Following the match fixing scandal that tainted Vietnam's men’s football squad at the SEA Games 2005 in the Philippines, the Vietnam Football Federation has issued strict regulations on athlete roles, rights and responsibilities at international events. According to Lan Phuong in Thanh Nien, the newspaper of Vietnam’s Youth Association, this is the first official written document issued by VFF, "drawing on experience from internal disagreements among coaches, managers and footballers of the Vietnamese national football team".
Two of the most notable details of the eight-page-long Regulation of six chapters and 17 articles are athlete obligations to voice opinions and the roles and responsibilities of officials.
"The team’s head coach Alfred Riedl spoke highly of the regulations, saying they would help members behave professionally with clearly defined roles for both players and officials. The Austrian coach also said officials should not be the only ones allowed to speak to the press, as long as confidential lineup information is not given out. Vice captain Phan Van Tai Em said the regulations are fair as footballers can contribute ideas to officials on everything from training to tactics," Lan reported.
Two of the most notable details of the eight-page-long Regulation of six chapters and 17 articles are athlete obligations to voice opinions and the roles and responsibilities of officials.
"The team’s head coach Alfred Riedl spoke highly of the regulations, saying they would help members behave professionally with clearly defined roles for both players and officials. The Austrian coach also said officials should not be the only ones allowed to speak to the press, as long as confidential lineup information is not given out. Vice captain Phan Van Tai Em said the regulations are fair as footballers can contribute ideas to officials on everything from training to tactics," Lan reported.
See also: Vietnam plea for "major surgery on corruption" (5 Apr) and Vietnam Minister suspended over illegal betting (23 Mar) and Vietnamese officials bet thousands on football (2 Feb) and Senior official arrested for gambling in Vietnam (23 Jan)