Last week we talked about how playing in Vietnam is better for most Vietnamese players in terms of finance. In this week’s newsletter, I’ll share with you another important factor that rarely came under the spotlight to influence the player’s decisions when considering opportunities from abroad.
#2 The fear of change
Back in the final round of 2017 season, Ha Noi FC was the leader in a three-way title race and a victory against Than Quang Ninh is enough for them to become the back-to-back champions. But the game which was supposed to be a celebration party turned into a bitter disaster for both the capital side and their captain Nguyen Van Quyet. In the end, Ha Noi FC only earned a draw with a score of 4-4 and lost the title to Quang Nam FC while Nguyen Van Quyet, at the peak of helplessness and frustration, crudely elbowed his close friend Nghiem Xuan Tu.
A two-match ban later came from VFF, but it’s nothing compared to the mental breakdown that happened to one of the best Vietnamese players at that time. Coping with the disappointment of losing the league title, the Golden Ball award (that year it went to Quang Nam’s Dinh Thanh Trung), and the public image all at the same time, it’s understandable that he was looking for a breath of fresh air. The offers from Thailand and Malaysia came, in great timing. According to Vietnamese media, a Malaysia Super League club offered Van Quyet an amount of 14,000 USD per month in net salary, plus many other alluring incentives like a private car and apartment. The negotiation went smoothly and Ha Noi FC’s official Facebook page even posted a picture of Van Quyet with the message: “Can’t keep calm because we will miss you”. Suddenly, everything changes. The deal collapsed at the last minute, apparently because the player got cold feet when the fear of change kicked in.
On paper, it was a good deal that came in at a good moment. However, in reality, for any keen Vietnamese football follower, it’s hard to see Van Quyet moving to a foreign country. Firstly we have to take a look at his background. Van Quyet was born and grow in outside of Ha Noi, spending his whole career in the capital city (Viettel FC’s academy then Ha Noi FC), then getting married to a beautiful girl from a rich family in Ha Noi. His son was less than two years old at that time, and his family has been comfortable living with the elite status in the city. How could you convince a guy like Van Quyet, and his family as well, to leave everything behind to move to a new place where everything is different? The food would be strange, people speak a whole new language, and most importantly the long distance away from your family (no they will never accompany him to Malaysia).
It is no exaggeration to say that family plays the most vital role in any player’s decision. The closer they live to their family, the better. Even relocation within a country could become a challenge. The close ties to the family inadvertently become a burden for any player who is eager to move to a new province, let alone a new country. The burden is getting bigger when he’s getting married and has kids. The most obvious example could be found in the case of midfielder Nguyen Hai Huy last year when he canceled the agreement with Ho Chi Minh City FC to sign with Hai Phong FC so he could stay much closer with his family in Quang Ninh province (only one-hour drive to Hai Phong). Knowing a player’s hometown and his family’s status is the first step to understanding the motives behind his career decision.
Besides family, food and language are also holding them back when considering opportunities from abroad. One of the favorite topics on Vietnamese media when covering sports teams on their oversea trips is how our athletes struggle with “foreign foods” and the need of providing “home foods” for them, from fish sauce to spring rolls. That’s why instant noodle is the must-have item on everyone’s packing list (check these photo of defender Bui Tien Dung’s suitcase ahead of the trip to UAE last year). It’s cheap, convenient, and has a familiar taste. They rather eat these noodles in the hotel room rather than try nasi lemak on the street of Kuala Lumpur, for instance. For the players who grow up before the economic boom, especially the ones who come from poor rural areas, “foreign foods” like pizza or pasta were unknown in their childhood memory, let alone chicken adobo or nasi lemak. For Northern men, getting used to Southern foods which have sweeter and spicier flavors is already a challenge, and vice versa. If an overseas tour is struggling, how bad it could be for not eating “home foods” for months or years when moving abroad?
Compare to adjusting to new foods in a new country, learning the language is significantly easier. Turns out it's one of the biggest weaknesses of Vietnamese players. Vietnam only ranks 66 out of 112 countries EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) but it’s still hard to believe that most of the players in the current national team aren’t able to communicate in English at a basic level. It was reported that in the first months at Heerenveen Doan Van Hau couldn’t understand instructions from the coach in the training session as well as failed to have basic communication with other teammates. Things are a bit better with Nguyen Quang Hai at Pau FC at the moment, when he has a personal assistant aka translator who follows him everywhere, from the dugout to the supermarket. However, it’s just a temporary fix and the special treatment could distance him from the rest of the squad. Some could argue that football has its own language and as long as you show your talent on the pitch, others will follow. Gareth Bale spent seven years in Real Madrid without speaking Spanish, no problem. But there’s one and only Bale, and not everyone could have the same privilege as Nguyen Quang Hai to have his own translator. For most players out there, the lack of language skills becomes a crucial excuse for turning down opportunities to play abroad.
All the stuff above are not only existed in football players, it’s a cultural matter of the whole nation: the combination of Confucianism and metathesiophobia syndrome - the fear of changes. In school, we learned to absolutely follow the order from teachers. In the family, every single word from older generations is a pearl of wisdom and the kids are expected to obey. Before writing anything on social media, it’s better to self-censored if you don’t want trouble from the State. Making mistakes is not encouraged, and adventure equally means rebellion. People are afraid of making changes because they don’t want to “lose face” when the changes turn into the wrong ones. The good news is things are improving quickly. Kids from top academies like PVF or Hoang Anh Gia Lai have started English courses from a very young age, and their diets are not much different from players in other countries. The younger generation is not only more open-minded and adapts quickly to a new environment, but they also have a stronger desire to make their dream of playing abroad come true.