Da Nang defender Phuoc Vinh (L) and Khanh Hoa midfielder Narisu in action during a National Cup quarterfinal match at Nha Trang Stadium last Saturday.

The National Cup quarterfinal round was disappointing late last week after the tournament seemed to have got off to an exciting start in the first few rounds of this season.

But now, it looks like the clubs don’t play with all their effort, wanting to focus on the top-flight V-League or second-flight First Division.

The National Cup has not drawn the interest of most clubs over the past few seasons. It takes place right amidst the other two leagues, and players are tired.

This season, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) designed a better schedule and arranged play-off matches in between the rounds of V-League and First Division, similar to what is done at the FA Cup in England or La Copa del Rey (the King’s Cup) in Spain.

The move proved to be a good one in the first few rounds this season when the clubs had enough time and strength and the footballers played hard. However, as the V-League and First Division games get tenser, their energies are not at the peak for the third tournament.

Thus, the National Cup tournament is a burden for many clubs as they are neither very professional nor strong enough to perform well in both competitions without losing their focus and sharpness.

This is true even in the English Premier League when in difficult situations, some underdogs choose to “surrender” to avoid relegation.

Perhaps VFF needs to change the schedule again. For example, the National Cup quarterfinals could be at the beginning of the V-League and First Division. That gives clubs more opportunities to go far in the tournament, making it more exciting.

Fundamental changes

VFF needs to make fundamental changes to improve the National Cup tournament, including increasing bonuses to encourage players.

The current bonuses are trivial. For example, the cup winners are given VND250 million (US$14,122), which is less than bonuses some clubs give to their players for winning a single match.

VFF is responsible for making the tournament more exciting, but the organizer does not seem to be very concerned about it.

Late last week, for example, cup holders Hanoi ACB’s players wore shirts with different numbers than what they had registered in a quarterfinal match against The Cong.

This disappointed fans and TV viewers and they have a feeling that the organizers themselves are not very enthusiastic about the tournament.

Additionally, people at Nha Trang Stadium could see posters and billboards for the V-League but could not see anything from the National Cup sponsor Vissai Cement.

This shows that no one cares about the interests of the sponsor, and that does not bode well for the tournament itself. The organizers need to step in and prevent another downslide.

Reported by Quang Tuyen