Vietnam misses chance to play at Asian futsal champs

The Vietnamese futsal was narrowly defeated 3-4 by Australia in the Asian Futsal qualifiers for the Southeast Asian region on February 26.

Australia had a very good start scoring four goals in 35 minutes. Vietnam then counter-attacked and got three goals, with one penalty by Trong Thien and a double by Trong Toan.

The team had been full of hope for a third-position ticket after taking the lead in group B with a 4-0 win against Malaysia, 7-1 win against Cambodia and a 2-2 draw with Australia to avoid Thailand, the strongest opponent and winner of group A.

However, at the semi-final match it also lost 1-2 to Indonesia.

In the final match Thailand thrashed Indonesia 5-2 to top the qualifier.

The Vietnam team is scheduled to compete at the ASEAN Futsal Championship in Thailand from April 17-24.

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Football federation selects next national coach

Mai Duc Chung has become the No 1 option for head coach of the national football team.

The Vietnam Football Federation's (VFF) National Coaches Council on Feb. 21 officially made its final decision for the position that had been left empty since last December.

VFF leaders are expected to review their selection for approval on February 27.

In case of approval, Chung, in Brunei with the Under-19 team for the Hassanal Bolkiah Cup at present, will sign a two-year contract when he returns to the country. His salary has not been revealed, but rumour has it that it could be around 120-150 million VND (USD5,700-7,100 ) per month.

Chung would reap benefits if Vietnam could achieve good results at coming tournaments, the first one of which will be the Southeast Asian Football Championship – AFF Cup later this year.

After former coach Falko Goetz was fired, Chung became the favourite candidate for the position. The 61-year-old formerly worked as assistant for many foreign coaches in the past.

In 2008, Chung guided the U22 team to win the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia. He was also acting head coach of the U23 team who defeated Lebanon and Oman during the Beijing Olympic qualifiers in 2007. Chung was appointed head coach of the national women's team in 2003-05 when they won two gold medals at the 22nd and 23rd SEA Games.

The council also drew up an additional list of substitute candidates should Chung not sign the contract with the VFF.

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Chelsea coaches to train Vietnamese junior footballers

Your coaches from Chelsea Soccer School will run a training course for 180 junior footballers in Ho Chi Minh City.

The course, the first of its kind in Vietnam, aims to improve professional skills for junior footballers selected from schools in the city.

This is part of a cooperation program between the English football club Chelsea and Samsung sponsor to develop the sports and physical training sector for young generations.

The program involves Vietnam, Ghana, Ivory Coast, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

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New club Saigon FC climbs to second

Saigon FC’s Huynh Kesley Alves (R) celebrates his opener with Antonio Carlos in a match against Da Nang at Thong Nhat Stadium Sunday.

Saigon FC climbed one position to second in the country’s top-flight Super League after a 2-1 fifth round home win over Da Nang at Thong Nhat Stadium Sunday.

Le Huynh Duc, the coach of 2009 champions Da Nang, who won the “month’s best coach” title last month, badly wanted a win on the trip to his hometown Ho Chi Minh City.

However, the hosts with two draws and two wins from the first four rounds of the season were in high spirits and had better control of the match with two goals in the first half.

The visitors from Da Nang City came alive after the break but all they could do was pull back only one goal.

In other action, the Mekong Delta side Dong Thap earned a 3-1 home win over Navibank Saigon at Cao Lanh Stadium while hosts Khanh Hoa beat visitors Kien Giang 1-0 at Nha Trang Stadium.

In early matches on Saturday, 2010 champs Hanoi T&T beat Thanh Hoa 3-2 at Hang Day Stadium to retain their first-place position while 2003-04 champs Hoang Anh Gia Lai defeated Hanoi FC 2-1 at Pleiku Stadium.

Ninh Binh beat Hai Phong 2-0 at home and then Binh Duong, the 2007-08 champs, fought to a goalless tie with reigning champs Song Lam Nghe An at Go Dau Stadium.

With only two draws from the five rounds, Hai Phong is now at the bottom of the 14-club league with just two points.

By Thanh Nien News

Top Vietnam football tournament to be called V-League again

The above logo will not be used for the country's top-flight football tournament from this weekend onwards. It will revert to its old name, V-League.

