In sports, honesty is the top principle, especially at the youth level, where each match is not only a competition but also a lesson in ethics and human qualities. And the incident of U11 SLNA has exposed a sad truth about the disease of achievement in our country's sports.
The SLNA U11 team cheating on players’ ages is not the first time this phenomenon has been discovered in Vietnamese football. There have been many similar cases in previous years.
However, it seems that the handling and punishment by the authorities in the past time is still not strong enough, not enough of a deterrent, so this fraudulent behavior is still repeated year after year?
Age fraud, especially among teenagers, is unsportsmanlike conduct that goes against the core values of football - honesty and fairness.
A team deliberately registering and using players of the wrong age in order to achieve high results not only destroys healthy competition but also negatively impacts the development of young players, when they are not allowed to compete in an environment suitable for their abilities and age.
What is worth mentioning in this fraud case is that there is a suspicion of irregularities related to the schooling process of the B.V.B player of the U11 Song Lam Nghe An team to legalize his age when registering to compete.
Lao Dong Newspaper also pointed out many clear evidences showing the "strangeness" of this student who studied in grade 4 in Ha Tinh but then when moving to Nghe An, he lowered his age to repeat grade 1.
Currently, the SLNA football team is complaining to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) about disciplinary decisions related to the age fraud of SLNA's U11 team.
On the one hand, the police of two localities, Ha Tinh and Nghe An, have stepped in to verify information related to the year of birth and the learning process of B.V.B.
This is a timely move. And if it is true as reported by the press, the adults involved in this matter must be held accountable and severely punished.
Because the act of cheating on age and "dragging" a child into such devious tricks just to chase after virtual achievements in front of the eyes - not only once again creates a stain on sports but also leaves deep psychological scars and wounds in the journey of cognition and personality development of children.
The act of doing anything to achieve success, even sacrificing a child's future and normal development, shows an unacceptable level of ambition and irresponsibility among sports people.
It is time for those responsible to face the problem, deal with it seriously and thoroughly prevent these acts to protect the future of Vietnamese sports!
