V.League 2021 is still striving to find the optimal solution to end the difficult season. It can be extending the season to 2022 or cancelling the tournament for the sake of the clubs.
V.League 2021 is still striving to find the optimal solution to end the difficult season. It can be extending the season to 2022 or cancelling the tournament for the sake of the clubs.
Teams disagree on rescheduling
Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), the organizer of V.League, has come up with a plan, which is suspending the professional football tournaments in Vietnam for another five months, resuming in November 2021 and ending in March 2022. Specifically, the first division league (V.League 2), stage 1, is expected to kick off on November 20 with a make-up match of round 7 and finish on December 16. From December 20 to January 14, 2022, the teams will compete to separate into groups of A and B, finishing stage 2. The National Championship LS 2021 (V.League 1) is planned to resume with round 13 of stage 1 played on February 12, 2022. From February 16 to March 12, 2022, V.League 1 teams will play to split into groups and finish stage 2. Bamboo Airways National Cup is scheduled to return with the round of 16 on January 17, 2022 and end with the final match on March 18, 2022.
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One of the reasons for the aforementioned rescheduling is the complicated evolution of COVID-19 outbreak in southern localities, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, the fixtures of the national football team will take place soon; therefore, it is not suitable to organize domestic tournaments. From August 23, 2021 to the end of February 1, 2022, the national football team will compete in the third qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and undergo quarantine period. From October 4 to 31, Vietnam U-23 football team will play in the qualifiers for the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup, China. The national football team will compete in the AFF Cup from November 26 to January 17, 2022.
With busy schedules of the national teams, VPF think that the aforementioned rescheduling is reasonable. However, this rescheduling hasn’t been well received by many domestic football clubs. For professional clubs, the operating budget is often funded for activities within one season, which means that extending time will cause additional costs. Besides, extending the tournaments will cause difficulties for the clubs with foreign players. The contracts with foreign players often last one year; it is difficult to say that these contracts will be extended after one year or not. Financial difficulties, contracts with players, and sponsorship contracts are the problems the clubs will face if the tournaments are extended.
Needing to find a common voice
If extending tournaments to 2022 is not feasible, the only option is canceling the tournaments, accepting the current results of the teams, and ending V.League without any team being promoted or relegated. With this option, attention can be focused on the national teams, and V.League clubs can reduce financial risks. On this point, Nguyen Minh Ngoc, general director of VPF said that the tournament cannot be canceled because it will adversely affect the country’s football. The teams have put a lot of efforts on preparation for the tournaments and during the competitions; therefore, it is hard to cancel the tournaments, not to mention the seriously affected benefits of the sponsors and partners if the cancellation is made. If this season’s V.League tournaments are canceled, it may be difficult to call for sponsorship for the following seasons. In addition, the quality and form of players can be declined if they cannot take part in competitions for a long time, which will impact the country’s football quality.
In summary, VPF and clubs should discuss to find a common voice on the optimal option for the sake of the all while ensuring compliance with COVID-19 regulations.
An Nhien
Translated by H.N