Vietnam's top-flight football tournament will revert to its original name V-League from this weekend onwards, when the 2012 season enters the fifth round.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tuesday asked the league organizing company, VPF, to effect the change in name from the current Super League back to V-League.

VFF made the decision after it was asked by the General Department of Physical Training and Sports to do so.

The department said it is important that the nation's top tournament indicates the name of the country.

VPF was mooted by leading national football clubs late last year. They criticized VFF for poor management of the country’s leagues and called for a revamp. Once the VPF was etablished with the VFF as a major shareholder, the company named the nation's leading tournament Super League. The earlier name, V-League, was used when the country’s top contests turned professional in 2000.

The name Super League was used in the first four rounds of the 2012 season; and from the fifth round this weekend, it will be called the V-League Eximbank 2012, named after its main sponsor.

VPF chairman Vo Quoc Thang said, “VPF is willing to listen to opinions from authorized agencies, the media and the fans so that the organization of the league gets better and better. Changing the name is not complicated but we need to get opinions from the Board of Directors.”

Nguyen Hong Thanh, General Director of the Song Lam Nghe An football club, the league champions, said a change in the name of the league in the middle of the season will cause losses of money and time for the clubs as well as the stadiums’ organizers because many things like billboards, players’ shirts and tickets will have to be redone.

By Thanh Nien News

Vietnam company begins work on $40-mln airport project in Laos

Work has begun on the first of two airports Vietnam’s Hoang Gia Lai Joint Stock Co. (HAGL) plans to build in Laos, with a total investment of US$40 million, VnExpress reported Monday.

HAGL Chairman Doan Nguyen Duc was quoted as saying that the airport, which will cover 200 hectares of Attapeu Province in southern Laos, is expected to be operational by June 2013.

Between 2013 and 2020 it will be used mainly for small airplanes that travel short distances, like the ATR 72 and Fokker 70, Duc said.

However, by the time construction finishes in 2020, the airport will be capable of handling bigger airplanes like the Airbus A320, he added.

According to Duc, the Lao government also licensed HAGL to build another airport in Huaphanh Province in northern Laos; construction on the second airport will start next year, VnExpress reported.

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Athletes to compete in 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Champs

Four Vietnamese athletes will take part in the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Champs, to be held in Hangzhou, China, from February 16-19.

Duong Thi Viet Anh

The team coached by Duong Duc Thuy includes Duong Thi Viet Anh (high jump), Tran Hue Hoa (triple jump), Nguyen Thi Phuong (3,000m run) and Nguyen Thi Thuy (400m run). The team’s medal hopes are mostly on Duong Viet Anh, who has made good progress recently.

Top sprinter Truong Thanh Hang will not join the event because she is preparing for the Asian All Stars Athletics Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan in June to collect points for a berth at the 2012 London Olympics this summer.

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Hoang Thien claims victory at U18 international tennis tourney

Vietnam’s top player Nguyen Hoang Thien and his Hong Kong partner Wong Chun Hun won the men’s doubles event at the U18 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournament (Grade 4) in New Zealand on February 3.

Before entering the finals, Hoang Thien and Chun Hun had defeated Smith-Stoica and Gage Brown-Southon from New Zealand, Plodpai-Wiriyajanyong from Thailand, and Delaney-Polmans from Australia.

In the finals, Thien and Wong trounced the World’s No.4 seed pair Allan and Horton from Australia 2-0 (6/3, 6/2). This is a good start for the young Vietnamese star in 2012.

In the men’s singles event, Thien missed a chance to advance further after losing 1-2 to Kang Ku Keon from the Republic of Korea.

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Liem finishes 7th at UK Chess Festival

Vietnamese Chess Grandmaster Le Quang Liem completed the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the UK ranking 7th with 7 points after a draw in the final match with Indian rival Negi Parimarjanon on February 2. Host player Nigel D. Short came first and Chinese female player Hou Yifan second. Both earned 8 points after 10 matches and had to compete in blitz chess events which ended in favour of the host with a win and a draw.

Liem is scheduled to take part in the Aeroflot Tournament in Russia where he will defend his championship title.

