Football tickets are no longer inflated
Unlike many previous ASEAN Cups (formerly known as AFF Cups), tickets to watch the Vietnam National Team matches are not sought after by the public. With the scale of Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho), the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) needed nearly 2 days to sell out the best seats and another 3 days to sell all 20,000 tickets for the match against Indonesia.
For the match against Myanmar, VFF has sold out the two highest seats and only has low-priced tickets for seats that are harder to watch the match. On the positive side, this unit has made many efforts in promoting and advertising commercial activities. It is not easy to increase the attraction of the current Vietnam National Team when football performance is declining.
Choosing Viet Tri Stadium is the right move of VFF in the current situation. Vietnam team still plays in a stadium full of spectators, people in neighboring provinces have the opportunity to watch top football and build their love for the national team. Meanwhile, Phu Tho's standards of facilities and match organization are not inferior to Hanoi.
But the truth cannot be changed, two big music shows “Anh trai say hi” and “Call Me by Fire” attracted all the attention of fans. Assuming that if not held in Phu Tho with a capacity of only half of My Dinh stadium, ticket sales could become a concern for managers.
Not to mention, in the 20,000 seats, the organizers have to reserve a large number of tickets to serve the payment of sponsorship benefits, diplomatic tickets and many other activities. Therefore, the actual number of tickets sold to fans is lower.
Vietnam team must pull the audience to its side
But from the semi-finals and even the final, the Vietnam team is likely to return to My Dinh National Stadium to compete. No one wants to see the team play in the Southeast Asian Championship with many empty stands. No matter how well VFF promotes, the ones who decide the "heat" of the match are the players.
Since the end of coach Park Hang-seo’s time, the Vietnam team has actually gradually declined and has not given fans enough “spiritual meals”. Then, after 1 year of leading the Vietnam team, Mr. Philippe Troussier brought fans to the depths of disappointment. Coach Kim Sang-sik appeared, bringing a new breeze to the team but it was not a turning point.
Through the away match in Laos, the Vietnam team still revealed many problems. The opponent improved a lot, but the Vietnam team encountered difficulties mainly because of us. Fans hope for a more emotional match, a more convincing victory on the opening day of the ASEAN Cup 2024.
However, the Vietnamese team should not worry about their fate. The opening match is always difficult for any team. It feels like the players are under invisible pressure after many failures. The match against Indonesia at home is pivotal, opening a new journey for the Vietnamese team.
Previously, coach Park Hang-seo once said that Vietnamese football fans only like winning football. But after all, that is not wrong. The national team is the pride of the nation, no one wants to see the image of the country associated with weak defeats on the field.
Vietnamese fans are demanding but forgiving. As long as Quang Hai and his teammates light a candle of hope from their hearts, the fans will bring the flame back to the stands. Defeating Indonesia, convincingly beating the Philippines and Myanmar and delivering a generous performance are the goals that the Vietnamese team is aiming for.
In the opening match of the 2024 ASEAN Cup in Laos, Mr. Kim Sang-sik did not forget to thank the audience and said that they were one of the factors that helped the Vietnamese team win. That may be a somewhat polite way of speaking, but it is also a way for Mr. Kim and his students to show their spirit of learning and gradually attract the audience to fill the gaps, especially in the upcoming home matches.
