The Vietnam Football Federation and the 28 V-League clubs are trying to resolve differences over draft regulations for the new season, reported the Thanh Nien newspaper, as quoted by AFC Media. The talks assume importance in light of the corruption scandal in which the V-League is embroiled. The new draft regulations define a professional football club participating in the V-League as an ‘enterprise’, which met with opposition as the clubs say the V-League and most of the first division clubs are run by provincial sports departments as social organisations and not enterprises. If the clubs are recognised as ‘enterprises’ then they could face a slash in government subsidy.
Another contentious issue was a player’s responsibility to play for the national team at international events. “Players are responsible to play for the national team, yet it is the club who pay salaries and for treatments due to injury, and club interest in the player is ignored,” Thanh Nien quoted Le Nguyen Hong, director of Da Nang city’s sports department, as saying.
The VFF, meanwhile, has postponed the announcement of the official 2006 league schedule for V-League and First Division clubs till December 20. V-League and First Division 2006 league play will start in January 2006 and 30 December respectively.
On the referee corruption scandal, new networks are being uncovered. Working with disgraced FIFA referee Vu Trong Chien, police have detected that referee Thai Thuong Triet, already involved in the Luong Trung Viet scandal, had connections with yet another bribe network. With its football amnesty at an end, the Social Order Crime Investigation Agency, under the Ministry of Public Security, has begun summoning suspects who have not voluntarily stepped forward. Thus far, reports Vietnam Net, around 20 referees have been prosecuted for involvement in the scandal. Among them 12 took bribes worth over VND 40 million, four of between VND 12-15 million, and the rest less than VND 5 million.
Another contentious issue was a player’s responsibility to play for the national team at international events. “Players are responsible to play for the national team, yet it is the club who pay salaries and for treatments due to injury, and club interest in the player is ignored,” Thanh Nien quoted Le Nguyen Hong, director of Da Nang city’s sports department, as saying.
The VFF, meanwhile, has postponed the announcement of the official 2006 league schedule for V-League and First Division clubs till December 20. V-League and First Division 2006 league play will start in January 2006 and 30 December respectively.
On the referee corruption scandal, new networks are being uncovered. Working with disgraced FIFA referee Vu Trong Chien, police have detected that referee Thai Thuong Triet, already involved in the Luong Trung Viet scandal, had connections with yet another bribe network. With its football amnesty at an end, the Social Order Crime Investigation Agency, under the Ministry of Public Security, has begun summoning suspects who have not voluntarily stepped forward. Thus far, reports Vietnam Net, around 20 referees have been prosecuted for involvement in the scandal. Among them 12 took bribes worth over VND 40 million, four of between VND 12-15 million, and the rest less than VND 5 million.
See also: Vietnamese football acts to clean up corruption (2 Oct 2005)