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VN Super League seeks new name

HCM CITY — Viet Nam's top flight football championships will have to amend its new name to reflect the championships' origin, according to the National Administration of Sports and Physical Training.

The league goes into the this season with its new name of Super League Eximbank 2012 as a result of negotiations between the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) and clubs.

The Viet Nam Professional Football (VPF) company was also established to manage the competition.

However, the administration said that the name did not reflect the origin of the championships.

"The name of the national football championships must be in Vietnamese and the abbreviation must have the letter V and the name of the sponsor, such as V-League Eximbank 2012," the department said in a document sent to the VFF.

The adminstration also asked the VFF and the VPF to coordinate and run the football championships, including improving the quality of referees and eliminating dirty play.

Fourth round

Second-placed Ha Noi T&T have a good chance to go to the top of the Super League this weekend when they take on Kien Giang on home soil, as the leader SHB Da Nang will have a tough game.

The full points are within Ha Noi-based team's reach considering their home advantage and quality over the visitors, who is one of the contenders for relegation, in the game tomorrow.

Meanwhile, SHB Da Nang, who are leading the table courtesy of a superior goal difference over Ha Noi T&T, will face their first real challenge under the name of defending champions and third-placed Song Lam Nghe An.

This is even more interesting as the game is a mental game between two of the most talented young coaches, who are the first generation of footballers when the country integrated into the regional football.

Another noticeable game is that between two hungry-looking sides, Becamex Binh Duong and Ha Noi FC, who are both on the second half of the table with only three points.

Home team Binh Duong are favourites to win full points and improve their ranking as Ha Noi will extend their poor run.

Dong Thap and Khanh Hoa will fight in the fourth game tomorrow to climb up on the table.

Three games today are Hoang Anh Gia Lai vs Navibank Sai Gon; Ninh Binh vs Thanh Hoa; and Sai Gon FC vs Hai Phong.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Premier League trophy to visit Vietnam

The 19th English Premier League cup won by Manchester United will tour parts of Asia this year.

The cup will arrive in Vietnam in April, accompanied by former United goalkeeper Van der Sar.

During the four-month tour, the cup will travel almost 80,000km through 27 countries, including Japan, India and Vietnam.

The tour will kick off in the Indian capital Delhi on Saturday, and will be accompanied by United legends Denis Irwin and Quinton Fortune, Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey.

"The 19th league title was a special moment for everyone in the Manchester United family and the DHL Champions Trophy Tour is our way of being able to share that historic achievement with our 333 million fans," the club's commercial director Richard Arnold said on its official website.

Last year, Vietnamese football fans descended on Hung Vuong Parkson commercial centre to see the Football Association of England Cup (the FA Cup) escorted by former Liverpool defender Steve Mc Mahon.

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Barcelona FC opens new programme in Vietnam

The programme of football for society was opened in Hanoi on Jan. 30, under the witness of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Nguyen Trong Hy and Barcelona FC’s representative Marce Xavi.

The programme of football for society was opened in Hanoi on Jan. 30. Photo by TTVH.

The programme aims to discover, train and upgrade football skills for Vietnamese children. All trainers are from Barcelona FC and two classes will be held, with the participation of 300 trainees.

Marce Xavi said the short training course will provide trainees with a philosophy to apply to Vietnamese football.

The three-year programme is expected to attract a large number of students from 6-14 years of age. Apart from studying football skills, the trainees will have the chance to play and exchange with participants from other courses in the country, as well as in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand , Indonesia , and Malaysia , Nguyen Lan Trung, VFF Vice President and Director of the programme said.

The programme may also lead to the discovery of talented players for Vietnam ’s football team.

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Vietnam to host U19 AFF football tourney

Vietnam expects to host the 2012 U19 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championships, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

The VFF will invite a football team, from either Uzbekistan, Iran or Qatar, to take part in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place before the final round of the 2012 U19 Asia Football Championship (AFC).

The AFF tourney will see the participation of U19 squads from Vietnam, Thailand and Australia if they qualify for the AFC championship, and a visiting team.

