Nguyễn Hoài Nam, CEO of Berjaya Việt Nam. — Photo bsin.vn

HÀ NỘI — Europe’s top football competition could have a little bit of Vietnamese flavour next season.

That’s because The Promotion Fund for Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) and Nguyễn Hoài Nam, CEO of Berjaya Việt Nam, have teamed up to become the majority owner of Bosnian football club FK Sarajevo, according to cafef.vn and TheThao247.

Nam and the Vingroup-owned PVF acquired a 60 per cent stake in the club according to Bosnian publication https://sport.avaz.ba, which they bought from the previous owner Vincent Tan, the founder of the Malaysian firm Berjaya Corporation Berhad, Berjaya Việt Nam’s parent company.

The side based in the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina currently lead the Liga 12 with only six fixtures to go, and securing the title would vault them into the first qualifying round of next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The acquisition, full details of which have not been released, makes Nam the first Vietnamese person to own a European football club.

Perhaps best for local football lovers, Nam and the PVF have reportedly vowed to bring Việt Nam’s footballers to Europe and give them the opportunity to test themselves against the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The move could open up opportunities for young stars like Nguyễn Quang Hải, Đoàn Văn Hậu and Nguyễn Văn Toàn, who helped lead the national team to glory in the AFF Cup in late 2018 and have since been linked with moves abroad.

Vincent Tan, owner of the English Premier League’s Cardiff City FC, bought FK Sarajevo six years ago. His company operates in various fields, including investment, property developing and tourism. — VNS