V-League season promises drama, greater professionalism

Game on: Le Tan Tai of Khanh Hoa (left) tries to get past Tran Tuan Anh of HCM City team in their V-League match last year. Khanh Hoa meet Hai Phong team in their V-League opener away today. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut

The new season of the national football championship, V-League, begins this weekend. It is the first time all clubs are now operating as official businesses. It also marks the biggest-ever prize money for the victory team as well as a TV broadcast deal with a private company. Viet Nam News spoke to Le Hung Dung, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF), about the new season, the use of sponsorship money and the plans to improve the quality of V-League and make it more professional.

The new V-League football season will begin today. The tournament definitely has new features compared to the 2010 season. Could you tell us what they are?

This is the first season all 14 participating clubs are recognised as businesses, according to regulations of the FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Besides that, this year's V-League also has other new features. The quality will improve because of the bigger prize money, which is strong motivation for clubs to play their best. I think there will be many aggressive matches.

There are also more matches to be broadcast live than in previous seasons and this will help further enhance the brand and image of the V-League.

Are there any changes in the regulation of the number of foreign players on the pitch at one time?

National football championship kicks off with Ha Noi derby The new season of the 2011 national football championship, Eximbank V-League 2011, will start this weekend with seven matches across the country. Some notable first-round matches include defending champions Ha Noi T&T vs Hoa Phat Ha Noi, Becamex Binh Duong vs Ninh Binh, SHB Da Nang vs Hoang Anh Gia Lai. The champions will receive a total of VND3 billion ($150,000), thrice higher than that of 2010. The runners-up pocket VND1.5 billion ($75,000) and the third team gets VND750 million ($37,500). In addition, the organisers will also award a fair play prize of VND200 million ($10,000), and a prize of VND20 million ($1,000) for the best coach of the season. The best scorer also pockets VND20 million ($1,000), the best fan club, VND20 million ($1,000), and the best team of the month, VND30 million ($1,500).

This year, the federation will apply the 4-3 rule. Each club will be allowed to register four foreign players on the team list and they are allowed to field a maximum of three on the pitch at once instead of last year's 5-3 rule.

I support the use of foreign players in the V-League. Not only is it an inevitable trend but it also brings benefit to Viet Nam football.

Foreign players help improve the quality of local players, which, in turn, contributed to the increasingly improved quality of the national team. The evidence is that Viet Nam are playing well in recent years.

The team no longer fears taller opponents and can even play with many strong teams from the Middle East on an equal footing. We have the disadvantages of size and physical strength as well as a poor training facility.

I think that V-League is the best foundation for the national team. However, we limit the number of foreign players playing on the pitch for the sake of the national team. I support players of Vietnamese origin like American player Lee Nguyen The Anh, who could receive Vietnamese nationality and play for the national team.

Does VFF has any policy to encourage clubs to give talented young players more opportunities to play in order to create sources for the Olympic team in the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia this year?

VFF will create a legal framework to encourage and allow clubs to do that but it is the owners and coaches who have the right to field the players on the pitch. The federation does not have the right to tell clubs which players they should field.

The Viet Nam Export Import Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (Viet Nam Eximbank) decided to sponsor V-League for three successive seasons, with the sponsorship value of VND90 billion (US$4.5 million). How will VFF use the money to make the V-League better?

I need to make it clear that Viet Nam Eximbank will sponsor V-League three successive seasons, with sponsorship value of the next season being higher than the previous season by 10 per cent. So the total sponsorship value of all three seasons would be VND100 billion ($5 million).

After every season, Viet Nam Eximbank and VFF will sit down and talk about how VFF used the money and what Viet Nam Eximbank gained from this sponsorship.

The sponsorship deal will be stopped if it does not bring the desired effect in terms of the promotion to the bank and if the quality of V-League declines.

The federation will have plans to use the money it gets from V-League. I am responsible for financial issues of the federation, so I will ask the general secretary and related divisions to carefully use the money to ensure that it is used efficiently and for good purposes. — VNS

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Vinh to make return from injury

Back on his feet: Striker Le Cong Vinh (left) trains with national teammates at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium. He is set to return to action in the V-League this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Top striker Le Cong Vinh is set to return to action in the next month, just two to three weeks after the V-League season kicks off.

