Mr Duc, the master of Hoang Anh - Gia Lai club.

VietNamNet Bridge – Bulky bonuses, the escalation of bonuses of professional football teams in some aspects allow fans to believe that V-League is now cleaner.

When Hoang Anh-Gia Lai appeared in V-League, the national football league, it immediately attracted the admiration of the circle of football players. A strong team with many victories, a generous master, the salary of Hoang Anh-Gia Lai’s players is not high but their bonuses are really huge.

When players receive VND40-50 million (US$2,500 – 3,100) for each winning match at V-League, the number is VND100, VND150 or VND200 million ($6,200, 9,300, and 12,500) at Hoang Anh-Gia Lai.

The team’s master, Mr Duc, has a special money spending style. He can call a player who plays well at a match to his office to present him with VND5 or VND10 million. He is also ready to lend hundreds of million of dong to good players. Hoang Anh-Gia Lai, thus, is a ‘dream land’ for Vietnamese football players.

Dong Tam-Long An, however, is the team with the highest bonus. This team’s bonus is very secret and is paid once at the end of the football season. Even reserve players can receive nearly VND200 million ($12,500) and stars like Minh Phuong and Tai Em are rumoured to take more than VND300 million ($18,700).

Ranking third after Hoang Anh-Gia Lai and Dong Tam Long An is Binh Duong, which is called ‘Chelsea Vietnam’.

In the 2005 football season, Binh Duong entered the group of ‘money-spending’ teams. Accordingly, the team received a VND120 million-VND150 million bonus for a winning match, and up to VND200 million for an important match.

In 2006, Southern Steel-Saigon Port emerged as a new generous team, with a VND200 million bonus for each winning match. According to some players on this team, their team is the one that gave the highest bonuses in the 2006 football season.

In vital matches, bonuses are often equivalent to the official prize for the V-League Champion.

In 2004, East Asia-Pomina Steel club posted bonuses totalling nearly VND1 billion ($62,500) for the final match with Dong Tam-Long An.

In 2004, Hanoi ACB paid VND500 million ($31,200) of bonus for the play-off match with Hoa Sen Iron-Can Tho. Hai Phong also offered a VND500 million bonus for a play-off match in 2006.

V-League 2007 is now 1/3 along its path but bonuses are increasing wildly. The most outstanding example is Hoang Anh-Gia Lai, the team seeking the top position at any cost. Mr Duc offers a bonus of $50,000 for a winning match against Dong Tam-Long An, and VND200 and VND300 million for other matches.

Next to Hoang Anh Gia Lai in this field is Binh Duong, with VND120, VND150, VND180 or VND200 million for a winning match. This team is famous for its fairness and bonuses are shared immediately after each match.

The teams that are racing for the championship offer high bonuses and those at the bottom of the ranking list are also in this race to improve their positions. For example, Hoa Phat Hanoi and Hanoi ACB post bonuses of between VND120-200 million a match.

Two teams that have joined V-League, Halida Thanh Hoa and Huda Hue, though, are considered poor still in that they offer bonuses of VND120 to VND150 million for a match. Other teams like Phu My Fertiliser, Nam Dinh, Da Nang or Khatoco Khanh Hoa also have announced that they reward at three levels: VND80, VND100 and VND120 million.

Compared to the previous football seasons, bonuses have suddenly increased in V-League 2007 right at the beginning of the season. It is forecast that the bonus race will be fierce in the second phase.

There are many reasons to explain this race but the most convincible one is V-League 2007 is ‘cleaner’.

(Source: VTC)