3 clubs 'compete' for Hang Day stadium: Which is the real capital team?

Of the three football teams, Hanoi Police Club, Hanoi FC, and Viettel The Cong, one team must leave the familiar and iconic location of Hanoi football - Hang Day Stadium. Up to this point, after the meetings, no team wants to "give up the field".

The trouble between the three teams also raises an interesting question that has been hotly debated by fans these past few days: Which is the real Capital team?

The debate between these three names has not been settled yet because the local quality in football is a very abstract concept, impossible to quantify. But to some extent, it can still be evaluated by several criteria, namely origin - name, representative value and recognition from fans.

Hanoi FC, The Cong – Viettel and Hanoi Police Club must choose one team to leave Hang Day Stadium. (Photo: Minh Chien)

Hanoi football team?

In name and on paper, no team is truly the original representative of the capital's football. This sounds like a paradox at first, when people still say that Hanoi is the only locality with up to 3 clubs competing in the V.League.

In fact, the presence of Hanoi FC, Hanoi Police Club and Viettel The Cong is not the same as other local football teams such as Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa... - which are local clubs, managed by businesses according to the Professional Football Regulations.

Hanoi Police Club, formerly known as People's Police, was established in 2008 as a football team belonging to the police force. In 2022, they were promoted to V.League and transferred and changed their name. The current Hanoi Police Club has absolutely no historical connection with the football icon of the same name in the past.

Despite having the two words Hanoi in its name, the current V.League champion has only been associated with the capital since 2022. The People's Public Security Club has previously been "stationed" in many localities, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai and Ninh Binh. Currently, the police team plays at home at Hang Day but lives and trains at the PVF Football Center - Ministry of Public Security, located in Hung Yen.

The Cong - Viettel came from the youth team of Viettel Youth Football Training Center, playing in V.League since the 2019 season. They are not actually the famous The Cong of the past. The Cong of Ba Den, Hong Son, Viet Hoang was considered to be wiped out after selling the V.League spot to Thanh Hoa in 2009. Like Cong An Ha Noi, The Cong - Viettel today is also a football team of the military.

Of the three, Hanoi FC has the most origins in the capital. They were born in Hanoi in 2006, and have been associated with Hang Day and Hanoi ever since. However, they started out as a team belonging to T&T Group, originally named Hanoi T&T. They were just one of many corporate football teams that were born in the capital during that period.

Long-term commitment to Hanoi-born players is one of Hanoi FC's long-term orientations. (Photo: Minh Chien)

Identity associated with the Capital

As the only team with the two words Hanoi in its original name, Hanoi FC is also the team that shows the most ambition to be attached to the capital. They built a youth training center in Hanoi, linked with the youth academy in Gia Lam. At one point, this team owned about half of the national team players - players from Hanoi such as Quang Hai, Duy Manh, Dinh Trong...

However, it took them a long time to convince fans to accept them as representatives of the capital city of Hanoi. The team's former coach, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, once said that Hanoi FC having few fans was normal, but having many fans was what surprised him.

Hanoi FC spent years attaching the team's identity to its local name, convincing fans that they are the capital's football team through their actions both on and off the field.

Unlike the young Hanoi FC, the beautiful memories of The Cong helped The Cong - Viettel Club gain strong support right after returning to V.League. However, even the original version of The Cong was often called by the nickname "the army team" rather than "the capital team" associated with the locality.

Banner of Hanoi Police Club fans on Hang Day stadium yesterday (March 13).

Compared to the two names above, Hanoi Police Club has more difficulties. The time in V.League, the memories of the police team in the past are not enough for them to be recognized.

The Hanoi Police Club also does not have strong links with the locality in youth training and community building activities. The current V.League champion team has local stars: Nguyen Quang Hai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, or players who have been with the capital since their football training days like Doan Van Hau. However, these are players brought in from other clubs. The police team has only started building youth training for less than 2 years and has not been able to create a force with its own identity.

The current situation of the three capital football teams at Hang Day is quite similar to 2010 when this place was the home ground of four clubs including Hanoi T&T, Hanoi ACB, Hanoi FC and Hoa Phat Hanoi. However, at that time, the teams were not yet affected by professional football regulations.

In short, no matter how good or bad, none of the three current names are truly the legitimate representatives of the capital's football. The battle for Hang Day Stadium, as usual, will be decided behind the scenes, where the power and influence of each club is still the determining factor of success or failure.

Thanh Ha

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