The imminent return of the three-time Golden Ball winner is good news for his club, Ha Noi T&T, who are currently in pre-season training before they start the defence of their title.

Vinh was sidelined for nearly one year after rupturing his knee ligaments, and was unable to take part in his team's victory party last season.

Since returning home in October following surgery in Portugal, Vinh has been saying that being able to kick a ball around for just five minutes would bring him great happiness.

The Nghe An-born player has spent more than US$10,000 on the services of physio Luis Alberto in a bid to make a speedy recovery.

Vinh's return will come as a welcome boost to T&T, who spent a record transfer fee of nearly VND10 billion ($500,000) on him.

Despite only playing for part of the 2008-09 season, Vinh finished as top scorer with 14 goals.

Club chairman Nguyen Quoc Hoi said that the 2009-10 triumph was just the beginning.

He said apart from the domestic league, his He said apart from the domestic league, his team was targeting a berth in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup this year. — VNS

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HCM City teams vow to stop the rot

Southern pride: Vo Phi Thuong of Navibank Sai Gon challenges for the ball with a member of Khatoco Khanh Hoa during a match at the HCM City's Football Federation tournament. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut

HCM CITY — HCM City football has shown intentions of putting a stop to its shameful results over the last two years at local football competitions as HCM City and Navibank Sai Gon football clubs have revamped their teams for the new season.

During the last weekend of the 2009 V-League season, the city football witnessed the relegation of two clubs.

Sai Gon United was relegated to the Second Division despite a 2-0 win over Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the last match, and one day later, HCM City also suffered the same fate with a 3-2 defeat by Binh Duong.

There was no escaping the fact that city football had no representative in the 2010 V-League until Navibank Bank surprisingly bought the Military Zone 4 football club. They renamed it Navibank Sai Gon and chose Thong Nhat Stadium as its home ground.

However, Navibank Sai Gon was struggling at the bottom of the table throughout the season.

The club was relegated, but the fact that there were six fewer clubs in the First Division operating as a business handed Navibank a play-off with Quang Ninh. They escaped from relegation with a 2-0 win.

After being demoted to the First Division, HCM City continued its poor performance and had a disappointing season and only until the last round did the club escape from demotion.

Change for better

But the upcoming 2011 V-League season, the so-called professional football season, could be a different story as city-based clubs have made moves to build their teams that not only have survived the relegation but also have enough ability to move into the top half of the ranking.

Navibank splashed out a considerable amount of money on players, bringing in qualified strikers Nguyen Quang Hai from Khanh Hoa, Brazilian-Vietnamese striker Huynh Kesley Alves from Binh Duong and midfielder Luong Van Duoc Em from Dong Thap.

While Hai is the most prolific local striker last season with 13 goals, veteran Huynh Kesley has stamped his authority onto the V-League with his vast experience. Duoc Em was considered a promising young player last season.

"With new players joining the team and good preparation, we will try to finish the 2011 V-League at least in the middle of the table. We hope that the worries over the relegation will not be repeated," said Mai Duc Chung, head coach of Navibank Sai Gon.

By recruiting a foreign coach and bringing in some new faces, HCM City, the successor of the famous Sai Gon Port, has also made its intentions clear that they do not want to be a contender for the relegation in the next nine months.

The club recently signed a contract with Croatian coach Vjeran Simunic and hired Singaporean coach Robert Lim as a technical consultant. They have also recruited foreign players Lima and Cokolic from fellow club TDC Binh Duong.

Coach Simunic said that his team was ready for the new season. He believes the club will not have to face a battle to avoid relegation, as they did last season. — VNS

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City football aims to stop relegation woes

HCM CITY – HCM City football has shown intentions of putting a stop to its shameful results over the last two years at local football competitions as HCM City and Navibank Sai Gon football clubs have revamped their teams for the new season.

During the last weekend of the 2009 V-League season, the city football witnessed the relegation of two clubs.

