Angry TV football fans to meet Kplus

HA NOI – Kplus, a subsidiary of VTV and French station Canal Plus, plans to meet the Vietnamese Football Fans Club next week and explain the cost of its football coverage to subscribers.

Kplus, (known as K+) won a US$10 million contract for three-years exclusive rights to broadcast the world's most popular football leagues.

Last year, it announced a monthly fee of VND250,000 (US$13), which covers the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A.

The figure was four times the previous average monthly VND70,000 fee that K+ charged subscribers.

The high cost has prevented millions of viewers from seeing the English Premiership on local cable television services on Sundays.

As usual, subscribers of the popular VTV cable and VTC pay a monthly fee of only VND65,000 ($2.60) and VND90,000 ($4.70).

The fan club has collected 140,000 signatures from members across the nation protesting at Kplus prices.

Last year, a meeting was held to solve the issue between Kplus, Viet Nam Television (VTV), Viet Nam Multi-Media Corporation (VTC), HCM City Television and Ha Noi Television, but nothing was decided.

"We want Kplus to provide a reasonable price. The new price is too high," said Nguyen Duc Trung, chairman of Viet Nam Football Fans Club.

"We plan to collect one million signatures from Vietnamese fans objecting to the charges," he said. – VNS

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Brazilian flair helps Alves to second Golden Boot

On target: Huynh Kesley Alves won the Golden Boot award after a successful season during which he scored 23 goals in all tournaments. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — Brazilian-born striker Huynh Kesley Alves formerly of V-League club Binh Duong won the nation's Golden Boot award for the highest Vietnamese goal scorer of the year, the prize organising committee told Viet Nam News yesterday.

Kesley, who now plays for First Division Xuan Thanh-Sai Gon, scored 23 total goals in the national football championship, V-League, the Asian Football Confederation Cup and the National Cup to rank first with 74 points. He won the award with 17 goals in 2009.

This year Kelsey beats off runner-up Nguyen Quang Hai of Khanh Hoa, who scored 14 goals with 41 points, while Binh Duong's Nguyen Anh Duc stands in third place.

"This is the second time we have organised a ceremony to honour the top scorer in the national championship. We will make it an annual event for footballers from now on," said Nguyen Minh Hung, vice chairman of the HCM City Journalists Association's Sport Reporters Club.

In 1997, former striker Le Huynh Duc, who now coaches Da Nang, was presented with a top scorer award, but the event was subsequently suspended for 13 years.

Alves, who was granted Vietnamese citizenship in 2008, scored 14 of Binh Duong's 48 goals in the national V-League premier football championship last season. He also netted the ball seven times in the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League and two more times in the National Cup.

Goals scored in the V-League, National Cup, Super Cup and First-Division are taken into account, as are goals scored at official matches organised by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and the ASEAN Football Federation, as well as during international friendly matches from January to December.

In 2005, the 31-year-old striker won top scorer and best foreign player in the V-League with 21 goals for Binh Duong. In 2009, he was the second Brazilian-born footballer called up by the national team to a training session for the Asian Cup qualifiers.

The organising committee for the Golden Boot award said an award ceremony will be held at HCM City's Palace Hotel. Aside from the trophy, Alves will walk away with a cash-prize of VND20 million (US$1,000). — VNS

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Messi wins World Player of Year award again

Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year holds his FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 trophy during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 soccer awards ceremony in Zurich, January 10, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Argentina's Lionel Messi was named World Player of the Year for the second time in a row on Monday, surprisingly beating his Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Iniesta and Xavi had been favorites after helping Spain win the World Cup last year while Messi had failed to score a goal or produce his best form at the tournament in South Africa.

"It was just good to be here with my team mates," said Messi, who looked as surprised as anyone by the result which was announced by Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

"I'd like to share this with my team mates, without whom I would not be here, and...with all the Argentines."

It was the first time the award had been made since the decision to unite FIFA's World Player of the Year with France Football magazine's older Ballon D'Or.

Messi won both awards last season.

The only Spanish winner of either prize was Luis Suarez who took the Ballon D'Or in 1960.

Votes were cast by the coaches and captains of national teams and by selected journalists.

Messi produced some scintillating performances for Barcelona last year, but failed to inspire Argentina who were knocked out in the World Cup quarterfinals.

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Ronaldinho signs for Flamengo, says club

Photo: Reuters

Former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho has signed a four-year contract with Flamengo in a bid to revive his flagging career and win a place in Brazil's 2014 World Cup squad.

"Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, or simply Ronaldinho Gaucho, will wear the Flamengo shirt," said Flamengo on their website (www.flamengo.com.br).

Ronaldinho was last week given permission by AC Milan to seek a move home to Brazil after he failed to hold down his place with the Serie A team.

On Saturday, the Italian club's vice-president Adriano Galliani said the two clubs had reached an agreement.

The 30-year-old, who had also been chased by Gremio, the club where he was raised, and Palmeiras, was overlooked by Brazil squad for the World Cup last year but is still hoping to make the squad in 2014.

