Navibank proud to help Park's Foundation
HCM CITY — The management and team members of Navibank Sai Gon see the upcoming match against "Park and Friends" as a great opportunity to contribute to the cause of developing football in Asia.
"Our players are eagerly waiting for the match. This is a very significant event and we will do our best to make the match successful and contribute to Park's JS Foundation," said Nguyen Van Hiep, manager of the team.
The match, called Doosan Asian Dream Cup, will take place at 6pm tomorrow between a team led by Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, which includes French international Patrick Evra and several top Asian footballers.
The match is the first activity of JS Foundation, established by the South Korean football icon, to help raise funds for supporting the development of football in poor countries in the region.
The foundation also aims to deliver hope and support to young, talented football players.
"Playing with Park and Asian top stars is an honour for me and my teammates. We will try our best in the match," said Navibank Sai Gon captain Phan Van Tai Em.
Hard to get
Because most tickets to the match are invitations, fans who want to watch Park and his friends live are finding it difficult to get a place in the 20,000-seat stadium.
Ho Thi Thanh Thao, an English teacher with the Viet Nam-USA Society English Centre, is lucky to have got an invitation from his friend, but such luck is rare.
Tran Minh Phu, an ardent football fan, said: "I am a fan of Barclays Premier League and Park Ji-sung and have been waiting for a chance to watch him in real life.
"The game tomorrow is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to have my dream come true, but I have not been able to find a ticket."
Nguyen Xuan Thanh, another football fan, said that he's very interested in the match but did not know how to get a ticket.
"I asked some ticket outlets outside the stadium but they are not selling. I searched the Internet, but I have not found a way."
Park and his Manchester United teammate Patrick Evra arrived in HCM City last night and will hold a clinic for young footballers today at the Thanh Long Sports Centre in Binh Chanh District.
All necessary preparations for the match, including a music performance during the interval by JYJ, have been competed, organisers said. — VNS