Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club has not received AFC Champions League bonus, why?

Waiting for instructions from the authorities, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club still cannot pay the nearly 5 billion VND in support from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to the players.

Huynh Nhu and Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club in the match against host Wuhan Jiangda in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League 2024-2025 - Photo: NK

Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club has made history by reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Women's 2024-2025, organized for the first time by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Coach Doan Thi Kim Chi and her team only stopped after losing 0-2 to host Wuhan Jiangda (China) in the semi-final match in Wuhan on May 21.

Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club received nearly 9 billion VND from AFC

In addition to bonuses from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation (HFF) and Ho Chi Minh City Talent Support Fund for the above achievements, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club also received a total of 340,000 USD (about 8.9 billion VND) from the AFC.

This is both a Performance Bonus (stated in the regulations) of 40,000 USD for 2 group stage wins, and a Participation Fee when the HCMC Women's Club successively passed the group stage (100,000 USD), quarter-finals (80,000 USD) and semi-finals (120,000 USD).

But nearly two months have passed since the tournament ended, the remaining nearly 5 billion VND supported by AFC has not been distributed to the members of the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club. In particular, there is information that this money will be used to cover the team's future expenses, making many people angry.

Responding to this, the leader of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that the Department assigned the club to decide how to spend the bonus money and team building money transferred by the AFC.

This leader said: "The money AFC transfers includes bonuses and team building money, so the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will balance and decide how to spend it. Because the team is the beneficiary. The Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club reported that it has already spent money.

The Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club also said that it will continue to balance the purpose of serving the team and continue to distribute bonuses. While the players and the coaching staff proposed to spend all of it. The Department assigned the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club to decide on that, because after all, the club is almost a professional team."

The joy of victory of Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club at the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League Women - Photo: QUANG THINH

Waiting for instructions from the authorities

The leader of the Ho Chi Minh City women's football department said the delay in paying the remaining amount was due to waiting for instructions from the competent authority.

He said: "This is the first time the team has received financial resources from a major tournament like the AFC Champions League for women, so we need to let the competent authority guide us on how to spend it properly. We will ask the Department of Culture - Sports and the Thong Nhat Sports Center to send a document asking for opinions from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee as well as the Department of Finance to guide us on how to spend it."

Director of Thong Nhat Sports Center Nguyen Huu Thanh said that the bonus stated in the regulations was immediately awarded to the HCMC Women's Club as soon as the money was available. The money from the Talent Support Fund, the VFF and HFF bonuses were all spent. As for the last payment, after the VFF sent a document asking the AFC to transfer the money, it was only received last week.

Mr. Huu Thanh said: "When there is money, the team will work with the Center on how to spend it. After deducting the costs of competing and training before the tournament, competing in China and hiring foreign players, the remaining amount of nearly 5 billion VND, the students propose to use that money immediately.

"Last Thursday, the Center and the coaching staff met again. They proposed to spend 70% on the team, and keep the remaining 30% to prepare for the new AFC Champions League women's season 2025-2026," Mr. Thanh added.

Mr. Huu Thanh also said that the Center is waiting for instructions from the competent authority on this matter. He said: "AFC wrote that the money was transferred to the team after the successful completion of the semi-finals. It is in between. For the quarter-finals and the qualifying round, AFC wrote that it was bonus money and money to build the team.

Regarding legal issues, the Center is the unit that is managing the team, but it is a public service unit under the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, the Center must account according to the public service unit, working with the players and building what is necessary so that it can spend."

ORIGINAL

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/clb-nu-tp-hcm-chua-nhan-duoc-tien-thuong-afc-champions-league-vi-sao-2025072009585695.htm