VietNamNet Bridge – They are members of the national football squad but they also suffer from the risk of unemployment like hundreds of other players.




From 28 teams, the V-League and the First Division Tournament now have only 20 teams. In the near future, if the situation is not improved, some teams will still be dissolved.

With 30 players in a football team on average, the V-League and First Division Tournament have more than 200 players who have become jobless. Not only the young, little-known, but even the stars who are member of the national team are unemployed.

Back from the AFF Cup, around half of the members of the national squad faced the risk of unemployment. Finally, the situation is not so dramatic when Ninh Binh and Saigon Xuan Thanh have announced to still participate in the 2013 football season.

However, nearly ten of star players now have to find a new home after their teams were dissolved or declared to not participate in the 2013 season.

The most outstanding face is striker Le Cong Vinh. The top striker recently had to admit that the chance to play in the 2013 season was very modest. Nobody accepts to pay hundreds of thousands of USD to buy him. Reluctantly, Cong Vinh will almost certainly go to the sports college while trying to maintain his form to look for opportunities in the next season.

It is ironic if a star like Cong Vinh, who has been the number one striker in years, becomes unemployed.

For a long time enjoying the preferences for a star, if Cong Vinh is jobless, his financial situation is not so affected. Among the national players, striker Quang Hai seems to be the most tragic. It is a dilemma for him because his team – Navibank Saigon – was disbanded but if he wants to join a new team, he will have to pay VND3.5 billion of compensation and his old debt to the team. Quang Hai said he had to sell his motorbike to pay debts and support his family.

Recently, the key defender of the national squad, Viet Cuong, was offered for sale by his club - Saigon Xuan Thanh. According to the team, the defender revealed signs of “star” disease when he alleged illness as an excuse for not practicing with the team.

The former striker of the national team Van Quyen has just been ousted from Song Lam Nghe An for his bad performance. It is said that Ninh Binh FC wants to give a helping hand to Quyen but the opportunity for Quyen is very small.

Thanh Luong, another player of the national squad, is very lucky when Ha Noi T&T paid VND3 billion ($150,000) to take him from the recently disbanded Hanoi FC.

The problem between midfielder Quoc Vuong, a former football star, has not been solved and it is highly potentially that in the next season, Quoc Vuong will continue to sit idle.

Another national player, Le Quang Cuong, recently announced to give up football to go to the US to do business with his wife. Earlier, he became unemployed after the Da Nang Youth Club was dissolved.

In Hai Phong, midfielder Nhu Thanh is jobless. To focus on seeking a job, he recently postponed his wedding.

Song Lam Nghe An FC is not dissolved, but Trong Hoang, Dinh Dong and Au Van Hoan have not reached an agreement with the team. If they leave SLNA, it will be very hard for them to search for a new place.

Compiled by Nam Nguyen