European expert: V-League needs to build football culture from youth development

As night fell, the stadium was still wet after a long rain. On the screen, the challenge by Đoàn Văn Hậu against Doãn Ngọc Tân was replayed in slow motion. The entire stand seemed to hold its breath. There was no cheering, only sighs and a few whistles of anger. That was not a moment of tactics or technique, but a moment in which an entire football nation had to look at itself. This V-League season has not lacked attractive matches or beautiful goals, but alongside them is a series of challenges that make us ask: what kind of players are we producing? In a recent interview with Dân trí, a European expert (unnamed) delivered a provocative assessment: violence on V-League pitches is not a problem of individuals, but a consequence of an entire youth development system that has not been built correctly. He did not talk about bans or tactical mistakes. Instead, he pointed straight to the root: football culture, which cannot be formed overnight but must be cultivated from the time players are children. The story is not just about one match or one suspension, but about the long journey of Vietnamese football to escape its own shadow. The incidents came in quick succession: Đoàn Văn Hậu was suspended for four matches for a dangerous challenge on Doãn Ngọc Tân; Tấn Sinh and Văn Sơn committed deliberate fouls against Đình Bắc. From the outside, it is easy to label them as undisciplined players. But the European expert turns the question around: is this a lack of individual discipline, or a deficiency in the way we teach football? For a long time, Vietnamese youth football has relied on too many coaches who lean primarily on playing experience or street football experience, rather than on systematic pedagogical training. They may know how to play, but do they know how to teach a child to control the hot moments of a match? Do they know how to explain to a young player that fouling to stop an opponent from scoring is normal, but fouling to retaliate or to intimidate is a completely different matter? The expert's analysis does not stop at criticizing tackling technique. He points out that slide tackling and duel management are skills that can be taught, and if they are not taught systemically, players will learn in their own way – usually picking up bad habits. In an environment where playing tough, intimidating opponents is seen as a sign of “character”, young players will see it as normal. This is an inverted contagion: from senior players down to junior ones. Young players always look to their seniors as role models. If at the top level, where standards should be set, reckless challenges are still accepted, then below that level, it will become “normal”. Such a culture will sustain itself through generations. Of course, the role of the individual cannot be denied. But the European expert highlights a counter-intuitive point: harsher punishments are not necessarily the solution. He asks: if bans are handed out yet dangerous challenges continue to occur, is the disciplinary system failing? The meaning of a punishment is not just to punish, but also to prevent. If the preventive goal is not achieved, then the disciplinary policy, no matter how strict, is merely “placating public opinion”. Therefore, the key is not severity, but consistency. The same type of foul, the same punishment. The same behavior, the same consequence. Inconsistent handling of incidents creates a loophole for “tough” players to exploit. The expert also acknowledges the environment: heavy rain and poor pitch conditions are factors that increase the unpredictability of challenges. But they are not excuses. Pitch conditions cannot justify a deliberate foul. They only show that clubs, referees, and fans need a clearer, shared code of conduct. This story goes beyond the scope of VFF or VPF. The responsibility belongs to both sides: VFF is the governing body of the nation's football, while VPF operates the league. If the coordination between the two is not unified, reform will stall. The expert emphasizes that the fundamental solution lies not in lengthy suspensions, but in changing how coaches are trained. Making youth coach licensing mandatory, requiring regular training and knowledge updates, is a cultural shield. A well-trained coach will know how to teach young players safe defensive techniques, how to control emotions in tense situations, and how to emphasize that respect for opponents does not mean weakness. Conversely, a coach who sees playing experience as everything will oversimplify the problem, passing on randomly formed habits. From the perspective of someone who has spent a lifetime watching the game, I see a paradox. Vietnamese football has made tremendous strides in the past decade, from national team achievements to investment in youth generations. But precisely because of this rapid development, people tend to look at results and forget the cultural foundation. Fans want to see victories, clubs want achievements, players want starting positions. This pressure invisibly creates an environment where an aggressive challenge is sometimes justified as a way to “assert one's self”. But if that ego goes too far, it does not just ruin a match; it harms a career. Coaches, young players, and even parents need to be reminded