V.League 1 to benefit from expanded overseas Vietnamese player rule

Jason Pendant Quang Vinh (right) is likely to join the V.League 1 soon. — AFP/VNA Photo

Football

HÀ NỘI The Việt Nam Football Federation’s (VFF) decision to increase the number of foreign players of Vietnamese origin registered in professional and semi-professional tournaments is expected to have a significant impact on the Vietnamese national team.

Following a meeting of the VFF Executive Committee, the new rule allows each V.League 1 club to field up to two overseas Vietnamese players, up from the previous limit of one. This change is expected to invigorate the league, which has seen stagnation in terms of expertise and competitive dynamics.

The new policy on the number of overseas Vietnamese players in the 2024/25 season has opened up a new direction for clubs.

According to football experts, if there are two quality overseas Vietnamese players in the squad along with three good foreign players, clubs can conquer all the achievements they desire.

The pioneer in the issue of selecting high-quality overseas Vietnamese players is probably Hà Nội Police Club. Last season, the police team brought in two famous overseas Vietnamese players, both in the goalkeeper position. The regulation that a team could only register one overseas Vietnamese player at that time forced Hà Nội Police to loan Patrik Lê Giang (overseas Vietnamese in Slovakia) to HCM City Club, after bringing in European-class goalkeeper Filip Nguyễn from the Czech Republic.

Now, Hà Nội Police are aiming for another overseas Vietnamese star, Jason Pendant Quang Vinh from France, to replace Patrik Lê Giang who will most likely join Becamex Bình Dương Club. Quang Vinh has played for France’s U16 and U18 teams and made 33 appearances for Quevilly Royen in Ligue 2 in the 2023/24 season. It is an impressive achievement of Quang Vinh, as Vietnamese star Nguyễn Quang Hải, while playing for Pau FC in Ligue 2, did not find many opportunities to play.

The presence of overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers Đặng Văn Lâm and Filip Nguyễn has helped the Vietnamese team become more solid in defence. If goalkeeper Lê Giang completes the naturalisation procedure, Việt Nam team will have another good option.

However, the team need more overseas Vietnamese players who can play in other positions to improve the quality of the squad. This is a common trend in regional and world football, as exemplified by the Indonesian team’s development with the resources of Indonesian-origin players playing in the Netherlands.

If left-back Quang Vinh can join Hà Nội Police in the 2024/25 V.League 1, the national premiere league will be worth watching with another famous overseas Vietnamese player. More importantly, Quang Vinh can be given the opportunity to soon obtain Vietnamese citizenship and be eligible to contribute to his home team as he wishes.

In fact, there are many overseas Vietnamese players playing in Vietnamese tournaments such as midfielder Martin Lò (Australia), midfielder Adriano Schmidt (Germany), Steven Đặng (US), midfielders Ryan Hà and Vincent Trọng Trí Guyenne (France), but not many have made good impressions.

The problem now for Vietnamese teams is to find quality players who are suited to the team’s playing style who can develop their qualities when training in higher environments than Việt Nam.

Obviously, having two slots for overseas Vietnamese players in the 2024/25 season will make clubs focus on finding more quality overseas Vietnamese players. At that time, both V.League 1 and the Vietnamese national team can benefit. VNS