Teams draw lots at yesterday’s meeting in HCMC to arrange the fixtures of the 2009 National Futsal Championship, despite a dispute over the organizer’s possible bias.

Team leaders in the 2009 National Futsal Championships showed anger at organizers during a meeting in Ho Chi Minh Thursday because they claimed the competition draw was biased.

The other teams were angered because of the unfair advantage the preordained draw gives TSN and TSB. The 1 and 2 number draw gives them both time off in the middle of the tournament giving them a chance to rest up before the second half.

Also, the draw gives TSN and TSB the opener match tomorrow, which will be aired live on TV.

Immediately after the announcement of the arrangement, HCMC Police’s V-Sport team leader Le Tuan said, “The organizers previously gave TSB number 4, which we decided we might as well accept. But why have they changed it? It is not fair and causes trouble for the other teams.”

Pham Gia Auto team leader Pham Truong Son said, “The arrangement obviously made the other teams think the organizers are biased toward TSN.

“Prior to the tournament, many young futsal players were worried because there were rumors about this or that. I hope the organizers are unbiased because it must be fair to every team in a competition. Why does TSN have an advantageous arrangement?

“I know TSN’s sponsor Tran Anh Tu has made big contributions and sponsorships to Vietnam’s futsal, but the organizers must be fair to everyone,” Son said.

Tran Anh Tu is the sponsor of both TSN and TSB, as well as the tournament sponsor.

Da Nang team leader Nguyen Trong Thao said, “I don’t know why the organizers made the competition schedule so that athletes have to play for eight consecutive days. Futsal is still a game for amateur players who don’t train full time. They don’t have the stamina for such hard work.”

At the meeting, Dat Lanh team leader Nguyen Phuoc Duc suggested a vote on the draw situation and most of the team leaders agreed, but Vietnam Football Federation’s (VFF) amateur football and futsal department deputy manager Nguyen Trong Thao said, “There’s always a disadvantage for one team or another. We, the organizers, thought very carefully when making the arrangement.”

Following Thao’s statement, the meeting went ahead organizing the rest of the tournament roster despite protests over the bias toward TSN and TSB.

The fact that the two teams weren’t in the draw with the other teams is not a good sign for Vietnamese Futsal. This, along with VFF’s rejection of the Dilmah Tea team to enter the competition, indicates poor organization and bad development of the sport in Vietnam. The incident is bound to cause some resentment between teams.

Reported by Quang Huy