Nguyễn Văn Toàn (#9) and teammates struggle against India, and behind him is an empty stand at the Thiên Trường Stadium. — VNA/VNS Photo Công Luật

Anh Đức

At Thiên Trường Stadium in Nam Định, perhaps the frenziest football town in Việt Nam, the stands were only one-tenth of full capacity, as the Việt Nam national football team drew 1-1 against India on October 12.

In the article I wrote after the sacking of Philippe Troussier, I foretold what happened in Thiên Trường would repeat again, should nothing change and the fans' belief is not regained.

But during the time, the Golden Star Warriors had a new manager and had just had a dramatic victory at home to end their losing streak, yet fans were still reluctant to come to stadiums.

Dismal results, almost empty stands and an indifferent media. But who is to blame for this downturn in Vietnamese football?

Is it the Football Federation, whose policies involving league football, are allowing an unsustainable way of running clubs? Some critics believe so, as owners of V.League teams have even more power than they did a decade ago. Sure, club owners do invest in a team, but will only continue if their passion for football remains, or a future economic gain is promised. To this date, I have not seen a club profit from just selling tickets and merchandise.

Some blame is also aimed at the players, especially at the Golden Generation who, in some fans' views, are ladened with trophies and medals during the past eight years, so much so that they have become complacent and do not wish to aim higher.

Qualification for the World Cup is the goal that Vietnamese football always wants to achieve, but for our nation's best players, it seemed like a hurdle that could never be overcome. Win the SEA Games, the AFF Cup and tournaments whose relevancy only lies locally, and you'd be hailed as heroes and have parades. Lose a World Cup qualification game against Japan and you get shredded to pieces on social media. It's understandable why many players settle for the easier choice.

A post-game analysis after the India game was made by VTV, which shows some defenders walking on the pitch, as Việt Nam is drawing 1-1 at home with 15 minutes to go. The images look as if playing for the national team is more like a job, not a passion as they say, which saddens me.

But when it matters, where would the players get the passion from? Who would they play for?

In one of my favourite sports biopics, Invictus, there is a scene where the captain of the South African rugby team Francois Pienaar rounds up his team, and tells them to listen to the fans cheering in the stands, as their final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup was in a stalemate, and the atmosphere riled up the Springboks to victory.

Last week, the Chinese national football team, which was ridiculed by media and fans for losing three games in a row, still had a packed stadium in Qingdao cheering them on against Indonesia. China won the match 2-0 against an Indonesian team that was full of players from Europe and was regarded as favourites.

Việt Nam will have a fourth fateful match in 2024 against Indonesia at home in December at the AFF Cup. If the match is at a stalemate, and captain Đỗ Hùng Dũng tells his teammates to listen to an eerie Mỹ Đình crowd, will Việt Nam win? — VNS