Hoang Anh Gia Lai chairman claims ready to withdraw from V-League

Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai football team Doan Nguyen Duc

Duc made the statement at a conference of chairmen in Hanoi on September 29 whose clubs will compete in the V-League 2012 season. The meeting focused on discussing the weaknesses hounding Vietnamese football and the selection of head of the organising board for V-League following Head of the board Duong Nghiep Khoi resignation.

Chairman Duc decried the series of problems besetting the VFF, saying that, “I and other football team leaders have come here not to listen to the VFF, raise ours hands to vote and then go home. What we want is not just a change in the head of the organising board, but an improvement in the federation’s operation model. It is normal to restructure an enterprise, and the same can be said for the VFF.”

The quality of the V-League has been on the decline and this is the right time for VFF to seriously look at its shortcomings which have their roots as far back as five years ago, but have not yet been settled, he added.

“I think V-League head Duong Nghiep Khoi does not lack the necessary skills but the VFF’s current operational mechanism means he won’t get any better,” Duc noted.

He shared that, “I’ve been involved in football for a decade, and I’ve never wanted to give it up. However, if VFF doesn’t reform, I’ll withdraw from the V-League immediately. Later, I’ll invest in young players to create a firm foundation for the national team.”

According to Duc, weak refereeing, organisational problems and disciplinary issues are the main reasons for the bad quality of V-League.

“I could buy English giants Arsenal, therefore, there’s no reason why I couldn’t help domestic football. Nevertheless, the VFF has to acknowledge its shortcomings,” the chairman emphasised.

Earlier, Hanoi ACB Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien proposed establishing a break-away Super Liga due to his frustration with the V-League. The Super Liga could comprise of six to seven clubs and offer a ‘fairer’ football environment according to its proponents. Chairman Duc also supported the recommendation.

Clubs are expecting a major shift in the VFF’s operations and the threat of a potential Super Liga may well be a tactic to express their desire for a clean-up of the murky world of match fixing and bribery that dogs Vietnamese football.