V-League: Is it worth the price?

Looking from history, the road from the First Division to the V-League is always paved with roses at the starting line but full of thorns ahead, so the question must be asked: Is it worth the money?

V-League is getting more and more expensive

The 2024/25 season has just ended with a direct promotion ticket for Ninh Binh Club and a play-off spot for Binh Phuoc . The common point of these two names is strong investment, ready to "spend lavishly" to pursue the dream of being promoted to V-League.

Ninh Binh , with strong support from a bank, has made a massive change, bringing in a series of quality players with experience playing in the V-League such as Hoang Duc, Dang Van Lam, Dinh Thanh Binh... to serve the goal of promotion.

With a squad of million-dollar players like Hoang Duc, Ninh Binh easily won a ticket to V-League.

With a squad valued at tens of millions of USD (transfer signing bonus), winning the First Division championship with an unbeaten record is inevitable from that outstanding investment.

Binh Phuoc is not far behind. Although not as massive as Ninh Binh, the Southeast team also shows ambition with notable contracts, of very high value, who have worn the Vietnam national team jersey such as Cong Phuong, Tuan Tai, Phi Son...

Most recently, this team also offered a bonus of up to 10 billion VND if they defeated SHB .Da Nang in the promotion play-off match. At first glance, the above figure is not too impressive, but remembering that the V-League championship only received 5 billion VND, you will see how much Binh Phuoc desires to play in the highest tournament in Vietnam.

Looking from Ninh Binh and Binh Phuoc, it is clear that to have a place in V-League, the price to pay is not cheap.

Is it "cut into pieces"?

However, winning promotion tickets thanks to the power of money is just the beginning. The lesson from the "rookies" of V-League in recent seasons is still hot and is a valuable warning.

CAHN is a rare success story, winning the championship in its first season back, but that is a unique model. The rest are mostly faced with harsh realities.

Hopefully Ninh Binh and Binh Phuoc (if promoted) will not fall into Binh Dinh's footsteps.

The story of Binh Dinh, once an emerging force, runner-up of V-League, and heavily invested in the First Division before being promoted, is a very clear example.

However, just a few years after its peak, the team from the land of Vo fell into financial crisis when the sponsor encountered difficulties, leading to a massive "bleeding" of talent and eventually having to accept relegation in the 2024/25 season.

This example shows that V-League is a long-term and costly game. Spending money to get promoted is one thing, but staying, competing fairly and building a sustainable foundation is another, requiring a stable financial source as well as a long-term, methodical strategy.

Hopefully, Ninh Binh and possibly Binh Phuoc (if they win) will not follow in that footsteps. Fans expect these two new recruits to "cut into pieces", not only by achievements but also by building a club with identity and sustainability to truly become a valuable part of the V-League, instead of shining brightly and then fading away after just a few seasons of... showing off.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/v-league-dat-xat-ra-mieng-hay-chi-la-hien-tuong-roi-bien-mat-2415104.html