In 2005, Vietnamese football gained good results and experienced sad incidents. Vietnamese Sports newspaper reviews the top events of Vietnamese football in the Year of Rooster.
In 2005, Vietnamese football gained good results and experienced sad incidents. Vietnamese Sports newspaper reviews the top events of Vietnamese football in the Year of Rooster. 1/ The fifth congress of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) took place in a democratic and open atmosphere.The congress voted Nguyen Trong Hy as president of the VFF in its fifth intake and three vice presidents. Also at the congress, Tran Quoc Tuan became the youngest man selected to general secretary of the VFF. The federation”s apparatus was decentralised clearly between the management and operation of football activities.
2/ The women”s team won the third consecutive SEA Games gold medal. Before leaving for the Philippines, a few people thought that the team would complete their gold medal hat-trick.” Even coach Mai Duc Chung seemed very cautious when talking about the team”s possibility. This is because the women”s team is experiencing a generational shift with many young players being unable to step into the shoes of their predecessors so soon. The pressure became heavier when the team lost 1-0 to their main rivals Myanmar in the opening match. However, the coaching board found a good formation for the team, helping them beat three other opponents to qualify for the final with Myanmar. Van Thi Thanh scored the winner in the December 3 final, helping the team win the third consecutive SEA Games gold medal.
3/ The under-23 team won a silver medal at the 23rd SEA Games. Despite being drawn to the Group of Death, the under-23s won the top spot of the group with a game ahead. They then beat Malaysia 2-1 in the semi-finals before losing 3-0 as they were outclassed by Thailand in the final. This was the fourth SEA Games silver medal of Vietnamese football in the last decade.
4/ The women”s, the under-17 and under-20 teams qualified for the Asian finals. 2005 was one for the most successful years of Vietnamese teams after they qualified for the Asian finals. The women”s team won a ticket to the Asian finals in Hanoi. The under-17 team won 2-0 on aggregate over Malaysia to go through. In the year-end month, the under-20 team booked a place for the Asian finals in Ho Chi Minh City. With such encouraging results, Vietnamese spectators may hope for better achievements in 2006.
5/ Dong Tam Long An won the double. With good preparations, Dong Tam Long An won the national championship two weeks in advance of the season end. Coach Calisto”s men won the National Cup after beating Mitsustar Haiphong. This was the sweet achievement for great efforts made by the club.
6/ The under-23 team won LG and Agribank Cups.This was the first time, the under-23 team impressively won two annual friendly tournaments, including the LG and Agribank Cup. The team won the LG Cup in Ho Chi Minh City in September. After a 20-day training tour in Austria, the under-23 team produced an impressive performance to win the Agribank Cup, which was considered as a rehearsal for the 23rdSEA Games. The team beat the Malaysian under-23s, the Thai under-23s and the Japanese under-20s to win the tournament.
7/ Coach Alfred Riedl was signed as coach of the national team for the third time. After coach Tavares was fired due to the national team poor achievements at the 2004 Tiger Cup, the Vietnam Football Federation started its search for a new coach for the national team. Candidates from the UK, Belgium and Turkey applied for the post. However, only two coaches who were very familiar with Vietnamese football, Alfred Riedl and Henrique Calisto, were shortlisted. With his experience and knowledge about Vietnamese football, the VFF selected Mr Riedl for the third time. Different from the previous contracts, Mr Riedl signed a three-year contract with the VFF on April 26.
8/ Many referees and club managers were arrested for offering and taking bribes. Two clubs were relegated for match fixing. East Asia Bank Pomina Steel and Can Tho, who raced for a place in the national championship in 2005, were relegated. After bribery scandal at East Asia Bank Pomina Steel was uncovered, Can Tho were considered to replace their opponents in the V-League. However, Can Tho were then found to be involved in bribery case and were relegated to Division 2. After East Asia Bank Pomina Steel were relegated to Division 1, the VFF decided no club would be promoted to the V-League to replace East Asia Bank Pomina Steel. As a result, 13 clubs are competing in the V-League in the 2006 season.
(Nhandan.com.vn)
