Football tournament for workers and civil servants 2025: Will there be 'dream teams'?

In the context of the country having just completed the merger, this has significantly impacted the football teams participating in the 2025 Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament. But is this the premise to create "super teams" with outstanding quality?

Gia Lai Trade Union football team entered the final round of the 2024 tournament - Photo: QUANG DINH

The professional quality of this year's tournament may be higher than the previous two years when the localities merged, because the selection of players will be wider and deeper.

Expectations for a quality season

Instead of competing between individual teams from each province, localities and coaches now have the opportunity to select and gather the best individuals from 2-3 old localities to create a powerful team with quality players.

For example, a new Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor (HLF) team could, in theory, bring together the best "stars" from both the old Ho Chi Minh City team and the old Binh Duong team - the strong teams in previous seasons. This combination promises to create a "dream team", raising the drama and quality of each match.

That is the expectation that many fans are looking forward to this season.

Reality from localities

But the reality from the localities is much more difficult. Talking to Tuoi Tre , Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy - head of the Gia Lai Trade Union football team (merged from Gia Lai and Binh Dinh) - said that the team's ability to participate in this year's tournament "is a miracle".

Ms. Thuy analyzed: "Gia Lai is in the process of consolidating and perfecting the entire organization after the merger. The area is now too large, traveling and gathering brothers is extremely difficult." The selection of forces also encountered obstacles. Instead of having a more abundant source of players, Ms. Thuy said, the subjects that can participate were narrowed due to changes in the management structure. This also forced the team's strategy to change.

"This year we have to choose a different direction. Accordingly, we have to find a professional coach to help us select players from many different businesses and teams, instead of choosing a strong team from one business like the old Gia Lai did. Therefore, until now, our official squad is still not complete," Ms. Thuy shared.

The story of Gia Lai shows that mergers do not always create a stronger team. On the contrary, it poses a series of organizational, logistical and personnel challenges that localities have to make great efforts to overcome.

Brand identity of Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament 2025 - Photo: QUANG DINH

"Safe" strategy

Faced with difficulties, some localities have chosen safe solutions to prepare for the tournament. Mr. Vu Hong Minh, head of the Ninh Binh Trade Union football team (merged from Nam Dinh , Ninh Binh, Ha Nam) said that because the team is in the phase of focusing on stabilizing the organization and rearranging, there is not enough time and conditions to select the best players from all three old provinces.

"We have not been able to synthesize the best strength. Instead, the team chose a representative team in an area with a strong movement. Specifically, from the Nam Dinh area - which was previously a strong team. The immediate goal is to try to maintain the achievement, not to mention creating a new breakthrough strength," Mr. Minh shared.

Mr. Minh expressed regret that only one team was selected from the old Nam Dinh area. This means that many workers and laborers in Ninh Binh and the old Ha Nam cannot participate in the national competition.

This is also what Ms. Nguyen Kim Loan, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation, worried about at the tournament press conference: "Last season, only Binh Duong had 3 participating teams. Ho Chi Minh City also had 3 teams. After the merger, the number of teams is only 3. This is a regret for the workers, especially in the old Binh Duong, when they were very excited to wait for the tournament."

In reality, it is not easy to answer the question "Are the teams stronger after the merger?". However, the fact that local teams have more resources to recruit still creates some hesitation from corporate teams. "Although there are difficulties in the selection process, the teams will definitely have more abundant forces after the merger and will certainly create more challenges," said a representative of a corporate team.

The joy of worker and civil servant players in the 2024 season - Photo: TTO

After two successful seasons, the 2025 Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament may not immediately produce "super teams". However, this is an interesting thing that fans can wait for, and the most accurate answer will be on the field.

The 2025 Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament is sponsored by Truong Hai Group Joint Stock Company (THACO); Dong Luc Sports Group; HTP Pharmaceutical Investment Joint Stock Company; Hoa Sen Group Joint Stock Company; Sunshine Group; Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO); Faslink Joint Stock Company; 108 Central Military Hospital; 175 Military Hospital and a number of enterprises.

The tournament announcement press conference will take place on September 16. This will be followed by the Northern regional qualifiers, which will take place over three days from September 26 to 28; the Southern regional qualifiers, which will take place from October 9 to 12. The tournament will conclude with the national finals, which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from October 24 to 26.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giai-bong-da-cong-nhan-vien-chuc-2025-se-co-nhung-doi-bong-trong-mo-20250918110441592.htm