The national V.League 1 has been further delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matches will not be held until April 15 at the earliest. Photo anninhthudo.vn

HÀ NỘI — The national premier league will be delayed for the third time, according to the Việt Nam Professional Football Company (VPF).

VPF on Tuesday announced there will be no games before April 15 due to coronavirus pandemic.

Previously, the league was scheduled to begin in January. Then it was pushed back to February which saw two weeks of matches before being paused till the end of March.

VPF is also working with the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) to seek a suitable plan to reorganise the tournament when the COVID-19 is controlled.

One of their proposed plans is that teams will compete in one place. They will travel by coaches instead of airplanes to limit the spread of the disease.

“We are discussing a plan to hold the tournament in a venue which can cover our conditions of infrastructure and professional requirements,” said VFF Vice President Trần Quốc Tuấn.

“Whatever plan is approved, it must meet our demands for safety, be economical for teams and give most favourable conditions for all participants.

“Keeping players competing to maintain their high performance will help the national teams complete their duties later this year,” he said.

Some managers seem not agree with the postponement.

Thanh Hóa FC President Nguyễn Văn Đệ said the lengthening of the postponement caused problems including salaries for player.

“We are not as rich as the world clubs, so we could not follow them. We have to pay for players who do nothing and cannot maintain their peak without competing,” said Đệ.

“I don’t think we should delay competitions too long. We should have a solution that harmonises all issues and the tournament can wrap up safely,” he said.

Nam Định FC Executive Director Trần Thái Toán said: “If the organisers again delay the V.League 1 in April, we must have a meeting with players and coaching board. We need to recalculate our expenses.

“And the continuous postponement, I believe, will not only badly affect clubs but also strongly decrease the quality of the national teams,” he added.

V.League 2 will also be postponed to mid-April. — VNS