More than 44,500 ultra-durable balls will be given to Vietnamese children as part of the One World Futbol project recently launched in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue

As many as 8,000 balls were presented to orphans, poor ethnic minority children, street kids, and those with disabilities at the February 6 launching ceremony.

The donation is part of a three-year cooperation framework between Chevrolet and the One World Play Project organisation to give 1.5 million balls to students in war-affected regions, refugee camps, and disaster-hit areas in the world.

Head of the Football for All Vietnam (FFAV) project Anders Krystad said the assistance creates a playground for over 162,000 children in Thua Thien-Hue province and support the expansion of the community football model to 15-20 cities and provinces across the country.

This aims to benefit kids aged between 6-15, especially orphans, street or ethnic minority children, he added.

The “One World Futbol” never needs a pump and never goes flat. The ball can withstand the toughest environments and last for long without maintenance.

Source VNA

Six players of V-League 1 side Hoang Anh Gia Lai have been nominated as the Best Young Players of 2014.

Nguyen Cong Phuong — Photo: TTVH

All of them are former members of the national U19 team, a football phenomenon in Viet Nam.

Of the five other nominees, one each came from the Viettel, Song Lam Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa and two came from SHB Da Nang.

Nguyen Tan Anh, an official of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Club, said it was an honour for the team, in general, and the players, in particular.

He hoped that these players would see further progress and become candidates for the Gold Ball title in the future.

Among the six players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai are Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Tuan Anh.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai boss Doan Nguyen Duc has refused to sell these players to Japanese club Mito Hollyhock, who appealed to the club’s head official on January 24 in Pleiku City.

“They officially wanted not only Phuong and Tuan Anh but also other players. But I refused. I said only when they had collected enough experience to compete at the elite football level would I think about selling them. There is no hurry now,” Duc remarked.

Source VNS

SEA Games football draw set for April

The draw for the 28th Southeast Asian Games will be organised in April, according to the Viet Nam Football Federation.

Host Singapore have not confirmed the detailed football schedule. However, they announced that men’s football would start on May 29, one week before the opening ceremony.

Matches will take place at Jalan Besar and Bishan stadiums. The host and defending champions Thailand are the top seeds.

Women’s football is not listed in this year’s Games.

Viet Nam will start their preparation on February 25, when about 30 players are summoned to Ha Noi.

They will be tested at the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship qualifier in March in Malaysia.

Melquiades sidelined for three matches after aggressive tackle

SHB Da Nang’s Gomez Candelario Melquiades has been banned for three matches and fined VND10 million (US$) for violent conduct during a V League 1 match last weekend.

SHB Da Nang’s Gomez Candelario Melquiades has been banned for three matches and fined VND10 million (US$) for violent conduct — Photo: bongdaplus

Melquiades launched a dangerous tackle on Phung Van Nhien of Hai Phong that broke his collarbone.

Nhien will be sidelined for a month.

The Spanish Melquiades received a red card for the challenge that would usually carry a two match ban, but the Viet Nam Football Federation said his violation warranted stronger punishment.

Melquiades could return to action in round 10 on April 19.

Hung overcomes horrific injury

It seemed that defender Nguyen Anh Hung would have to say goodbye to his football career following an horrific injury.

However, the 23-year-old player fought back, and is now shining for LG Hai Phong in this year’s Toyota V-League 1.

“Hung is small, but he has a fierce desire. He always puts his whole heart into the game,” said Hai Phong coach Truong Viet Hoang.

Hoang said that Hung has been outstanding this year, and helped Hai Phong to form a solid back line in the country’s top league. With four wins, one draw and one loss, the team are ranked third out of 14 teams.

Nghe An-born Hung helped An Giang to a third place finish in the National First Division Football Championships in 2013.

He played 13 out of 14 matches that year, and his team was promoted to the V-League.

However, Hung was seriously injured during a match against V-League 1 side Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) on February 26 last year.

SLNA’s Tran Dinh Dong landed a sickening tackle on Hung that broke his leg. Dong received the toughest penalty in the history of the league, with a record 28-game suspension and a VND20 million ($950) fine from the country’s football federation.

“Before the match, I was feeling nervous, and then I broke my leg. I still can’t forget that moment. I nearly passed out on the pitch,” Hung recalled.

Hung felt desperate when doctors told him to retire from the sport, but he used that to overcome adversity and play again.

After a period of treatment at Nghe An Hospital, he drove to Ha Noi by himself to continue his recovery at the Viet Nam Sports Hospital. Come rain or shine, Hung attended physiotherapy twice a day, and to make the most of his training, he rented a room near the hospital.

Within seven months he had made a miraculous recovery, thanks to his hard work and love for the game.

“I completed my recovery last September, but I wasn’t sure I’d have a club to play for. An Giang paid me during my treatment, so I wanted to go back and repay them on the field when I was fit again. However, An Giang were relegated to the first division last year, and the team was dissolved. I had no offers from other teams either, so I returned home to live with my mother,” said Hung.

“Then I got a glimmer of hope last October. I received a phone call from Hai Phong chairman Tran Manh Hung, who invited me to trial for his club.

“I couldn’t believe it. He said the club wanted to sign me, so I continued my training until I made a complete recovery,” he said.

The chairman knew about the defender through the national U21 football championships that took place in Hai Phong in 2012, when Hung was captain of SLNA’s U21s.

“He saved my life,” said Hung.

The northern port city team signed a two-year contract with Hung, completing his comeback from injury.

“Thanks to the chairman, my dream of playing football again has come true,” said the youngster.

Source VNS

The sixth round of the 2015 V-League witnessed the first defeat by LG Hai Phong and the first victory of former champions SHB Da Nang. Let’s review some of the talking points that made headlines in this round of play

1. Binh Duong regain top spot, Hai Phong suffer first loss

The 3-1 victory over XSKT Can Tho helped Becamex Binh Duong regain the top position which had been lost to LG Hai Phong and Quang Ninh Coal in the previous rounds. Meanwhile, Hai Phong had to concede their first loss of the 2015 season against SHB Da Nang who escaped bottom place with their home-turf win.

2. Stars make impressive comebacks

The sixth round saw impressive comebacks to the main lineups of several stars. Vu Minh Tuan scored a decisive goal in Quang Ninh Coal’s 2-1 win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai, while the season’s most expensive contract, Le Cong Vinh also scored for Binh Duong in his first match in the main lineup.

3. Domestic players shine

13 of the 18 sixth-round goals were scored by domestic players. Notably, three of seven matches witnessed all the goals netted by Vietnamese strikers, and two domestic players, Van Quyet and Hoang Thinh, scored twice.

4. Quang Ninh Coal deserve best guests

Quang Ninh Coal have been considered the best visitors as they won four consecutive away matches in the last six rounds of competition. More proudly, the 2-1 victory against Hoang Anh Gia Lai last weekend pushed them to top position of the 2015 V-League standings for the first time (despite the lead lasting just one day) after 22 years.

5. Storms of red cards

There were five red cards recorded in last weekend’s matches, making Round 6 the round of the most red cards since the beginning of the 2015 season. The red cards were shown to Minh Tung (Quang Ninh Coal), Samson (Hanoi T&T), Ngoc Nguyen and Hoang Vissai (QNK Quang Nam), and Gomez (SHB Da Nang).

Source Nhan Dan