By Nguyễn Hằng

The FIFA World Cup 2018 kicked a week ago in Russia, with hundreds millions of football fans across the world watching, including those Việt Nam. It really is a time to “eat football, sleep football and breathe football”.

I have been a big fan of World Cup since 2002. When the tournament hits, one of my favourite activities is turning on TV and watching veteran commentators share their assessments before and after each match, especially matches between heavyweight opponents.

But things have changed. I stopped watching this year after Việt Nam Television launched a new commenting programme with 32 hot girls – representing the 32 football teams of the World Cup, alongside veteran analysts.

The nonsense comments from the beautiful women on VTV6 were too much for me.

Cao Diệp Anh, a beautiful girl, who was born in 1995, analysed the match between Brazil and Switzerland and said she had watched Brazil play since 2000.

“I watched the team since 2000 playing when they had Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pele,” Anh said.

Anh’s comment caused many viewers to laugh out loud because she knew nothing but she acted like she did.

Every football fan knows that Pele, a member of three Brazilian World Cup-champion teams and one of the greatest players of all time, retired years ago in 1977.

“It’s so hilarious, how could she see Pele playing for Brazil in 2000,” a Facebook member said after a video clip of Anh went viral.

The madness didn’t stop there. Another hot girl, Trần Anh Thư, said before the match between Germany and Mexico on Sunday, “I like Toni Kroos because he is simple and faithful like me.” Thư also said she liked Marco Reus, a midfielder of the team, because he was handsome.

Thư’s comments astonished many football fans.

"It’s irrelevant," Nguyễn Văn Toàn, a football fan said.

Many questioned why Thư did not mention Kroos was an excellent midfielder of Die Mannschaft. He played an important role in the World Cup 2014 when the German team was crowned the world champion for the fourth time.

Also, Marco Reus missed World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 because of injury, although he was in German squad for both tournaments. This year is his first World Cup and experts said it is time for him to shine.

On Facebook, Đào Đức Tâm wrote on a million-like page that Thư had better sit quietly instead of making nonsense comments.

“I really don’t know what VTV thinks when they take the girls on the programme to say bullshit words,” he said.

Reverse effect

On the other side, some said they felt relaxed because they thought the girls were on the programme just for fun and help VTV raise viewership through their aesthetic qualities.

If this was the goal, it seems to have failed.

Lê Minh, 25, a football fan, said he had to turn off the programme when he saw the hot girls on his screen.

“They make boring comments,” he added.

Phạm Hải Đào, 31, said he read comments from experts in online newspapers instead of watching the programme.

“If I really want to see a hot body and beautiful face, I can see them in every other show or on the internet,” he said.

Please, let the football programme be a real football programme, he said.

How to fix

An online study conducted by Tuổi trẻ (Youth) online newspaper showed that 56 per cent of more than 10,345 people said VTV should stop having the girls appear.

As a football fan for years, I also think VTV should consider hiring women who are both beautiful and knowledgeable about football.

On major international sports channels such as ESPN and Fox Sports they hire women who know what they’re talking about.

VTV could invite Miss Football Đỗ Thị Ngọc Châm – one of Việt Nam’s best players during 2006-09, Miss Football Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung – who was selected as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s 100 Women 2017 List or players of the Việt Nam national team.

I’m sure they would entertain the audience more than beautiful women who don’t know their offside from their backside. — VNS