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Vietnam to host Asian football Olympic playoffs

Vietnam will host the Asian football qualifying playoffs for the London 2012 Olympic Games, says the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

According to the regional governing body for football, Malaysia had previously been chosen to host the event but renovations to the proposed Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur made the AFC eye a new destination for the qualifiers.

As scheduled, runners-up in the three third-round groups will play each other in a round-robin format and the winner will face Senegal in a match for a ticket to London.

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Premier League club Everton eyes Vietnamese forward

England’s Premier League club Everton has shown interest in Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh, the club's representative has said.

Steve Darby, who is Vietnam’s former national female football team coach, was a spectator at the Hanoi’s Hang Day Stadium to watch Vinh play in Hanoi FC’s game against Khatoco Khanh Hoa in the third round of the country’s top-flight Super League on Saturday.

His club beat visitors Khanh Hoa 4-1 but the 26-year-old Vinh did not make a significant contribution to the home win.

Vinh, whose late header earned Vietnam the ASEAN Football Federation championship in 2008, moved from Song Lam Nghe An to Hanoi T&T in 2009.

He was introduced by Vietnam’s then national men’s football coach Henrique Calisto to Portugal’s top-flight Liga Sagres club Leixoes when the 2009 V-League (currently called Super League) season ended.

However, Vinh did not play very well for Leixoes and returned to play the 2010 V-League season for Hanoi T&T, who won the league championship that year without Vinh’s contributing much.

Vinh moved from Hanoi T&T to Hanoi FC at the end of the 2011 season.

By Son Tung, Thanh Nien News

Vietnam football hangs on to top ranking in Southeast Asia

Vietnam’s national football team has remained in the lead of Southeast Asian despite dropping two notches to 101st position in the FIFA January rankings.

According to the FIFA ratings, the second place in the region was secured by Thailand, which also fell two notches back to 124^th position in the world, followed by Indonesia (143^rd) and Singapore (147^th).

In Asia, Japan topped the list with its 19^th position in the world, followed by Australia and the Republic of Korea, while Vietnam ranked 14^th.

Spain are still leading the world, leaving behind the Netherlands and Germany.

FIFA will announce its next rankings on February 15, 2012.

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Vietnamese shooter wins Olympic berth

Hoang Xuan Vinh has become the first ever Vietnamese shooter to win an official Olympics berth.

Vinh won 682.4 points in the men’s 10-meter air gun event on Monday at the January 11-22 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh finished fourth behind the gold medal winner from South Korea, Jin Jong Oh with 689.6 points, silver medalist from China, Wang Zhiwei with 683.1 points and Japanese bronze medal winner Matsuda Tomoyuki with 682.7 points.

However, the 37-year-old Vinh won an Olympic berth because the other three medalists had already qualified for the London Games before.

Vietnamese shooters have been given berths at previous Olympic Games but they were only wild card entries for countries underdeveloped in sports.

Vinh is the eighth Vietnamese athlete to have won a London Olympics berth.

The other seven athletes are female judo martial artist Van Ngoc Tu, male badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh, female taekwondo martial artist Chu Hoang Dieu Linh and male taekwondo martial artist Le Huynh Chau, male gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung, female gymnast Phan Ha Thanh and male swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc,

Vietnam has set itself a target of winning 25 Olympic berths including wild card entries.

By Lan Phuong, Thanh Nien News

Defending champs held at home in Vietnam Super League

Song Lam Nghe An players (yellow) mark Nigerian striker Samson Kayode Olaleye of visitors Hanoi T&T in a Super League match in Vinh city Sunday.

Defending Vietnamese Super League champions Song Lam Nghe An were held 2-2 at home by Hanoi T&T in the third round Sunday.

Both teams played fast football from the start, and it was a see-saw contest.

Trinidad & Tobago striker Hector Hughtun Kerin took a Van Hoan throw and scored the opener for the hosts midway through the first half, but the visitors’ Nigerian striker Samson Kayode Olaleye canceled out that goal 10 minutes from halftime.

The two teams continued to battle on level terms through the second half before Cameroonian striker Bebbe Gustave Anicet’s scored SLNA's second goal with a header in the first minute of stoppage time.

