VietNamNet Bridge – Striker Pham Van Quyen extended his contract with Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) an additional two years last Saturday.

Striker Pham Van Quyen. (Photo: VNN)

The club reached an agreement after a week of negotiations with the former national forward, who is only halfway through a four-year suspension for fixing a match at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.

Quyen, who became a free player when his contract with SLNA expired on December 31, received offers from other clubs and was considering a move. But SLNA managers were desperate to keep him after a recent bleed of talent as three-time Golden Ball winner Le Cong Vinh followed teammate goalie Duong Hong Son to the T&T Ha Noi club and defender Nguyen Minh Duc went to V-League champion Bexamex Binh Duong.

Quyen has a long history with SLNA, training with them as a young player and signing a commitment with them once he was of age. He must play with the club’s main team for five years.

The team’s managing director Ho Van Chiem said Quyen played for the club for only two years before he was suspended.

Since Quyen was released, SLNA have welcomed him back and paid him the same salary as its other young players, though he is still suspended. The club is considering asking the Viet Nam Football Federation to wipe out Quyen’s ban and permit him to play in the V-League during the second half of the season.

(Source: Viet Nam News)