From V-League to AFC Champions League

Nam Dinh (white shirt) in the match against Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima at AFC Champions League Two 2024/25. Photo: Song Ngoc

Last year, Thanh Hoa, as the National Cup champion, and Nam Dinh, as the V-League champion, were assigned by AFC to play in AFC Champions League Two. However, Thanh Hoa withdrew from the continental tournament. According to AFC regulations, withdrawing from the tournament will result in a deduction of points, which will affect Vietnamese football when AFC calculates the allocation of slots in the three continental club tournaments.

Participating in prestigious, quality tournaments at the continental level is a source of pride for clubs in other countries in the region or continent, but for Vietnamese teams, it has long been a "burden". The story of Thanh Hoa asking permission not to participate in the AFC Champions League Two season 2024/25 is not really too surprising if looking at the foundation of the clubs in the current V-League.

This is like a typical “slice” of the current state of Vietnamese football. The expectation that Vietnamese football will be awarded points and have a place in a higher tournament like AFC Champions League Elite has not been realized.

It has been 25 professional seasons but if we look closely and analyze the criteria required of a professional football club, I'm afraid the number of clubs that meet the standards can be counted on the fingers.

Specifically, the conditions of the field, training and competition facilities are still too limited. The financial situation is unstable, depending on sponsors. Some clubs do not have enough youth teams as required. A professional football foundation needs truly professional clubs. These are also issues that Vietnamese football needs to quickly build and improve in a sustainable way in the future.

Looking back, domestic clubs have long paid little attention to Asian tournaments. Limited budget and a huge gap in skill level with clubs in the Asian region are barriers that Vietnamese teams have long had difficulty overcoming.

Meanwhile, the pressure of performance in domestic tournaments such as V-League and First Division is very heavy. Therefore, teams all choose to play superficially in the continental arena.

In fact, there have been a few domestic clubs interested in and investing in the desire to "reach the big sea" when participating in the AFC Champions League, but that is not enough. In the AFC Champions League season 2023/24, Hanoi FC defeated both the defending champion Urawa Reds and Wuhan Three Towns but still had to leave the game after finishing the group stage. That is the best achievement in this playground for a representative of the V-League. That also revealed that we can do better if we have a roadmap and a methodical development strategy.

Nam Dinh and CAHN will enter the challenging but also opportune 2025/26 season when participating in the AFC Champions League Two and ASEAN Football Clubs Championship. If they play impressively, they will not only affirm their position but also contribute to increasing the points for V-League, helping Vietnamese football get closer to the AFC Champions League Elite.

To make a real splash in the continental tournament, to catch up with clubs from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnamese clubs must invest regularly, continuously, and more decisively. In the context of Thai and Malaysian football more or less making a splash in the AFC Champions League Elite, Vietnamese clubs need to show their true ambition.

It cannot be denied that Vietnamese football has had strong growth at the national team, U23 national team and youth teams level in recent times. All of this has helped the country's football position increase significantly as well as its position on the FIFA rankings has improved. However, V-League clubs are still too "small" when participating in the AFC Champions League. These are issues that Vietnamese football needs to pay attention to solving in the coming time.

The foundation of every football foundation, of every national team, lies in the club. Therefore, the long-term development roadmap of the football teams, including the ambition of the AFC Champions League Elite, is an important factor to promote the progress of Vietnamese football. When will Vietnamese football clubs make history in the continental arena? That is also a big question that those responsible for football need to answer soon.

Tran Tuan/VNA

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tu-v-league-den-afc-champions-league-195613.htm