Vietnamese football players go on strike after not getting paid for 2 years

Eighteen Thanh Hoa players, including Brazilian player Gustavo, have filed a complaint to the province’s authorities and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). They said that the club’s managers did not pay them as promised and owe them money from both 2023 and 2024.

In addition to not paying full salaries and bonuses to players, the club’s leaders also did not give them the bonuses that province and enterprises awarded the team when they won the National Cup in 2023 and 2024. The total amount is nearly VND20 billion.

The players said they had been promised payment many times but have not received it. Therefore, they decided to go on strike and stop training until they are paid.

The club’s CEO Cao Hoang Duc said that the amount was not as much as the players had alleged and he had promised them that there would be a payment plan by Aug. 15. Duc also decided to use the remaining players on the club for upcoming matches.

Thanh Hoa are currently sponsored by Dong A Group.

Before the salary problem, Thanh Hoa also made a controversial move by withdrawing from the AFC Cup last month. The club directly qualified for the group stage of the AFC Cup, the second-tier tournament in Asia after the AFC Champions League, but then decided against participating.

The VFF asked the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to give that spot to another club from Vietnam but the request was not approved. The AFC then ultimately gave the spot to Thai club Muangthong United.