The joy of SLNA players staying in the league - photo: Minh Tu
SLNA: That's it, there's nothing left, my dear...
SLNA is a proud symbol of Nghe An people with a unique achievement: the only team that has never been relegated or had to play in a lower division in the V-League era, dominating domestic football with a huge collection of titles: 3 V-League championships, a record of 3 National Cups, 4 National Super Cups...
During its heyday, SLNA proudly boasted that "Nghe An football talent is like the Lam River, never will it dry up" with Vietnam Golden Ball winners Van Hanh, Van Quyen, Cong Vinh... and many Best Young Player titles such as Huy Hoang, Phi Son, Trong Hoang, Van Quyen, Cong Vinh... becoming pillars of the national team.
All of those stars emerged very early, at only eighteen or twenty years old they were already V-League stars even when on loan and playing for other teams, most of them were on the Vietnamese national team, captivating the hearts of many fans across the country.
SLNA's tradition is facing a big challenge - photo: Kha Hoa
For a long time, wearing the SLNA shirt was a source of pride, a guarantee of talent and potential. Nghe An players dominated the national teams, evenly competing with and even overwhelming the "wings" of The Cong, Ho Chi Minh City Police, Hai Quan... or Hanoi , Da Nang, Nam Dinh clubs...
But things gradually changed when football moved towards professional play, after pushing many Vietnamese football icons into the past, causing SLNA to go through the most difficult period in its glorious history.
The days of sponsorship come, go or stay, but unfortunately the pride of a powerful football foundation is only in the past. For the second consecutive year, SLNA struggled, running for their lives in a relegation battle that many people said was "using up all their reserve capital".
At this moment, looking at Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh football flying high, Nghe An fans only have the tradition of not being relegated to be proud of and comfort each other, although looking at the gloomy reality of the pitch, no one is sure whether that record will stand next season or will be stopped at some point.
When will "rejuvenation" end?
SLNA is racing to avoid relegation for the second consecutive season - photo: Minh Tu
In recent seasons, SLNA has seen a series of stars leave one after another such as Ngoc Hai, Trong Hoang, Van Khanh, Khac Ngoc, Nguyen Manh... and filled the void by promoting young players to the first team. At SLNA, people call it rejuvenation.
In the last 2 V-League seasons, SLNA became the youngest team. In V-League 2024 - 2025, SLNA had an average age of 23.5, this number in V-League 2024 - 2025 was 23.6 and was led by young coach Phan Nhu Thuat.
Apart from striker Olaha, SLNA's foreign players are all "average" players, so it's understandable that they were always in the relegation spiral until round 25, when they won against HAGL, who used many young players to successfully stay in the league.
Another difficult relegation season for SLNA - photo: Minh Tu
After the second consecutive "near-death" season, SLNA is at a crossroads: upgrade the squad or continue to "reap the green rice" by sending players in their late teens to the field without the guidance of experienced seniors as is their tradition.
Fortunately, in the most difficult circumstances, Nghe An fans, who are very demanding, did not turn their backs. First, the Southern SLNA Fan Club put aside their differences to light up the away trips. Or on the night of June 15, there were 8,500 spectators present at Vinh Stadium (according to VPF statistics).
On June 15, many leaders of Nghe An province were seen coming to Vinh stadium to cheer on the team. There is information that the current sponsor will continue to be associated with SLNA along with some other secondary sponsors. If that happens, will the Nghe An team continue its radical rejuvenation strategy (meaning reducing costs because young players' salaries are very cheap - PV) or invest to regain a better position, attracting audiences to Vinh stadium?
These things will have to wait for more time to be verified because at this time, SLNA fans and leaders are happy that the team has safely landed. After that, everyone will return to the present to face the problem of balancing the economy and identity of the only team in V-League that only uses local people.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/slna-nhung-ban-khoan-sau-2-lan-chet-hut-185250616160934189.htm
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