Coach Velizar Popov with his players and staffs after winning his first title in Việt Nam, The 2023 National Cup. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Anh Đức

The back story of Thor, one of Marvel Comics' most famous characters, is that of a young prince primed for the throne of the Kingdom of Gods. The prince, however, was arrogant and overextended his kingdom and abilities. He was banished by his father, the king, and had all of his superpowers taken away from him.

The now mortal prince had to endure a journey of redemption to prove himself worthy of the title by doing a selfless, heroic act.

A club in the V.League is currently experiencing the story of Thor, but sadly, only the former part of the act. Đông Á Thanh Hoá FC, the defending Vietnamese National Cup champions, has been under enormous pressure during the past two weeks for failing to pay the salaries and bonuses of their players on time.

21 first-team players declined to attend training sessions and signed a statement detailing the situation on social media, which read: “Despite facing late salaries, bonuses and contract fees, we always maintain high professionalism, and won two national cups and one Super Cup in consecutive years.”

This is not the first rodeo for Thanh Hoá FC, a club notorious for issues involving the owners. In the past, Thanh Hoá was riddled with multiple ownership changes, with their owners heavily investing in the club at the beginning, only to neglect them when the money was dwindling.

Thanh Hoá's first high-profile owner, recently prosecuted land mogul Trịnh Văn Quyết, was involved in what could be perceived as the club's peak in the V.League from 2015 to 2018. But as Quyết's investment and interest in the club fall, so does Thanh Hoá's place in the V.League.

The club's next owner, Nguyễn Văn Đệ, pretty much ensured the stability of the club in the post-Quyết era but was scrutinised for his too hands-on approach in running the club, at times even intervened in the coach's technical affairs. The financial bleeding of the club did not stop, as Thanh Hoá was sued four times by foreign players and coaches for failing to pay salaries during the 2020 season, and had to compensate US$500,000 to these staff members after a FIFA ruling.

In other professional leagues, the repeated instances of Thanh Hoá FC would be unacceptable and may face expulsion and relegation from the leagues. In a step to avoid the punishment of the VFF, on July 17, the club issued a statement that said that they had resolved all the salary-related issues of the players, and the first-team squad since returned to training, a month before the season started. However, as this was not Thanh Hoá's first offence, with their reputation of failing to pay salaries on time, even going international, it is bizarre and sad that this happened for the second time when it should have never happened.

Thanh Hoá's financial rodeos, should they continue in the future, make the club unworthy of the players and the coaches' dedication and of the fans' affection. The National Cup champions, if they are worthy of their title, must find a way to regain those values that they have lost before it's all too late. VNS