coming into the tournament and the first game."

Indonesia assistant coach Wolfgang Pikal insisted that his side will not be taking Thailand any more lightly than they normally would although he did indicate that there would be changes to the team.

Said the Austrian: "The main thing for us is that we're trying to help the players to recover after the last two games. We have two players injured – Hamka Hamzah and Yesaya Desnam – and there is a possibility that we will rotate some of the players for the next game because some of them have yellow cards (skipper Firman Utina and Ahmad Bustomi) and we don't want to take a risk.

"But we are still hoping for a good game and to win against Thailand. We are not here for holidays and our big motivation is that we want to get ready for the start of the semifinals. We also have the responsibility to our fans and the Indonesian people to try to win the match.

"We have a great respect for Thailand. They are a very good team and our history shows that Indonesia have not won many important matches against them. They are under a lot of pressure because this is their last chance to go to the semifinals and we know that are going to play offensively and try to win the match."

Monday, November 29, 2010

Calisto and players conferred overdue Labor Order

Coach Henrique Calisto and his players receive the honorary badge in Hanoi on November 28, 2010

Photo: VFF

Coach Henrique Calisto and six players from the Vietnamese national football team were conferred Sunday the Labor Order, Third Class, a state-level honorary badge for their winning the AFF Cup 2008.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) bestowed the honor on the Portuguese coach, striker Cong Vinh, half-backs Minh Phuong and Tai Em, midfielders Nhu Thanh and Phuoc Tu, and goalkeeper Hong Son for their winning the AFF Cup back in 2008 (Southeast Asia Football Championship).

VFF attributed the postponement in granting the honor to repeated delays in convening the national team.

At the ceremony in Hanoi, VFF President Nguyen Trong Hy wished the team success in the upcoming ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, set to kick off on December 1.

In preparation for the tournament, the squad will have a practicing session today to review its formation for the last time. After that, Calisto will remove three players from the current roster to reduce the team to 22 players, the maximum allowed for each team.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Olympian to compete on Saturday

Olympian weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan will compete in the men's 56kg division of Asian Games at Dongguan gymnasium in Guangzhou, China on Saturday.

Tuan, 25, who won a silver medal at Beijing Olympics two years ago with a total lift of 290kg, is a golden hope for Viet Nam at Asia's biggest sporting event.

The Bac Ninh-born athlete won a silver with a combined lift of 285kg in the Asian Games in Qatar four years ago.

In the women's 48kg division, Nguyen Thi Hong will start her competition on Saturday.

Joton to compete in friendly tour

HCM City-based basketball team Joton will compete in the China-ASEAN Basketball Tournament in Guangxi, China from November 30 to December 6, the Viet Nam Basketball Federation said yesterday.

The team will compete in the round-robin format against Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Guangdong and hosts Guangxi in Pingguo City.

Women get set for Asian Games

Viet Nam women's football team beat Guangzhou U-19s 3-0 in a friendly match on Tuesday.

It's the second victory over a local team during the pre-tournament training camp before Asian Games kick off tomorrow.

Viet Nam have been drawn in Group A with China, South Korea, and Jordan. The two top teams will qualify for semi-final.

The team play South Korea in the group curtain raiser on Sunday.

Veteran sharpshooter eyes gold

Sharpshooter Nguyen Manh Tuong is an oldest Vietnamese athlete competing at the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD).

Tuong, 50, who has competed in three Asian Games, said he will retire within the next five years.

He bagged a bronze in the men's individual centre-fire pistol at the Busan Asian Games in 2002, before taking a bronze in the team event in the Qatar games in 2006.

Fifteen year-old tennis player Nguyen Hoang Thien will become Viet Nam's youngest athlete at ASIAD when he makes his debut.

Thai players enter local tourney

Four Thai players will join 43 local athletes in the professional category of the 10th Phu My Hung Cup tennis tournament that opens this Saturday.

Ngo Quang Huy, Ngo Duc Duong, Tran Duc Quynh are among the more well known Vietnamese men players while Tran Thi Tam Hao and Tran Lam Anh are good players on women's side.

The tournament misses some top players who are playing at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

The Thai contingent has two male players – Ekkarin Pisuth-Arnonth and Pingmuang Santi, and two female players – Kotcha Nattawadee and Samrej Jitsupang.

The winner of the cup will get a VND15 million prize. — VNS

Friday, October 29, 2010

U19 hosts takes dirty win over Singapore’s U21s

U19 hosts takes dirty win over Singapore’s U21s Vietnam’s under-19 team came from behind to beat Singapore’s under-21 squad 2-1 at the fourth International U21 Football Tournament at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Monday.

Questions remain about the legitimacy of the win.

The young Vietnamese players’ performance left a pretty bad impression on the hometown fans in general and on the Singaporean visitors in particular.

The game began with an unimaginable blunder.

The Son, an unmarked defender, passed the ball back to goalkeeper Anh Duc who was standing a bit far from the goal. The ball sailed past Duc and into the back of the net.

Though Son was replaced immediately after the incident but the sudden goal placed the team in a dire mood.

At times, it looked like the Vietnamese didn’t know how to get the ball into the Singaporean penalty zone.

With a bit of luck, however, the Vietnamese boys claimed an equalizer five minutes from the final whistle. Quoc Phuong fired a shot that bested Singapore’s goalkeeper.

The point surprised the Singaporean players, causing them to lose concentration and allowing the Vietnamese players to take a second goal in the final minutes after a mix-up in Singapore’s penalty area.

The confused coup allowed the Vietnamese fans to heave a sigh.

Yet it was a sigh without relief. The gameplay turned just plain ugly, at times. Several deliberate fouls by the home players caused the fans to be more worried than happy about the final 2-1 victory.

“Today, I am pleased with my players’ fast performance,” said Vietnam’s team coach Trieu Quang Ha. “Yet my players were not psychologically well, especially after conceding the first goal because of an own goal.They are still very young, and that was why they couldn’t keep calm and that led to their fouls. This is what they need to improve in the future.”

Singapore’s U21 team coach Pathmanathan S/O Thambiayah struck a rather disappointed note.

“It was a hard game for my players,” he told reporters after the match. “I don’t want to comment on the referees’ work in this game. The result was not as good as we expected but that is football. One problem is that several of my players suffered serious injuries.

“My players did their best today, though. I want to congratulate the Vietnamese U19 team on the win.”

In other action, the Vietnamese team’s coaching staff, manager and players held a post-game meeting to discuss their performance.

Following the meeting, Team Manager Truong Hai Tung publicly apologized to the spectators and TV viewers for the young team’s failure to exhibit proper restraint. He admitted that his players had made deliberate fouls after the disheartening first goal.

The team’s managerial staff and the players promised to improve the situation in the coming games. Tung also apologized to the visiting Singaporean U21 team for the incidents in the game.

Thursday, October 28, 2010