Fearing, he said, further injury to an ailing right leg, Brazilian striker Denilson de Oliveira asked the Hai Phong V-League team to liquidate his contract after only three weeks and one game in Vietnam. The Hai Phong club agreed on June 23.

Hai Phong’s V-League football team electrified the Vietnamese football world a month ago with the signing of a world class football player, Denilson. The Brazilian came to Hai Phong in early June under a three-month contract. Because of pain in his right leg, he played only one match. In that contest, on June 21 the Brazilian national squad and Arsenal star scored a goal at the second minute on an 18 meter free kick.

However, after only fifty minutes, Denilson moved with great difficultly. He could control the ball by his left leg only and sometimes he fell down.

After that match, Denilson insisted that his injury was recovering well and he could play for Hai Phong until September. However, he suddenly asked for ending the contract early on June 22, reasoning that he couldn’t fit himself to the V-League.

Meanwhile, the 22 year-old Brazilian player’s doctor warned that the injury to Denilson’s right leg might become serious, with negative consequences for his career.

For these reasons, Hai Phong agreed to liquidate the contract. The club compensated US$10,000 for Denilson’s two weeks in Vietnam, plus $15,000 for his 50 minutes of playing time and one goal.

“This is a matter of great regret but we have to respect Denilson’s opinion. We don’t want to raise difficulties for him. His recovery process is proceeding slowly so if we try to hold him, it would be hard for Hai Phong as well,” said the Hai Phong club’s executive manager, Do Dai Duong.

Denilson, his representative and doctor left Vietnam on June 24 morning, ending his 23 days in Vietnam.

Denilson, a member of the World Cup 2002 championship Brazil, was the world’s most expensive player in 1998 (when he moved from Sao Paolo to Real Betis at the price of $32 million). However, that record high contract marked the superstar’s fall.

The three-month contract with Hai Phong promised to bring about $40,000 per month for Denilson. As the star couldn’t play for the Vietnamese club immediately owing to his injury, Hai Phong cut his base pay by a half, plus the pay for every minute of playing time.

PV