Vietnamese football has been under great pressure from public opinion in recent times. In addition to the poor performance and decline of the Vietnamese team, the story of star players such as Hoang Duc, Van Lam, Cong Phuong and some others moving down to play in the National First Division has also created controversy.
First, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam left Binh Dinh club (V.League) to join Ho Chi Minh City Youth team. After that, the team's force was swapped with Phu Dong Ninh Binh and the goalkeeper born in 1993 continued to move to the northern representative.
The same story happened with central defender Nguyen Huu Tuan, defender Do Thanh Thinh, midfielder Do Van Thuan, and striker Dinh Thanh Binh. Some young players such as Nguyen Duc Viet and Nguyen Quoc Viet were also loaned to Phu Dong Ninh Binh by Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
Another notable case is Nguyen Cong Phuong leaving Yokohama FC to join Binh Phuoc club. After more than 2 years of unsuccessfully going abroad, the striker from Nghe An decided to return to play football in the country, but at a team in the First Division.
Recently, midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc also said goodbye to The Cong Viettel after a long process of growing up and dedicating himself to the army team. The current 2023 Vietnam Golden Ball winner made a shocking decision when he transferred to play for Phu Dong Ninh Binh, instead of another club in the V.League.
In reality, the above mentioned players are all capable and skilled enough to play in the V.League, and are even bright stars with great transfer value.
However, by moving down to play in a lower league, fans think that Hoang Duc, Cong Phuong, and Van Lam are reducing their own value.
The amount of money that the bosses of the First Division teams spend is too large, if not far beyond the real value, making it difficult for the players to refuse. At this time, it cannot be affirmed that all the players can be promoted to play in the V.League next season. But just 1-2 years of playing in the First Division, can it be guaranteed that Cong Phuong, Hoang Duc or Van Lam can maintain their form?
From a purely football perspective, many players playing in lower leagues can affect the quality of the Vietnamese team. In the First Division, competition and competition are not high and when expertise declines over time, it is inevitable that the Vietnamese team will weaken as well.
In a recent interview, Hoang Duc admitted that financial factors were part of the reason he accepted to play in the First Division.
Previously, controversy broke out when Hoang Duc had ambitions to play abroad for a Thai or Korean team, but when he left The Cong Viettel, his next destination was a First Division team. Of course, this was difficult for football fans to accept.
As for Cong Phuong, objectively, returning to Vietnam to play football is a step back in his career. In his third time playing abroad, the striker born in 1995 still could not confirm his ability. It is worth mentioning that Cong Phuong's new destination is only the First Division.
From another perspective, public opinion believes that Cong Phuong himself has made efforts for his journey abroad. He only returned home when he no longer had the opportunity to show himself. With different perspectives, the striker born in 1995 himself is always on the edge of controversy.
