How will the VFF and the competent agencies seize the opportunity when
the Prime Minister has officially allowed the pilot implementation of football
betting and football game result prediction services?

The sports sector and the VFF consider the government-approved “Football development strategy to 2020 and vision to 2030″ as a special phenomenon, in which the approval of football betting is actually a very true trend. Vietnamese football, especially the training of young players will be difficult to develop if we lack funding. Lawful betting will bring a tremendous source of income. This project is being completed by the Ministry of Finance and in our opinion, it is better if it is sooner implemented.

Football betting is not only applied for international football, but also Vietnamese football.

Previously, you said that in the early stages should only international football betting be permitted, didn’t you?

Legal betting in Vietnam should be considered depending on each period and each stage of development of the Vietnamese society and the national football. In the past, when the plan was in preliminary form, I agreed with the Ministry of Finance that betting should not be applied for domestic football. However, it was the story of a few years ago.

At present, it will be a big waste if we “forget” the V-League and the First Division Tournament. This is one of the best ways to draw fans to stadiums. And that is also a great way to earn money to support football. In Singapore, every year they get about $10 million from football betting. Vietnam loses at least $4 billion annually. A foreigner banker told me that they got a lot of money from Vietnamese gamblers. I deeply regret for that.

But do you worry that the gamblers will sway football games in Vietnam and Vietnamese players will commit match-fixing?

- First of all, I would like to assert that it is the best if Vietnam opens bids to select a foreign banker. Vietnam does not have any business that specializes in this area and if football betting firms are established, their management level cannot compare with foreign firms. Importantly, Vietnamese will join the company after being trained by that company.

Experts will control all of the happenings in football games to adjust the form and the betting rate. Not to mention the intervention of Interpol, a monitoring network will prevent players from committing match fixing. Legal betting is the way to reduce, eliminate negative sides in football.

Thanh Nien