Following the conclusion of the V-League 2023/2024 season, a Southeast Asian football review site published a list of the region's leagues and the top 10 clubs that attracted the most fans. Surprisingly, the V-League reclaimed the top spot, surpassing Malaysia's Super League, Indonesia's Liga I, and Thailand's Thai-League in average match attendance.

The top 10 clubs in terms of average spectators also included two V-League teams: Thep Xanh Nam Dinh (4th) and Hai Phong (8th). This announcement brought unexpected joy to Vietnamese football fans, especially considering the national teams’ recent struggles in regional and continental competitions.

While the statistics and leading position in the region are positive, the underlying issues suggest a different story. Despite being considered the most attractive league, Vietnamese football still lags behind Thailand and Malaysia in the ranking of national leagues, which determines the allocation of spots for the AFC Champions League.

Next season, Thailand will have two clubs in the AFC Champions League and one in the AFC Cup. Similarly, Malaysia will have one club in the AFC Champions League and one in the AFC Cup. In contrast, Vietnam will only have two clubs participating in the AFC Cup: Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa. Notably, these V-League representatives were recently granted permission to participate in AFC competitions, accompanied by conditional penalties from the VFF licensing committee.

Moreover, in terms of meeting the criteria for participating in AFC club competitions, only Hanoi FC and CAHN from Vietnam meet the A-level standards, which include youth development programs and adequate medical care for players.

While the position of the V-League may seem to have improved, Vietnamese clubs have yet to make significant marks on the continental stage compared to their counterparts from leagues like the Thai-League. The reality is that despite the impressive attendance figures, there are several areas where the V-League falls short, such as technical quality, organization, image, and refereeing standards.

Claiming the top spot in Southeast Asia in terms of spectator attendance is noteworthy, but the V-League still has a long way to go in terms of overall quality and professionalism. This gap between perception and reality underscores why the impressive attendance figures are not necessarily a cause for celebration.

Duy Nguyen