Former V-League champions lose ground
The V-League relegation race is heating up, as after round 24, no team is certain to be relegated.
Most likely, the situation will only be decided in round 26, when Da Nang FC welcomes SLNA at Tam Ky Stadium. Da Nang FC is at the bottom of the table with 21 points after 24 matches, while SLNA is at 12th place with 23 points after 24 matches.
Despite the disadvantage, Da Nang still has the right to decide. If they win the remaining two matches, coach Le Duc Tuan and his team will certainly escape the risk of direct relegation, and can go to the play-offs, or even more likely, stay in the league.
Da Nang Club (blue shirt) is at the bottom of the table.
PHOTO: MINH TU
The survival battle between Da Nang Club and SLNA has made many long-time fans sad. During the period 2009 - 2012, the two teams were still in a fierce competition for the throne. Da Nang won the V-League in 2009 and 2012. SLNA is a monument of Vietnamese football with a glorious tradition of 3 V-League titles, 3 National Cups and 4 National Super Cups.
In the youth tournament (U.17, U.19 and U.21 levels), SLNA and Da Nang once competed with each other. SLNA is the cradle of many famous players in the national team jersey, while Da Nang also had a period of owning a youth team (named Da Nang Youth) playing in the first division, even finishing in the middle of the table.
Looking more broadly, the relegation race this season also has two former champions, namely HAGL (V-League champion 2003, 2004) and Quang Nam (V-League champion 2017). Another former champion, Binh Duong Club (V-League champion 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015), has only secured its relegation spot from the previous round.
5 out of 7 bottom teams have won the V-League
PHOTO: VPF
The two remaining teams in the danger zone, Ho Chi Minh City FC (V-League 2019 runner-up) and Binh Dinh (V-League 2023-2024 runner-up, V-League 2022 third place), also had a breakthrough moment. All 7 teams in the bottom half of the rankings had glorious pasts, more or less, but are now just a pale "shadow".
Why?
"Bread and butter" is the first reason for the failure of most V-League teams.
"Because making money from football to support football is still a luxury for many clubs, teams can only 'eat and drink' seasonally. Businesses or the province pay money, the club has money, but when the business's milk is cut off, the team is in trouble. Not many teams can maintain sustainable success, because no one knows how long the business will be 'healthy'," explained expert Doan Minh Xuong, Head of the School Football Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation.
For example, Da Nang Club spent heavily in the period 2008 - 2012, when bringing in a series of good players such as Almeida, Nguyen Rogerio, Do Merlo, Minh Phuong, Vu Phong, Thanh Hung, Phuoc Vinh, Hai Lam.
That was the period when Han River football "raised its flag" when from the first team to the youth team, everyone was carefully taken care of. "Da Nang Club had a coach with a personality like Le Huynh Duc to handle the 'stars', and also invested heavily in the force, so they were successful", coach Mai Duc Chung shared.
However, Da Nang FC has not spent much money in the past 10 years, and the youth teams have also gradually weakened. The peak was in 2022, when U.17 Da Nang withdrew from the national U.17 finals because they... ran out of money. The supply from the youth team has dried up, and the number of stars coming to Da Nang FC has also gradually decreased. The Han River team has continued to decline, and then was relegated in 2023, trying to get promoted again, but still "struggling" because of a thin and weak force.
Can coach Le Duc Tuan (left) revive Da Nang Club?
PHOTO: DONG NGHI
That is the common concern of Quang Nam Club, SLNA and HAGL. These teams mainly borrow players or use self-trained players (with low budget), having to squeeze every penny to survive.
Ho Chi Minh City FC also ran out of money. The "Red Battleship" has not won the last 9 matches and dropped to 11th place, the peak of which was the recent period of losing 5 consecutive matches, the players were owed wages, and had to put pressure to demand benefits.
However, not all poor teams decline, nor do all rich teams flourish. Thanh Hoa FC won 3 cups in 2 years despite a modest squad. On the contrary, Binh Duong FC was continuously pumped with money, but went empty-handed for 7 years and had internal strife.
The way football is played is also very important. In this aspect, many V-League teams have fallen into the old, outdated mindset. The decline of many former champions is only a matter of time.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-vuong-v-league-nhieu-kha-nang-xuong-hang-vi-sao-kho-so-den-vay-185250530130456051.htm
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