>> Hanoi team faces referee disciplinary
The capital’s relegated Hanoi ACB football club and their rival Hoa Phat Hanoi may merge in order for the former to remain in the V-League in the 2012 season as part of a newly constituted club.
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| The capital’s relegated Hanoi ACB football club and Hoa Phat Hanoi may merge in order for the former to remain in the V-League in the 2012 season as part of a newly constituted club |
Despite no official talks of merger being expressed by the clubs, several sources have hinted at the possibility, saying that Hoa Phat Hanoi’s owners were also bitterly disappointed that despite their heavy investment, they’d suffered a season of mediocrity.
Hoa Phat Hanoi are no strangers to controversy. In a recent match they gained national publicity for their accusations of cheating levelled at referee Tran Cong Trong.
Hoa Phat Hanoi Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh claimed he would resign from football based on the refereeing performance.
However, for Hanoi ACB manager Nguyen Duc Kien, the current gloom hanging over Hoa Phat Hanoi would potentially offer a chance for his team to reclaim a V-League 2012 in controversial circumstances.
If negotiations go smoothly, Hanoi ACB could merge with Hoa Phat Hanoi. It would be the second time that Kien has maintained a hold in the V-League through merger, when faced by a potentially damaging relegation.
In 2003, LG.Hanoi.ACB merged with Vietnam Aviation to become Hanoi ACB, securing its V-League position despite a pitiful relegation season.
If the merger is successful, Kien will select players from the two teams to form a stronger Hanoi-based team for the V-League 2012 season, including favourites such as Duc Tuan, Thanh Luong, Xuan Thanh and Duc Thang.
Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh of Hoa Phat Hanoi has denied any knowledge of the proposed merger.
In 2010, Thanh Hoa also secured a V-League spot after merging with Viettel, formerly known as Vietnam People’s Army Football Club.
However, the one big question remains is what Vietnam’s long-suffering football supporters would make of yet another team escaping relegation and being treated as the play-thing of rich owners not willing to accept the consequences of a competitive league.
