Youth football training, an upset refrain in Vietnam

Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Nguyen Trong Hy mentioned youth training again, citing it as one of the targets of the nation in the future to brace up national football. Yet, the issue has actually been named long ago this decade.

Hy gave Tuoi Tre an interview on Wednesday.

Do you think that the early exit of Vietnam at this month’s Suzuki Cup is rooted from sloppy youth training?

That’s right. Youth training has long relied on state budget. It is rooted from the lack of legal binding in protecting lawful rights of individual investors for players’ transfer after their graduation.

Thus, it has discouraged individuals from investing in football training.

We are now focusing on building up such regulations to ensure fair achievements for individual investors in the field.

It seems that club owners now prefer buying talents to training youths for years

They do want to join in youth training but as I said their rights are not well observed now.

It requires great sum of money to build nearly perfect school as Aspire Academy in Qatar or Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Arsenal Football Academy in Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province.

Can you brief youth training in Vietnam during the past years?

If compared it to a tree, we can cover only the top of a tree by organizing tournaments for youth national teams to compete. This year, we set up 7 teams.

As for the root of a tree or daily professional training, clubs take care about it and get annually paid from the state budget.

Many provincial clubs have ignored youth training system. The Mekong Delta area with 12 provinces has only 3 youth teams.

Vietnam has 14 top-flight V-League clubs and 14 others playing at First Division but in total, we have only 17 youth teams competing at national youth leagues.

What should we do to change it?

In two or three years, the VFF will have sufficient fund -- from broadcasting copyrights and budget and we will re-establish a national U-19 league that all clubs at the top two leagues must send their young teams to partake.

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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

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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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