Sai Gon United was relegated to the Second Division despite a 2-0 win over Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the last match, and one day later, HCM City also suffered the same fate with a 3-2 defeat by Binh Duong.

There was no escaping the fact that city football had no representative in the 2010 V-League until Navibank Bank surprisingly bought the Military Zone 4 football club. They renamed it Navibank Sai Gon and chose Thong Nhat Stadium as its home ground.

However, Navibank Sai Gon was struggling at the bottom of the table throughout the season.

The club was relegated, but the fact that there were six fewer clubs in the First Division operating as a business handed Navibank a play-off with Quang Ninh. They escaped from relegation with a 2-0 win.

After being demoted to the First Division, HCM City continued its poor performance and had a disappointing season and only until the last round did the club escape from demotion.

Change for better

But the upcoming 2011 V-League season, the so-called professional football season, could be a different story as city-based clubs have made moves to build their teams that not only have survived the relegation but also have enough ability to move into the top half of the ranking.

Navibank splashed out a considerable amount of money on players, bringing in qualified strikers Nguyen Quang Hai from Khanh Hoa, Brazilian-Vietnamese striker Huynh Kesley Alves from Binh Duong and midfielder Luong Van Duoc Em from Dong Thap.

While Hai is the most prolific local striker last season with 13 goals, veteran Huynh Kesley has stamped his authority onto the V-League with his vast experience. Duoc Em was considered a promising young player last season.

"With new players joining the team and good preparation, we will try to finish the 2011 V-League at least in the middle of the table. We hope that the worries over the relegation will not be repeated," said Mai Duc Chung, head coach of Navibank Sai Gon.

By recruiting a foreign coach and bringing in some new faces, HCM City, the successor of the famous Sai Gon Port, has also made its intentions clear that they do not want to be a contender for the relegation in the next nine months.

The club recently signed a contract with Croatian coach Vjeran Simunic and hired Singaporean coach Robert Lim as a technical consultant. They have also recruited foreign players Lima and Cokolic from fellow club TDC Binh Duong.

Coach Simunic said that his team was ready for the new season. He believes the club will not have to face a battle to avoid relegation, as they did last season. VNS

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Europe's football underdogs return to form

Mainz have been elevated to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time in their history

Photo: AFP

Unheralded Mainz top the table in Germany, Cesena have led Serie A, Saint-Etienne are back at the summit of the French first division and Barcelona were beaten, at home, by minnows Hercules.

Strange things are afoot in European football.

Over the early weeks of the season, in every major league on the continent, the big guns have struggled and the lesser lights have seized their chances.

Mainz beat reigning German champions Bayern Munich 2-1 on Saturday to record their sixth win in six league matches.

Their completely unexpected form has taken them to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time in their history, while Bayern are already 10 points off the pace in ninth.

"We don't feel bigger than we are," said Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel, whose charges are just one win short of the league record for consecutive wins at the start of a season.

Last season's German runners-up Schalke, meanwhile, opened the campaign with four straight defeats and sit second from bottom with a single win to their name.

An almost identical fate has befallen Roma, who are also in the relegation zone despite having finished second in the Italian top flight last term.

Lyon, second in France last season, are currently 18th with just one win from seven league games, while five-time European champions Liverpool are only three points off the bottom of England's Premier League.

For the teams bucking the trends in the early weeks of the 2010-11 campaign, the common denominators are belief, heart and good old-fashioned hard work.

"There's no particular secret to our game. We are playing with team spirit," said Cesena coach Massimo Ficcadenti, whose promoted side briefly topped the Italian standings after three matches.

"We are not looking at the table. We just want to stay up."

A similar refrain resounds in France, where 10-time champions Saint-Etienne have returned to the Ligue 1 summit for the first time since February 1982, despite having finished in 17th place for the past two seasons.

Les Verts forward Bakary Sako credits coach Christophe Galtier with the turnaround.

"Since his arrival, he's tried to create a team spirit," said Sako prior to his team's 1-0 win at neighbours Lyon on Saturday.

"He told us that, if we wanted to stay up, we'd only achieve it by collective effort."

The biggest shock of the season's early weeks was Barcelona's 2-0 loss at home to Hercules in their second league game.

