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

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VFF to hold national meeting on Suzuki Cup loss

Vietnam's coach Henrique Calisto is shaking hand with Malaysians to congratulate their victory to advance to the final game of Suzuki Cup

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said it would convene a meeting next month with coaches and analysts to learn why Vietnam - the defending champion - was eliminated from the ongoing Suzuki Cup 2010.

It will be a chance to find out truths and draw out lessons after the Vietnamese national football team were eliminated at the semifinals, VFF’s chairman Nguyen Trong Hy told Tuoi Tre.

Domestic coaches Duong Ngoc Hung and Mai Duc Chung agreed with the idea.

“I think we should leave constructive comments rather than harsh criticism because the result is unchangeable,” Hung said. “From my point of view, Vietnam’s failure can be attributed to injuries and form.”

“We actually did not have really sharp and strong men to convert chance into goals.

“Coach Henrique Calisto had to use only one man playing as forward (Anh Duc) together with two others as wing-attacking midfielders as per our team’s offensive tactics.

“The formation brought triumph to Vietnam two years ago but this time our opponents are accustomed to it and have found effective ways to weaken it.”

Failure can be also attributed to the fact that Vietnam underestimated the true strength of their opponents’ counter-attack tactics, as evidenced in the 2-0 loss to the Philippines and the 2-0 defeat by Malaysia in the first-leg semifinal clash.

Coach Chung proposed players of the national team should train with their clubs instead of camping for three months in advance.

Chung also advised splitting long training periods into smaller time scales to help players have more time for families.

The other thing is Vietnam’s wrong strategy.

In the first-leg semis in Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam should have played defensively to gain at least one point and would later push for victory in the second leg, according to the coach.

“I do not mean totally defensive tactics, but obviously it is the only way our team should have performed since we did not have two skillful wing defenders Quang Thanh and Viet Cuong.

“Wing attacks became weaker and more monotonous as two wings-attacking midfielders got tired and did not receive necessary supports from two wing defenders.”

Coach Chung confirmed he would address the upcoming meeting about Vietnam’s line-up. Viet Thang, who has yet to completely recover from injury, was in the starting line-up while a healthy Quang Hai was on the bench.

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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

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VFF clinch rich TV deal

Striking gold: Striker Nguyen Ngoc Thanh (right) of Hai Phong takes a shot during a V-League match against Binh Duong. The V-League TV rights are worth US$300,000 per year. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) officially announced a 20-year deal for the V-League television rights with cable TV provider Audio Vision Global (AVG) last weekend worth VND6 billion (nearly US$300,000) per year.

The national football championship has been a money-spinner for the VFF since 2004, when Viet Nam Television paid VND4 billion ($200,000) to broadcast the V-League.

AVG, which is licensed to operate a satellite and digital television service, plans to officially launch a 70-channel TV package late next year.

The cable TV provider, a member of the An Vien Group, was established in 2008 with a charter capital of VND1,800 billion ($85 million).

It's the first ever TV copyright to be signed between a private television company and a sports federation in Viet Nam.

AVG also signed a 20-year TV rights contract with the Viet Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) last week.

However, a VAF representative refused to declare how much the deal was worth, but said AVG would broadcast five to seven national tournaments each year.

The deals will help publicise major sporting events as well as provide a long-term revenue stream for the federations.

The Viet Nam Basketball Federation (VBF) will also review the sale of television rights for its domestic top-flight championship next year.

"We have yet to finalise negotiations but I hope the VBF will sign a contract soon," said VBF's general secretary Nguyen Quoc Quan.

"The contract will help promote the national basketball championship as it rarely broadcast at the moment. This will be a new stage for not only basketball, but other sports in the future," he said.

Vice chairman of the Viet Nam Aquatic Sports Association Xuan Gu said he hopes swimming tournaments would be televised regularly from next year with a deal likely to be agreed between the association and AVG soon.

Meanwhile, representatives from the table tennis and cycling federations said they had received offers from AVG, but were considering the financial impacts of the long-term contract in the event of an economic crisis.

"We should consider renegotiating the deal every five years to avoid potential losses. The federation needs a prolonged partnership with a television company to promote sporting activities and develop the sport," said Viet Nam Table Tennis Federation's general secretary Pham Duc Thanh.

AVG's chairman Pham Nhat Vu said the company also reserves the right to renegotiate the contract every five years.

"We want to popularise sport in our entertainment programmes throughout the country. However, we need time to enlarge our market share because we are newcomers," Vu told a press conference in Ha Noi.

AVG will not be ready to begin broadcasting in time for the new V-League season that kicks off next month, and is planning to sell the rights for the opening games to other broadcasters.

Under the deal, the VFF and its sponsors take 50 per cent of the fees, while the two participating teams share the remainder. The host team takes 35 per cent and the visiting team, 15 per cent.

At the press conference last week, AVG confirmed that they will provide subscribers with good programming at competitive prices in comparison to other TV stations.

In July, Kplus (known as K+), a cable TV provider, won a $10 million contract for the exclusive rights to broadcast the English Premier League for three years.

K+ then announced a monthly fee of VND250,000 ($12), which covers the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A.

The figure is four times the previous average monthly fee that K+ charged their subscribers before.

Subscribers of the popular VTV cable and VTC pay a monthly fee of VND65,000 ($3) and VND90,000 ($4.3) respectively.

However, K+ and television stations such as VTV and VTC failed to reach a deal over broadcasting rights and millions of people are now unable to watch the Premier League's Super Sunday matches.

AVG's chairman reassured that the same problem won't happen with the V-League. — VNS

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Calisto mystified by captain's retirement

by Tien Thanh

HCM CITY — The captain of the national team, Nguyen Minh Phuong, has decided to retire from international football following Viet Nam's elimination from the AFF Suzuki Cup tournament last week.

National coach Henrique Calisto has denied any knowledge of the decision though Phuong told Viet Nam News that he has informed both the Portuguese coach and the football authorities.

"I am 30 now and feel a little bit old.

"I decided to withdraw from the team because I want to allow young players to get more chances to play for the national team."

Asked about his most memorable moment for the national team, he said without hesitation: "It was when Viet Nam beat Thailand at My Dinh [Stadium in Ha Noi] to lift the AFF Cup trophy for the first time in the history of the tournament."

This was in 2008. In the second leg of the final in Ha Noi, Phuong trapped a free kick and drove the ball to striker Le Cong Vinh who leaped to glance into the far corner to help Viet Nam beat Thailand 3-2 on aggregate.

Phuong made his international debut in 1999 when he played in the Olympic qualifiers and then played for the full national team in 2002. He played 73 times and scored 12 goals.

He won two V-League titles with his former club, Dong Tam Long An.

Phuong has signed a three-year contract with SHB Da Nang for whom he will play in the V-League season that kicks off next month.

Calisto told Viet Nam News: "I have not heard anything about Phuong's retirement. I have not heard any players expressing their desire to retire."

He also refused to talk about changes to the team after the AFF Cup.

He admitted to making some mistakes in the semi-finals against Malaysia but pointed out that the loss of too many important players like Le Cong Vinh and Pham Van Quyen just ahead of the AFF Cup also took a toll.

The Portuguese coach left for home last night for a one-month Christmas break and will return later next month. — VNS

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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.

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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

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