SLNA fans were excited thinking a win was in the bag, but less than two minutes later winger Van Quyet snatched a point for the visitors by heading home from a Sy Cuong corner.

In other action, hosts Vicem Hai Phong were held 1-1 at Lach Tray Stadium by Dong Thap. Nigerian striker Felix Gbenga Ajala scored for the visitors two minutes before the break, but Jamaican striker Kavin Elroy Bryan scored the equalizer four minutes before the final whistle.

Ivory Coast striker Sanogo Moussa scored the opener for the visitors Vissai Ninh Binh 15 minutes after the break at Ho Chi Minh City's Thong Nhat Stadium.

Brazilian striker Ricardo Alves Pereira evened the score for hosts Navibank Saigon in the 84th minute before Moussa scored again to grab full points for Ninh Binh .

Earlier, on Saturday, hosts Thanh Hoa beat 2007-08 champs Becamex Binh Duong 2-1 at home.

Saigon FC earned a 2-0 away win over Kienlongbank Kien Giang. Hanoi FC and 2009 champs SHB Da Nang crushed visitors Khanh Hoa and 2003-04 champs Hoang Anh Gia Lai by an identical 4-1 score.

After three rounds, Da Nang are on top with seven points, followed by Hanoi T&T who are also on seven but with an inferior goal difference. Saigon FC, SLNA, and Thanh Hoa in third, fourth and fifth with five points each.

Thanh Nien News

Vietnamese marksman qualifies for 2012 London Olympics

Vietnamese marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh has earned a place in the 2012 London Olympics following outstanding results at the ongoing Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh, 37, earned 682.4 points, coming in fourth in the men’s 10m air pistol event and making him the first Vietnamese shooter to gain entrance to the Olympic Games.

It was a surprise for the Vietnamese shooting team as experts have high hopes for ASIAD silver medalist Ha Minh Thanh who will compete in the 25m air pistol event on January 17.

At the recent 26th SEA Games in Indonesia, Vinh also won the first gold medal for the Vietnamese shooting team.

So far, seven Vietnamese athletes have qualified for the Olympics.

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Ha Noi club taste first win in Super League season

Breaking a drought: Xuan Luan of Ha Noi FC (right) vies for the ball against Huu Phat of Khanh Hoa in their Super League clash at Ha Noi's Hang Day Stadium. Ha Noi won 4-1. – VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

Nigerian striker Anjembe Timothy scored twice from the penalty spot and Dinh Thanh Trung added two more goals to help Ha Noi FC crush Khanh Hoa 4-1 in the Super League on Saturday.

It's the first win for the Hanoian team since the season kicked off two weeks ago.

The team also had the services of top striker Le Cong Vinh who played an important part in the second goal before a two week break for Tet.

Hosting the match at Hang Day Stadium, Ha Noi FC's offensive play encountered a deep and crowded Khanh Hoa defence who frustrated the home team's strikers.

Ha Noi failed to make any serious threat on the Khanh Hoa goal until the 41st minute when Timothy netted from a spot kick.

The goal helped break the deadlock and they added one more before half time.

Newly contracted striker Vinh, who has recently recovered from a knee injury, set up teammate Trung just before the break.

Vinh missed a great opportunity to make it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half, heading Pham Thanh Luong's cross over the bar.

In the 62nd minute, Brazilian Agostinho pulled a goal back for Khanh Hoa with a powerful header.

Ha Noi intentionally slowed the pace of the game with the visitors looking for an equaliser.

But any chances of a comeback were snuffed out by Timothy who successfully dispatched his second penalty of the game in the 80th minute before Trung launched a rocket into the back of the net in the 82nd minute.

Khanh Hoa missed a chance for a consolation in the last minute of the game with Majabvi missing from the spot.

In other games on Saturday, Da Nang demolished Hoang Anh Gia Lai 4-1, while Thanh Hoa edged Binh Duong 2-1.

Sai Gon FC recorded their first victory of the campaign with a 2-0 way win over Kien Giang.

In yesterday's matches, Hai Phong were held to a 1-1 draw by Dong Thap; Song Lam Nghe An drew with Ha Noi T&T 2-2 and Navibank Sai Gon lost 2-1 to Ninh Binh.

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