Thanh Hoa Club faces a sad outcome.

After 12 rounds, Thanh Hoa FC is currently ranked 12th in the V-League 2025-2026 standings, facing numerous difficulties regarding operating costs.

From the 2023 season, under the guidance of coach Popov, Thanh Hoa became a force in Vietnamese professional football, winning the National Cup for two consecutive years (2023 and 2023-2024) and the National Super Cup in 2023. However, in the 2025-2026 season, the Thanh Hoa team became a relegation candidate in the V-League due to several reasons.

Depleted forces

After Thanh Hoa FC's chairman, Mr. Cao Tien Doan, was arrested and detained for investigation into alleged legal violations in late August 2025, the team fell into financial difficulties, lacking operating funds due to the inability to find new sponsors. With finances "frozen," the Thanh Hoa team suffered a loss of players as several key players left due to unpaid salaries, bonuses, and signing fees.

At the end of 2025, Thanh Hoa FC proactively terminated contracts with many key players, including coach Choi Won-kwon, and players Que Ngoc Hai, Lucas Ribamar, Vo Nguyen Hoang, and Hoang Thai Binh . After the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals, players Nguyen Thai Son, Le Van Thuan, Nguyen Ngoc My, etc., also said goodbye to their hometown team to seek new destinations with many aspirations.

Before Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2026, Thanh Hoa FC only had about 14 players left to compete, mostly domestic players from the local youth academy. Furthermore, the team also faced a transfer ban after four foreign players sued them at FIFA, alleging delays in paying salaries and bonuses as per their signed contracts.

In that situation, the Thanh Hoa Club's leadership sent a letter of appeal to higher authorities, requesting financial and personnel support to keep the team running. However, the Thanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated that Dong A Thanh Hoa Football Company Limited operates under the Enterprise Law, the Law on Physical Education and Sports , and other relevant regulations, therefore there is no basis for the Department to provide financial and personnel support for the organization and competition of the Thanh Hoa football team.

Currently, Thanh Hoa FC players have only received salaries until October 2025, while the coaching staff has only received salaries until August 2025. Coach Mai Xuan Hop shared: "The team currently has about 17 players, but only 13-14 of them are available to play. The rest are injured or not in good physical condition, but they still have to be included in the matchday squad. We can only encourage each other to train and play even though we know we haven't received any signing bonuses or match-fixing rewards. We haven't found a clear solution to this problem yet."

The former national team player also stated that, for now, the team needs to find funds to pay off debts to the four foreign players and lift the FIFA ban so they can register players and prepare their squad for the remainder of the season.

Thanh Hoa FC (wearing dark shorts) is facing difficulties due to a lack of operating funds. (Photo: VPF)

It's difficult to find new sponsors.

Without operating funds, Thanh Hoa FC will find it difficult to strengthen its squad to achieve its goal of successfully avoiding relegation from the V-League. In the 2-2 draw against Nam Dinh on February 1st, Thanh Hoa's registered squad only included two foreign players: midfielder Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov (Kyrgyzstan) and Lao-Vietnamese player Damoth Thongkhamsavath.

Coach Mai Xuan Hop and his players from Thanh Hoa, such as Quoc Phuong, Van Loi, Xuan Hung, and Trong Hung, are still diligently contributing with the hope of helping the team overcome difficulties and successfully avoid relegation. However, without foreign players, Thanh Hoa will struggle to ensure the quality of play in the second half of the 2025-2026 V-League season.

Next week, Thanh Hoa FC may receive a sponsorship package from a bank to temporarily resolve their difficulties. However, if they don't soon find a long-term sponsor, coach Mai Xuan Hop and his team will continue to be in a precarious situation, and are highly likely to become the only team to be relegated.

On February 8th, Thanh Hoa FC will face the home team, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC, in Round 13 of the V-League 2025-2026 at Thong Nhat Stadium. If they don't quickly finalize their personnel, Thanh Hoa football will fall into a prolonged crisis, not only losing a generation of talented players but also potentially disintegrating.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/clb-thanh-hoa-dung-truc-ket-cuc-buon-19626020421362328.htm