HCM City train to prepare for the resumption of the V.League 1 this weekend. Photo vtv.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Local football teams are ready for the resumption of the V.League 1 season after the second postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the chairman of the Việt Nam Professional Football Joint-stock Company (VPF), Trần Anh Tú.

Tú said the plan to resume the season this weekend was agreed on by all 14 clubs in the league.

Regarding allowing spectators into stadiums, Hải Phòng FC and Quảng Ninh Coal have to wait for local government decisions, while SHB Đà Nẵng will have a limited number of fans in attendance. For the rest of the localities, stadiums will be open for some spectators, with the number allowed in depending on regulations in each locality.

“The next match between SHB Đà Nẵng and Hải Phòng will not sell tickets. However, the Hòa Xuân Stadium in Đà Nẵng will welcome about 200 fans in the form of invitation tickets to cheer for the home team. These are all members officially registered in the list of the Đà Nẵng Fans Association,” said  President of SHB Đà Nẵng Bùi Xuân Hòa.

The chairman of Quảng Nam FC, Nguyễn Húp, said the provincial People's Committee agreed to let the Tam Kỳ Stadium host 4,000 spectators to watch the match between Quảng Nam and defending champions Hà Nội.

Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng were two localities greatly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in late July. After both localities got the pandemic under control, the two clubs started training again, and both sides have played friendlies to prepare for the resumption of league play.

Earlier, the leaders of these two clubs were part of the group of teams that wanted the V.League 1 season to end early and award the championship to table-toppers Sài Gòn FC.

Currently, Quảng Nam are bottom of the table with eight points after 11 matches, two points behind Hải Phòng.

Each team only has two more fixtures in the first half of the season before the league is split into the top eight teams to vie for the title and the bottom six to avoid relegation.

The National Cup final on Sunday between Hà Nội FC and Viettel was the first domestic tournament to finish since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Hàng Đẫy Stadium was allowed to open to welcome a limited number of fans, who watched Hà Nội defend their crown with a 2-1 win.

Before that, the match between HCM City FC and Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu FC in the quarter-finals also opened to fans. — VNS