Under great pressure from football clubs, the chief of the organization board of V-League Duong Nghiep Khoi has recently filed his resignation.

Club chair criticizes VFF, wants to set up new league
Many football sponsors interested in Super Liga
Football business in bad luck
VFF Vice Chair: Super Liga is impossible
Football Fan Association back Super Liga
Football investors ask Football Federation to overhaul
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has also confirmed to replace Khoi in the 2012 football season.

In the last 11 football seasons in Vietnam that the VFF called professional league, Khoi took over the seat for five seasons. In 2008, he was fired after fans for Song Lam Nghe An and Hai Phong trampled in the pitch and created bloody clashes on field, but returned to the post last season. He was replaced by Nguyen Huu Bang and Tran Quoc tuan. Khoi resumed the position in 2011.

His career seemed to be smooth throughout the V-League 2011. But at the meeting to summarize the football season 2011, Hanoi ACB FC’s Chair, Nguyen Duc Kien, asked the VFF to reform and change the V-League chief organizer.

Khoi has been blamed for failing to settle down corruption by some referees who intentionally favored some teams for wins in exchange of money. The misconduct of the referees has eroded confidence among fans and steadily pulled down average attendance per match at V-League in recent seasons – from 10,326 in 2009, to 8,297 in 2010 and 7,395 in 2011.

On September 15, Chairman of Hanoi ACB (Nguyen Duc Kien), Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC (Doan Nguyen Duc), chairman of Dong Tam Long An FC (Vo Quoc Thang) and Chairman of Khanh Hoa FC (Le Tien Anh) met with VFF’s Vice Chairman Le Hung Dung. They asked VFF to perform comprehensive reform, including replacing V-League chief organizer Duong Nghiep Khoi and chairman of the National Referee Council Nguyen Van Mui.
Kien nominated Pham Ngoc Vien, VFF’s Vice Chair, as the new V-League chief organizer and Doan Phu Tan as Chairman of the National Referee Council.

On September 16, VFF Standing Committee convened in an extraordinary meeting to make some important decisions. At the meeting, VFF’s Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy called for FCs to help find nominees for the two above posts. The deadline for this is September 23.

Last month, the VFF announced a suspension penalty for a whole season 2011-12 against referees Tran Cong Trong and Nguyen Van Quyet for their misconduct, but many clubs have demanded a permanent suspension.

PV