Vietnamese football is in turmoil.

The new 2025-2026 season is about to begin, but the V-League is facing the prospect of Quang Nam FC withdrawing from the league. The First Division is even more chaotic, with many clubs uncertain about their survival.

Quang Nam FC drew 1-1 withSHB Da Nang in the Thien Long 2025 Friendly Tournament - Photo: THIEN LONG

Vietnamese football officials have never been in such a chaotic situation, with so many teams facing precarious circumstances.

What's the solution for V-League?

The Quang Nam players received notification of the team's disbandment and withdrawal from the V-League 2025-2026 season on the afternoon of July 21st. The team also stopped training and will not participate in the Thien Long 2025 friendly tournament held at their home stadium in Tam Ky, despite having drawn 1-1 with SHB Da Nang in their opening match.

On July 22nd, Quang Nam FC announced that they had proposed two options to the team. Under the option of retaining the team, Quang Nam FC suggested that the city's leadership direct efforts to find and invite local businesses to sponsor the team's continued participation in the V-League. If no new sponsors are found, Quang Nam FC proposed transferring all its members to SHB Da Nang FC.

Following instructions from the Da Nang City People's Committee, Quang Nam Club reported the team's fate to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF).

This puts the VFF and VPF in a precarious situation as the opening day of the tournament (August 15th) approaches. If Quang Nam FC is dissolved, the 2025-2026 V-League will only have 13 teams, significantly disrupting the tournament schedule. This is especially concerning given that the VPF held the draw for the match schedule on July 14th.

If Quang Nam FC withdraws, VPF will have to consider promoting a qualified team to participate or maintaining the current 13 teams and seeking the opinion of the VFF Executive Committee. However, choosing which team to replace Quang Nam FC is also not a simple matter.

Some argue that the spot should be given to Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club (most likely to be renamed Truong Tuoi Dong Nai) - the runner-up of the 2024-2025 First Division and who recently lost 0-2 to SHB Da Nang in the play-off match to qualify for the 2025-2026 V-League.

However, some argue that the spot should be given to Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club - the team that was relegated at the end of the 2024-2025 season.

The first division is in trouble again.

Over the past five years, the First Division has never been without turmoil, with clubs withdrawing every season. Now, a number of clubs are leaving open the possibility of participating in the 2025-2026 season, causing headaches for the VFF and VPF again, just as they were celebrating the return of 14 clubs to the First Division after 14 years.

Following the merger of Binh Phuoc province into Dong Nai province, the leaders of Dong Nai province, in a meeting with Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc FC on July 14th, proposed that the team take over Dong Nai FC to achieve better results together in the future. This means that Dong Nai FC will be dissolved and will only await official announcement in the near future. The former Dong Nai FC squad is also significantly depleted, as most players and coaches have had their contracts expire after the end of the season.

Khánh Hòa FC is also uncertain to compete in the 2025-2026 First Division because Khánh Việt Corporation (Khatoco) - the team's main sponsor - recently issued a document returning the team to the province to find another sponsor.

The situation for the three clubs Long An, Dong Thap, and Ho Chi Minh City Youth is still uncertain. Last season, Long An Club only registered for the First Division at the last minute after receiving financial support from a bank and player support from Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club.

But after the end of last season, the two sides parted ways, and Long An Club now only has a few local players. The team also doesn't know where to find funding to participate in the league and whether or not to change its name after Long An province merged with Tay Ninh province - which has a second-division team.

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Club also parted ways with its members after the season ended. Coach Tran Duy Quang said that he and the players only signed contracts for one season. And to this day, he hasn't heard anything from the club's leadership about whether or not they will continue to cooperate.

While many teams have already begun training for the new season, Dong Thap FC has had to postpone its training camp until early August due to uncertainty regarding sponsorship. Last season, the team was sponsored by Van Hien University.

However, Van Hien University also has a football team that just won promotion to the First Division this season. Therefore, the sponsorship issue needs further discussion. And this puts coach Phan Thanh Binh and his team in a waiting position.

In discussions with the VFF and VPF, both stated that they had not yet received official letters from Quang Nam Club or other clubs in the First Division, and therefore could not provide specific answers regarding the options if any team were to withdraw.

According to VPF, the organization has prepared contingency plans regarding the number of participating teams and changes to the match schedule to avoid being caught off guard. Importantly, after receiving official documents from the clubs, VPF will report and seek approval from VFF before making an official announcement.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-da-viet-roi-boi-20250723080255328.htm