It was the heaviest home defeat of Pep Guardiola's tenure and the Barcelona coach was full of praise for the La Liga newcomers, who are sitting snugly in mid-table after beating Sevilla 2-0 at the weekend.

"I congratulate Hercules," he said. "They came here and played well. They made it difficult for us and they got their reward."

Making life difficult, in the form of aggressive pressing, is increasingly the buzz tactic for unfancied teams taking on star-studded opposition.

Arsenal fell to a 3-2 defeat at home to promoted West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday and victorious coach Roberto di Matteo credited a high-octane defensive effort for his side's unlikely triumph.

"We pressed them very high, in their half, all over the pitch," said the Italian. "We managed not to let them play their usual way."

It is a recurring theme. Mainz striker Adam Szalai said his side's "mission" against Bayern had been "to put the pressure on," while Cesena's 2-0 defeat of AC Milan earlier this month was described in the Italian press as a testament to the organization and work-rate of Ficcadenti's team.

Under-achieving heavyweights such as Bayern, Liverpool and Lyon seem to be paying the price for squads full of international players who have taken time to rediscover form and fitness after the rigors of the World Cup.

Teams like Mainz, Cesena, Saint-Etienne and Hercules, on the other hand, have been able to attack the campaign with a full pre-season behind them and a playing staff comprised of hungry, injury-free players.

The World Cup hangover theory can only be stretched so far, however.

Chelsea's players endured a disastrous tournament, with Nicolas Anelka sent home by France, Didier Drogba breaking his arm with Ivory Coast and Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole failing to impress once again for England.

And yet, prior to Saturday's defeat at Manchester City, the Premier League leaders had begun the campaign with five straight wins and an average of 4.2 goals scored per game.

Attributing the surprise results to the after-effects of the World Cup would also be doing a disservice to the industry, attitude and ambition of the 'little' teams who refuse to follow the script.

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Barca, Real and Chelsea eye Inter's crown

Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka (L) challenges Stoke City's Danny Collins during their English Premier League soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London August 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

European champions Inter Milan will rewrite the record books and claim a place among the greats if they retain the Champions League trophy this season.

Huge obstacles stand in their way, of course, from Spain's Barcelona and Real Madrid, England's Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, last season's runners-up Bayern Munich and their arch-rivals AC Milan.

Europe's leading bookmakers have almost all ignored Inter's claims and installed Barcelona as favorites to repeat their 2009 success with Real Madrid and Chelsea also heavily backed.

But Inter's new manager Rafa Benitez won the competition in 2005 with Liverpool and would like nothing better than to restore his reputation as one of Europe's shrewdest coaches.

If Benitez leads them to victory at Wembley Stadium on May 28, they would emulate their own back-to-back successes of 1964 and 1965 and take huge delight in becoming the first club to do so since AC Milan triumphed in 1989 and 1990.

But no side has remained European champions after changing a winning manager since Bayern Munich lifted the trophy under Udo Lattek in 1974 and Dettmar Cramer in 1975.

That is the challenge facing Benitez who replaced Jose Mourinho when the Portuguese decamped to Real Madrid after securing last season's triumph over Bayern to make Inter European champions for the first time for 45 years.

Mourinho may have got up the noses of the Italian soccer establishment but he gave Inter a winning mentality in Europe after decades of under-achievement in the world's premier club competition.

Different style

Inter have decided to stick with the same ageing squad, minus striker Mario Balotelli, leaving fans worried the lack of investment will harm their chances.

Inter face Tottenham Hotspur and Twente Enschede as well as Werder Bremen in the group stage but will need to improve their early season form which has been patchy.

Among those threatening Inter's ambitions are Barcelona, eager to make up for last season's semifinal loss to the Italians, and a rejuvenated Real Madrid under Mourinho.

The canny Mourinho's arrival at the Bernabeu has raised hopes the club can end a lengthy drought in Europe's elite club competition.

The nine-times continental champions have failed to make the quarterfinals for the past six seasons, a galling statistic for big-spending president Florentino Perez.

The construction magnate returned to the club before the 2009-10 campaign pledging to restore former glories but even an outlay of US$319 million on players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka failed to yield a trophy.

