Hà Nội FC's fans are distinct for their modern chants. No vuvuzelas, no horns, just people screaming their hearts out. VNA/VNS Photo

Anh Đức

There's a 'professional' in the company running the V-League, a somewhat professional way of operating the league. Still, there's nothing 'professional' about the actions of some fans.

A controversial banner held up by Hà Nội Police fans during their National Cup quarterfinals again raised the problem of away fans' behaviour and how they are punished.

The banner, printed in the style of a "Sổ Đỏ" (land use rights certificate), claims the Hàng Đẫy Stadium as being "rightfully owned" by Hà Nội Police, with the dispute over next season's usage of the stadium is ongoing. Fans supposedly used the banner to mock the home team, Viettel, who is also involved in the stadium standoff with Hà Nội Police.

Minutes later, the banner was removed by league officials, due to "aggressive content unrelated to the match". However, Viettel, who has no prior knowledge or involvement with the banner, face a fine for letting it be shown.

This incident is another example of how bizarre V-League rulings work, where away fans can come in and do all sorts of shenanigans and almost always get away with it.

In the past, when Hải Phòng FC faced Hà Nội FC in an away match, the red wall of fans always had a distinct tradition: flares, which they lit up and sometimes threw inside the stadium, ignorant of the players' safety. And every single time that happened in Hàng Đẫy, Hà Nội FC always had to pay the fines despite their best efforts to keep the fireworks outside during security scans.

We have been shouting 'professionalism' out loud for about twenty years, but the most grassroots aspect of football, the fans, are nowhere near that word. If you think Vietnamese football fans are bad online, wait until you see them in stadiums.

Sure, banter, celebrations and the crazy passion of the supporters make football great, but there are limits. And there should be repercussions for any person or group who crosses those lines and spoil the great game.

Clubs such as Hà Nội Police are on the right path to greatness, with investment and a star-studded line-up, but their fans' behaviour does not go well with the image the team is trying to portray. To win the long game, one must first win the hearts of new fans, and petty banners unfortunately do not work in 2024.

The Hà Nội Police fan club can take a look at their stadium-sharing neighbour, Hà Nội FC, for some experience. They went from a club ridiculed by other teams as "paying people to go to the stadium", to having one of Việt Nam's biggest and a professional fanbases with a membership scheme.

But what I like the most about Hà Nội FC's fans are their modern chants. No vuvuzelas, no horns, just people screaming their hearts out. Whenever a referee makes a blunder, or an opponent throws fireworks onto the field, Hà Nội's purple wave does not retaliate with indecencies, or swears.

They just reply by chanting, "Chuyên nghiệp lên" (Be professional). VNS