V.League hits sad milestone: Record high number of penalty cards, attraction drops sharply

According to data released by Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), the number of spectators attending the stadium in the first 13 rounds of V.League 2024-2025 is lower than the same period of all other seasons from 2019 to present (excluding the 2021 season which was canceled after round 12). This is the clearest sign that the appeal of the highest level professional tournament in Vietnamese football has decreased sharply.

Specifically, in the first leg of V.League 2024-2025, there were 417,400 spectators coming to the stadium to watch the matches. In the previous 5 seasons, this target was never below 500,000 people. Even V.League 2022 with 13 participating teams recorded a higher number of spectators after the first leg than this season.

The number of spectators coming to the stadium to watch the first leg of V.League 2024-2025 matches decreased sharply compared to the same period of previous seasons.

The effect of the Vietnam national team winning the AFF Cup 2024 has not attracted as many spectators to the stadium as in the 2018-2019 period. In the 4 rounds taking place since the beginning of the year, only the last 2 rounds recorded an average number of spectators per match of over 5,000 people. Thien Truong Stadium ( Nam Dinh ) is the only venue that welcomed over 10,000 spectators.

The number of spectators at the stadium has decreased, and the number of goals in the tournament is also scarce compared to previous seasons. There were only 199 goals in the first 13 rounds of V.League 2024-2025. From V.League 2019 to now (excluding the 2021 season that was canceled halfway), only the 2022 season (with only 13 participating teams, fewer matches) recorded fewer goals (179 goals).

In contrast, the number of yellow cards increased to a record high. A total of 362 yellow cards were issued in the first leg to players, coaches and team officials, an increase of 9 cards compared to the 2023-2024 season and far exceeding previous seasons.

In addition, in just the last 9 matches, V.League also recorded a record of 7 coaches and team officials being punished for reacting to the referee. The match between Quang Nam and Thanh Hoa in round 11 was the first time in V.League history that 2 teams played against each other without a head coach directly directing.

Xiao Ming

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/v-league-cham-moc-dang-buon-the-phat-cao-ky-luc-suc-hut-giam-sau-ar927161.html