that football is first and foremost a game – but a game with rules about safety and respect. I still remember the Camp Nou night in 2026, when Barcelona staged a miraculous comeback against PSG. I cried on live television, not because of the score, but because I saw a collective refusing to believe in its own death. The ball rolled, and for a moment, all boundaries of class, geography, or head-to-head history were erased. Miracles do not need a passport. But that miracle could only happen when the people on the pitch were free to play the game in a spirit of respect for the rules. If players have to worry about a challenge that could break their leg, the miracle will never come. The story of the V-League now is not about punishments, but about whether we have the patience to rebuild from the ground up. Many will ask: can a European expert, with different football standards, truly understand the context of Vietnamese football? This is a legitimate question. But what is worth pondering is whether those on the inside – coaches, players, and managers – have the courage to see their own problems. Vietnamese football does not lack talent. Our current generation of young players plays with self-confidence and good individual technique. What is missing is a real educational ecosystem: where a player is not only taught how to run, pass, and shoot, but also how to read situations, how to make decisions under pressure, and above all, how to remain composed. These skills cannot be acquired by merely practicing on the pitch two afternoons a day. They require a long, systematic process, starting with youth training centers staffed by pedagogically qualified coaches. Look at how the Japanese rebuilt their football after years of stagnation. They did not start by buying stars, but by changing the coach education system and introducing a unified playing philosophy from school level up to professional level. As a result, we now see an entire generation of Japanese players playing with remarkable intelligence and discipline. Vietnamese football can do the same. But to do so, we must accept that the issue is not “bad players” or “weak referees”. The issue is the system. And a system cannot be changed by just one or two sanctions. There is one detail I want to pause on: the expert's description of some training environments encouraging young players to play roughly or to seek to intimidate opponents. This is a serious accusation. If true, the fault cannot be placed solely on individual players. The fault belongs to those who trained them. And if the fault lies with the system, then punishing the system must go hand in hand with rebuilding it. A suspension might make a player calmer in the next match, but will it make a coach change his lesson plan? Will it make another young player, watching from the stands, understand that brutality is shameful? The V-League has a growing brand. The league is becoming more attractive, and the audience is growing larger. But a football brand is not built only on goals or championships. It is built on the image of the league in the eyes of the public – and of investors, sponsors, and broadcasters. Violent challenges that go viral on social media will quickly turn into stories about an unsafe league. In an age of rapid content consumption, this is a real threat. Improving on-field conduct, therefore, is not just about discipline; it is about protecting the brand, protecting the league's future. Looking ahead, I believe that a coach education reform will be a foundational one. If VFF and VPF can sit down, unify a roadmap for mandatory training and licensing for all youth coaches, then within a generation (possibly 5 to 10 years), we will see a clear difference. But that is a challenge of patience and policy. Do the leaders of Vietnamese football have the courage to explain to fans that they must wait a few more years to see real results? Do they have the nerve to resist the pressure of short-term achievements? Football is a game of moments. But the greatest moments come only when built on a solid foundation. The final whistle of one match is also the beginning of the next. If we allow bad habits to persist for many more years, we will pay the price with injuries, broken careers, and the loss of fans' trust. It is time to look at on-field violence as no longer the sole concern of the disciplinary committee. It is a matter for education, for training centers, for parents who send their children to football schools. Because a child raised in a healthy environment, where discipline and respect are valued, will carry those qualities throughout their career. Conversely, a child taught that winning at all costs is everything, that intimidation is a weapon, will become a professional with a dangerous playing style. The pitch never grows old; only our views of it change. And that is why the story of the V-League right now is not the story of one season, but the story of a generation defining its identity. Will we be a football nation of discipline and respect, or a nation of chaos? The answer lies in the small football classrooms, where the first lessons about how to live – not just how to kick – are passed on. The seeds of a good football culture can be sown today, on any pitch, by a coach who loves children and who holds a certificate worthy of the trust of parents.