International expert: "Even if he fails, Quang Hai should go to Japan to compete"
Báo Dân trí•24/05/2024
(Dan Tri) - Sharing with Dan Tri, experts Steve Darby and Bae Ji Won said that Vietnamese football needs to change after the incident of 5 players using drugs, and emphasized that Quang Hai needs to go to Japan to play.
Vietnamese football is going through a turbulent period. After the failure of coach Philippe Troussier's reign, a series of players have been caught up in the law for drug use, including the Golden Ball and U23 players. Not long before, in February, five other players were prosecuted for gambling for deliberately playing below their ability to fix scores. These low notes have caused fans to lose faith in the players and the country's football, and at the same time, sounded the alarm about the depraved lives of a number of players, especially young players. In a dialogue with Dan Tri reporters, two veteran experts Steve Darby and Bae Ji Won gave in-depth, multi-dimensional perspectives on all issues. First, answering an interview with Dan Tri about the match-fixing behavior of Ba Ria - Vung Tau players, veteran expert Steve Darby gave his perspective: "The first question is why did these players fix the score? Because of greed or was there any physical threat? If it was just because of greed for money, they should be suspended forever, football does not need such players. However, if there is any threat aimed at the players, the issue must be carefully considered. In addition, it is necessary to ask if the players are paid on time by the club. In Malaysia, there is a phenomenon of bookies deliberately taking advantage of young players when they discover that these players are not paid. Try asking, what does a player have to do to support his family if he has not been paid for 3 months. And then, in front of the scene of his children crying, suddenly the bookie appears with a sum of money equal to 4 months' salary with the offer of a red card or an own goal. That is not an easy problem to solve." Regarding the use of drugs by players, Mr. Darby supports the Vietnamese government's determination and strictness in banning drugs. "Compared to many European countries (some of which allow the use of marijuana), I believe your country's regulations are much better," the former coach of the Thai national team shared. "The drug problem is not unique to Vietnamese players. Many countries face similar problems. In England, access to drugs is easier and players are easily tempted because of their extremely high incomes. In addition to drugs, English football used to have a big problem with alcoholism among players, but this problem has gradually been eliminated thanks to efforts in education and professionalization," he continued. Emphasizing the issue of education, expert Darby said: "It is important to be educated from an early age. Youth football academies in England have a lifestyle education program, where 13-year-old players are taught about what to eat, what to drink and what not to do, such as getting involved with drugs or basic. "Education is extremely effective!", the veteran English strategist asserted. "It will never be absolute value because we are human beings, we are always subject to many negative influences from society, friends and even family members. However, the club has a moral obligation to take care of the players and ensure their economic security." Whenever Vietnamese football is involved in a match-fixing scandal, almost all fans immediately think of the Bacolod scandal in 2005 in the Philippines. A generation of talented players from the U23 Vietnam team was eliminated at that time. However, just 3 years later, we won the Southeast Asian championship (AFF Cup) for the first time in history. However, in terms of scale, Korean football has experienced a match-fixing scandal and a much larger surgery. That was in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Illegal sports betting organizations and criminal gangs infiltrated Korean football in many ways. Using sophisticated baits, gangs gradually manipulated players to conduct match-fixing. "The other day, a club's goalkeeper committed suicide and the match-fixing case was brought up," expert Bae Ji Won recalled. "On May 21, 2011, the police summoned players and brokers suspected of match-fixing in the K-League for investigation. Many players playing in the K-League were called in for questioning and confessed to having fixed matches. It was a huge shock. The K-League organizing committee had to summon all clubs and players participating in the tournament to hold a conference to eradicate match-fixing and prepare a response plan. At the conference, all players and team leaders had to commit to preventing match-fixing. In addition, the K-League also coordinated with the police to set a deadline for reporting. The Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea also had a meeting with the Presidents of K-League clubs and the leaders of K-League. At the meeting, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea decided to permanently ban players who were involved in systematic, intentional and malicious match-fixing. A total of 59 players were arrested or prosecuted without detention by the prosecution. This number accounts for about 9% of the number of players registered to participate in the 2011 K-League. 47 of these 59 players were suspended for a long time or banned from playing forever. Some were also banned from participating in football activities, meaning they could not become assistants or coaches. It was a dark period for Korean football. However, it was also an opportunity for Korean football to regenerate, introducing a new education and management system. Thanks to that, we found the right direction. As a result, Korean football has achieved success and has increasingly reached European level in recent years." Another problem of the U23 Vietnam players participating in the recent U23 Asian Cup is their lack of experience. Part of the reason comes from the lack of opportunities to play in domestic competitions. Giving his opinion on this issue, expert Steve Darby said: "If you want to have a strong national team, it is important that potential players are given regular playing time. In 2000, Malaysia banned foreign players from playing for 2 years and 2 of the country's top talented players (Khalid Jamlus and Indraputra) emerged. Of course, it is not necessary to be so extreme. Simply put, I think it is important to use fewer but quality foreign players. Foreign players must be of a higher level than domestic players, attract the attention of fans and be a professional role model both on and off the field. If foreign players do not meet the above criteria, recruiting them is just a waste of money. In addition, I see that in the V-League there are many poor quality foreign players from countries without good education. Therefore, it is best to limit the number of foreign players to 2 per team and there must be a salary limit for each foreign player so that the club has to weigh, measure, and count carefully in deciding. selection". Meanwhile, expert Bae Ji Won believes that the reason young players have few opportunities to play is partly because many clubs do not have a stable youth player training system and even lack a vision for the future. "Instead of criticizing the consequences of young players going astray, we need to find a solution together," he emphasized. And the former assistant to coach Park Hang Seo gave his opinion: "Another important thing is that large corporations that are promoting Vietnam's economy need to pay more attention to promoting the development of football and the V-League. Viettel is a shining example to follow." Finally, regarding the future of Nguyen Quang Hai, the most promising talent of Vietnamese football in the past 5 years, Mr. Bae Ji Won affirmed: "I always wholeheartedly encourage Vietnamese players to play abroad. Especially the experience of fighting abroad for players like Quang Hai is an important resource in the future for the national team." Quang Hai once went to France to play for Pau FC but was unsuccessful. In addition, many other Vietnamese players have faded when playing abroad. However, former assistant coach Park expressed his opinion: "Cong Phuong has had several opportunities to play abroad and is still playing in Japan, although he has not left an impression. However, his experience and failures are very worthy for the future development of the Vietnamese team. "If Vietnamese players continue to accept challenges, they will gradually have more opportunities and a higher chance of success," Mr. Bae Ji Won assessed. Sharing the same opinion, expert Darby concluded: "I encourage and respect Quang Hai to make an effort to play in Japan. I hope that the trip abroad will have a positive impact on him. A football career only happens once and is very short, so try to play at the highest level possible. Even if he fails, he will still return as a stronger, more courageous, more experienced and hopefully better version than he was before going abroad." Quang Hai's first trip abroad was too noisy, even boisterous, but did not achieve results because he chose the wrong direction. However, if Hai "son" decides to go to Japan this time, there will be less pressure, a more suitable environment and a more appropriate level. Those are the foundations for this player to sow the seeds of opportunity for other players' trips abroad and the hope of reviving Vietnamese football.
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