We need to eliminate the inadequacies.

THE COMPETITION SYSTEM IS NOT SUITABLE

In countries with developed football, the national league system follows a "triangular model," meaning a sharp apex and a wide base. To put it simply, the lower leagues have more teams, and the number decreases in the higher leagues, until the national championship has the fewest. This model is undeniably common in European football. In Asia, the Japanese J-League 1 has 20 teams, and the J-League 2 has a similar number. South Korea, a leading football nation in Asia and a frequent World Cup finalist, only has 12 teams in its K-League 1, while its K-League 2 has 13 teams.

National team player Vo Minh Trong (left) is currently playing for Binh Duong team, which originated from the First Division.

To give an example, within Southeast Asia, Thai and Indonesian football also adhere to the aforementioned principle. In Thailand, the national league (Thai League 1) has 16 teams, while the first division (Thai League 2) has 18 teams. In Indonesia, the national league (Liga 1) has 18 clubs, and the first division is even larger, boasting 28 competing teams.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's football competition system has a "strange" model, with large tops and bottoms, but a narrower middle section. The V-League and the second division each have 14 teams, but the first division only has 11 clubs. Football expert Doan Minh Xuong stated: "In principle, and as FIFA also recommends, the lower divisions are the foundation; everyone has done this except for Vietnamese football. After 20 years of professionalism, the current Vietnamese football competition system is still unsuitable, leading to fragmented resources."

FOR YOUNG PLAYERS, IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE.

According to Mr. Doan Minh Xuong, the First Division is in a state of both scarcity and weakness. It's scarce because there are few teams, and weak because many clubs participate merely to maintain the sport, without any ambition for promotion. "It's time for Vietnamese football to adjust its competition system, specifically by reducing the number of teams in the National Championship and increasing the number of teams in the First Division. The lower division will play a foundational role, like the base of a house. If the foundation is wide and strong, the house will be sturdy. The highest level of the professional football system must be where the best players gather," expert Doan Minh Xuong stated.

The first division needs more participating teams.

When lower leagues, especially the first division, are expanded, this will be a suitable platform for young players to develop. The more first-division teams there are, the more young players there will be. Naturally, the chances of emerging "rising stars" will be higher. Through the selection process, talented young players will be a valuable resource for the V-League and, of course, for the national team.

Mr. Xương assessed: "In the first division (or lower divisions), young players get more playing time. In the V-League, teams are afraid of relegation, so how can they dare to use young players? Football is a competitive, real-world sport, and without enough playing time and opportunities, players cannot improve their skills. Without a pool of talented young players, the national teams will naturally be affected in terms of both professional strength and personnel. Here, I'm referring to the national youth teams (U.19, U.21, U.23) and the Vietnamese national team. I'm assuming the first division has 16 teams; players would get to play more than 30 matches per year (including the National Cup). That way, young players would have the chance to gain experience and improve."

TIGHTEN CLUB STANDARDS

Besides improving the national competition system, tightening regulations on club standards is also an inseparable task (in all leagues). If we want a good and highly professional league, each component (the teams) must be of high quality. In this regard, those involved in Vietnamese football have not been decisive enough. Even a team with a rich tradition like Hai Phong FC has been repeatedly reminded by the Asian Football Confederation about the importance of developing its youth system. The team from Hai Phong has had to repeatedly request exceptional permission to participate in the national championship and continental tournaments.

Expert Doan Minh Xuong emphasized: "We need to be strict about team standards. Clubs must ensure financial resources, facilities, and youth training systems… If this is implemented effectively, the league will be more competitive, because every team that participates will be serious. V-League teams will be truly very strong. Meanwhile, if second and first division teams feel they lack the strength, they should focus on training young players to transfer to the senior teams, then use the money and repeat the process. If many clubs can do this, Vietnamese football will produce many talents and have the opportunity to progress continuously."

However, achieving the above requires a clear roadmap and gradual transformation. According to Mr. Xương, for provincial football teams to develop and become more professional, it is necessary to mobilize social resources. Local authorities and businesses need to work together in good faith. (to be continued)

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE COMPETITION IS ALSO A WAY TO COMBAT NEGATIVE PRACTICES.

A league lacking competitiveness means a high risk of negative consequences. According to expert Doan Minh Xuong, in the first and second divisions, teams lack ambition for promotion, playing half-heartedly without motivation, making it easy for betting to occur, or for two teams to collude to fix results… In fact, negative incidents have already occurred in the first division, with five players from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau team being prosecuted for participating in football betting. Recently, the VFF issued a warning letter to the second-division team Tay Nguyen Gia Lai for their unusual playing style and conceding "suspicious" goals.

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