Real have spent wisely, bringing in Germany midfielders Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, Argentina winger Angel Di Maria and teenage midfielder Sergio Canales.

But Pep Guardiola's Barca side have added prolific Spain striker David Villa, combative Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano and versatile Brazilian defender Adriano Correia.

Effective team

Mourinho, a former assistant coach at the Nou Camp, got the better of Guardiola last season but it will be hard to mould the Real squad into an effective team in his first campaign.

If he does he will become the first man to lift the European Cup with three different clubs following his initial triumph with Porto in 2004.

Real are also in a tricky group, pitted against old rivals AC Milan, Ajax Amsterdam and Auxerre of France.

Barca, by contrast, are the finished article, boasting eight Spain internationals, including World Cup winners Villa, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and should progress comfortably from a group with Rubin Kazan, Panathinaikos and FC Copenhagen.

Exciting arrival

Chelsea, who played outstanding football to claim the English double last season, have won their first three league games with a 14-0 goal tally and have recruited exciting midfielder Ramires from Benfica and Israel's Yossi Benayoun.

Manchester United can never be ruled out especially if Wayne Rooney puts his off-field problems out of his mind and reproduces the scoring form he showed for most of last season.

Arsenal have failed to win a trophy for five seasons but usually do well in Europe.

Manager Arsene Wenger's best piece of transfer business was keeping Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates, boosting the chances of a London side lifting the European Cup for the first time.

With three London teams competing, the first time one city has provided three sides in the competition, and the final taking place in their home city, there is even more incentive than usual for them to go all the way.

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Chelsea maintain perfect start, Arsenal win

Arsenal's Theo Walcott (R) challenges Blackpool's Stephen Crainey during their English Premier League soccer match at The Emirates Stadium in London August 21, 2010

Photo: Reuters

LONDON - Chelsea's goal-rush was staunched by Stoke City but the Premier League champions maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 home victory on Saturday despite a missed penalty by Frank Lampard.

The England midfielder saw his spot kick saved by Thomas Sorensen but Florent Malouda fired Chelsea ahead just past the half hour mark and Didier Drogba tucked away a second-half penalty to seal a win that was much harder work than their 6-0 thrashings of West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic.

Carlo Ancelotti's side top the table with a maximum nine points and a 14-0 goal difference while Arsenal moved to seven with an impressive 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers where Theo Walcott scored his fourth goal of the season.

The surprise result of the day came a White Hart Lane where Wigan Athletic hit back from two crushing defeats to beat Champions League qualifiers Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.

Hugo Rodallega's late goal decided a fixture that Tottenham won 9-1 last season.

Blackpool's first home match in the top flight since 1971 ended in a 2-2 draw with Fulham while Andy Carroll was on target again for promoted Newcastle United who drew 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Manchester United can join Arsenal on seven points if they beat West Ham United in an early evening kickoff.

Chelsea have been unstoppable so far this season but Stoke proved a much tougher proposition than they did at the back end of last season when they were hammered 7-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard wasted the chance to put the hosts in front when his poorly-struck penalty, awarded for a foul on Malouda by Ryan Shawcross, was saved by Sorensen.

Spared blushes

Malouda spared Lampard's blushes soon afterwards when he latched on to John Terry's pass to score but Stoke never looked like capitulating.

The visitors almost leveled when Matthew Etherington's shot was blocked on the line by Drogba and then Glenn Whelan's powerful shot struck the crossbar.

After 77 minutes Nicolas Anelka was brought down by Sorensen, and with Lampard having been substituted, Drogba made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Walcott's sparkling early-season form for Arsenal continued at Ewood Park and the England striker has already matched his goal tally for the whole of the last campaign which culminated with his exclusion from the World Cup squad.

He fired Arsenal ahead with a fine finish after 20 minutes and although Mame Diouf levelled for Rovers on his first Premier League start the Gunners sealed a deserved victory when Andrei Arshavin scored early in the second half.

The only blemish for manager Arsene Wenger was the sight of Dutch striker Robin van Persie limping off with a twisted ankle before halftime.

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