"I can imagine these supporters in a full stadium," said Ronaldinho. "The supporters can expect the best from him. I came back to Brazil and to play with Flamengo to give them this.

"I also hope that my performances can put me back in the Brazilian team again."

Flamengo claim to be Brazil's most popular club with 25 million supporters.

Ronaldinho reached his peak when he helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup and then during a five-year spell with Barcelona, where he was twice voted FIFA's World Player of the Year.

Party lifestyle

But after a disappointing performance at the 2006 World Cup, his partying lifestyle and lack of fitness began to show and he joined AC Milan in 2008.

Italy saw only flashes of his astonishing skills and he also fell out of favor with Brazil coach Dunga who, after giving him plenty of opportunities, including a place in the 2008 Olympic Games team, left him out of the 2010 World Cup squad.

He was recalled by new coach Mano Menezes for November's friendly with Argentina in Doha, winning his 93rd cap in a 1-0 defeat.

Ronaldinho, who initially left Brazil in 2001 to join Paris St Germain, joins a growing army of top Brazilian players who have returned home, attracted by a strong lower currency.

Others include Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Deco -- who was raised in Brazil although he played for Portugal -- and Fred.

The signing of Ronaldinho is likely to cause another wave of huge expectation at Flamengo, one of Brazil's most volatile clubs.

Flamengo have won five Brazilian championship titles, most recently in 2009, but finished only two points above the relegation zone last season.

Their attempts to add to the only title in the Libertadores Cup, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, have produced a series of spectacular failures.

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Tet Flower Festival on January 28

Local authorities are gearing up for the annual Spring Flower Festival
at Tao Dan Park in HCM City as the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday
approaches.

The event will begin on January 28 and end on February 8 (the sixth day of the lunar calendar's first month).

More than 8,000 indigenous and foreign flowers, ornamental fish, bonsai
plants and trees will be featured at the festival. They will be
provided by florists, farms, handicraft villages and business people
involved in agriculture, according to Tran Thien Ha, director of the HCM
City Green Tree and Park Company, a member of the festival's organising
board.

Well-known handicraft villages and farms in HCM
City , Hanoi and the provinces of Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Tien Giang,
Vinh Long and Lam Dong will introduce their products at the festival.

In addition to the flower displays and sales, the event will include
musical and dance performances, as well as cultural exhibits such as
traditional food festivals and painting displays. The festival's themes
highlight the 11th Congress of the Vietnam Communist Party, which opens
today in Hanoi .

The opening ceremony will include
three music and song programmes in praise of the Party and President Ho
Chi Minh, which feature dozens of veterans and young performers.

The show titled “Flowers for the Party and Uncle Ho” will highlight revolutionary music.

Designed to feel like a colourful garden, Tao Dan Park will attract children and young people who find inspiration in nature.

Visitors will participate in a variety of street shows featuring folk
art and games staged by hundreds of puppet and circus performers, which
begin at 8pm every night.

Organisers said they have received help and support from the city People's Committee and other offices and organisations./.

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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.

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Book show welcomes Party Congress

A special book exhibition has opened at HCM City 's Nguyen Hue
Bookstore to welcome the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party
of Vietnam.

The
exhibition, featuring more than 1,500 titles in different fields,
attracted many readers, young and old, to its opening ceremony on Jan.
10.

The display has three major themes: The Party's
Documents; The Life and Work of President Ho Chi Minh; and Historical
Events during the American War in Vietnam .

Around
10,000 books cover events and heroes of different periods over the 81
years since the Party's inception, according to the HCM City Books
Distribution Company (Fahasa), a member of the event's organising board.

Participating in the exhibition are leading printers like
the HCM City General Publishing House, National Politics Publishing
House, Tre (Youth) Publishing House and Thanh Nien (Young People)
Publishing House.

The Culture-Theatre Publishing House's Hanh Khuc Giai Phong (Liberation March) is one of the exhibition's highlighted books.

The book is a research work compiled and edited by Lu Nhat Vu, Le Giang
and Le Anh Trung, three of the city's veteran composers and art
critics.

Hanh Khuc Giai Phong displays nearly 600 songs
and 54 works by musicians and authors during the 1954-75 period. They
creatively capture the people's thirst for national independence as well
as their love for President Ho Chi Minh and soldiers.

The
Tre Publishing House introduces one of its bestsellers of last year,
Tran Thai Binh's Vo Nguyen Giap -Hao Khi Tram Nam (General Vo Nguyen
Giap - Magnanimity for a Hundred Years).

The book
portrays the life and military career of Vo Nguyen Giap, focusing on the
General's outstanding contributions to the victories against French and
American aggressors.

Organisers said they hope the
exhibition would help people, particularly young readers, learn more
about the country's heroic history, the Party and its causes and
victories.

Nearly 1,000 books will be presented to soldiers working for the Border Guard Command, they said.

The exhibition will remain open at 40 Nguyen Hue Street , District 1, from 9am to 10pm until January 16. Entrance is free./.

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