August 8 – Players at a leading Vietnamese club have gone on strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses, a rare move in Asian football.
As a result, the club, Thanh Hoa, have withdrawn from the inaugural season of the AFC Champions League Two.
Thanh Hoa had qualified for the continental competition – which kicks off in September – after winning the Vietnamese Cup in July.
“The players have been on strike for three days already and have stopped training,” Thanh Hoa coach Velizar Popov told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Like always, I fully support the players and I’m behind them 100%”
More than 20 players at the club, which plays in the top-tier V. League 1, signed a statement that was released on social media Tuesday.
It said the collective amount that the players were owed had climbed to around $640,000 over the last two seasons.
“Players and coaching staff members always face late salaries, bonuses and contract fees,” the statement said. “But we always maintain high professionalism, winning two national cups and one Super Cup in consecutive years.”
Thanh Hoa have been replaced in the Champions League by Muangthong United.
“For me it was the most important target this season,” Popov said.
“I was very motivated to participate and to play against the best teams from Japan, China and Korea. But to be honest if we’re so poor and can’t pay players, then we have no place to compete with the best teams in Asia.”
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