Opening ceremony of aspirations

" EVERY MATCH IS A FINAL"

It is expected that the qualifying round in Ho Chi Minh City will take place continuously with a density of 3 matches per day at Ton Duc Thang University's football field, from December 28, 2024 to January 15, 2025. At the technical meeting yesterday morning, December 27, representatives of the teams all agreed that each match will be as fierce as the final, because the 7 groups will only select 7 first-placed teams, along with 1 second-placed team with the best results to play the play-off match, to select the 4 best names to participate in the final round (VCK). The opening ceremony of the qualifying round of Group E in Ho Chi Minh City will take place at 3:30 p.m. today, December 28, followed by the much-anticipated match between the defending champion, Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports (UPES), and the traditional name, Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport (GTVT). Ho Van Lung, head coach of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, said that in the third tournament, the team trained longer, and the players were full of determination and confidence to enter the match against a very strong opponent. "Group A focuses on strong teams, such as UPES, Saigon Polytechnic College, and University of Finance and Marketing. We are determined to get points in the match on the afternoon of December 28, and further, we must win a ticket to the 2025 TNSV THACO Cup Finals. Therefore, every match in this qualifying round is a final match, we cannot be careless," Lung emphasized.

Cheer wildly

Photo: Nhat Thinh

People's Police University practices to prepare for the new season

This encounter becomes interesting when the head coaches of the two teams are two close friends who have been together for nearly 30 years. So close that UPES coach Pham Thai Vinh jokingly said: "On the day I got married, Ho Van Lung was the best man. And on the day Lung got married, I was the best man." But that close relationship will have to be put aside when both coaches stand on opposite sides of the battle line, representing the teams of two schools with rich traditions.

Quietly but regularly every week during the past time, the People's Police University team has had practice matches on the 11-a-side field with many diverse opponents. In the second time participating in the tournament, the Party Committee and the School Board invested in uniforms and training facilities carefully.

After a year, the players' physical strength, skills and experience have improved significantly, under the guidance of Nguyen The Anh - a former Vietnamese player and former goalkeeper coach of the Vietnamese national team. Last season, in their first participation in the tournament, the People's Police University made an impression with their beautiful cheering style, with hundreds of fans wearing police uniforms covering the stands in green. However, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Tien, an officer of the Department of Training Management and Advanced Training, People's Police University, affirmed that this year's cheering team is even more magnificent, impressive and professional. "The goal of this year's team is to reach the final round. We hope that this year's People's Police University team will not only make a breakthrough and make an impression on the stands but also on the field, where the players compete," Lieutenant Colonel Tien emphasized.

C IS BEAUTIFUL AND WINNING MUST BE BEAUTIFUL TOO

Coach Nguyen Vo Hoang Phu, Van Lang University team, said that his team has no other goal than to enter the final round like the first and second tournaments. Mr. Phu added that this year, more than 50% of the school's team are new players, but in return, everyone has had a long time to practice together. "Out of 28 teams in Ho Chi Minh City, only 4 teams will enter the final round. Our group C also includes strong names with a lot of experience in the 11-player tournament such as RMIT, Gia Dinh University, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, so our task will be more difficult. We will try our best," Mr. Phu said.

Fierce competition

Victory

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Mr. Tran Ngoc Nho, a V-League referee participating in the refereeing work at the TNSV THACO Cup 2025, said that the team of referees, assistants, and referee supervisors are ready in terms of expertise and physical strength to serve the tournament. In addition, the team of veteran referee supervisors, experienced former referees regularly exchange professional knowledge with young referees, so that the team is ready to perform their duties at the tournament with the highest efficiency. He also added that the Ho Chi Minh City regional qualifying round gathered a strong "black shirt king" force with 5 FIFA referees (2 FIFA referees Le Thi Ly - just assigned to work at the 2024 U.17 Women's World Cup - and Tran Thi Thanh), 3 FIFA assistant referees (Ha Phuong, Hang Nga, Kim Tuyen). There are 2 male referees currently officiating at the V-League and 1 person working in the first division. Their proven and confirmed FIFA experience will be the core framework to help run the Ho Chi Minh City regional qualifiers most effectively.

"The message I want to send to all the teams in the qualifying round of the TNSV THACO Cup 2025 is also the message of the tournament: Play fair, win fair, cheer fair. In competitive sports, conflicts are inevitable, but I hope that the players and the coaching staff of the team will restrain themselves and keep a cool head for the sake of each individual's image, the overall image of the team and the image of the university or college where each person is studying and working," referee Tran Ngoc Nho said.

As for the VFF match supervisor, Mr. Le Ba Hoai emphasized: "We request that the teams compete fiercely and dedicate themselves but respect the rules and decisions of the tournament's organizers and referees. This is a student tournament, so each team needs to maintain the spirit of dedication of school football, resolutely eliminate violent acts and uncivilized behavior in football activities. All must especially respect the audience and professional ethics. In particular, officials and coaches of clubs need to demonstrate their roles, styles and qualifications, strictly comply with the tournament's regulations and rules from registration to participation in matches, absolutely do not show words or actions that lack standards or have the intention of inciting."

This year, in the list of 23 players officially registered to participate in the TNSV THACO Cup 2025 of UPES, there are 2 faces who are new students of the school who have participated in the U.19 and U.21 teams of Ho Chi Minh City, namely Tran Van Minh and Vuong Tan Phat. It is predicted that these will be the surprising factors in the qualifying round of TNSV THACO Cup 2025.

Coach Pham Thai Vinh said his team will promote the new points in this regulation, the strikers who have played in the U.19 and U.21 tournaments will show their abilities together with the team in the opening match.

Responding to Thanh Nien , player Tran Van Minh (18 years old) of UPES said that he has played football since he was a child. When he was in 6th grade, the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation (HFF) selected talented players under the cooperation program between HFF and Lyon Club (France), and Minh was selected. Minh practiced with the team from 6th grade to the end of 12th grade, studying both culture and football, participating in many matches for the U.19 and U.21 Ho Chi Minh City teams.

"This year, as a new UPES student, I am lucky to wear the UPES shirt to participate in the TNSV THACO Cup 2025. Wearing the UPES shirt, the team that was the champion and won third place in the tournament, is a pressure for many players, but we will overcome it with determination to bring the team to the finals," Minh shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khai-hoi-bung-khat-vong-185241227222310846.htm