V.League 1
| Country | Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | V.League 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Vietnamese National Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League AFC Cup |
| Current champions | Becamex Bình Dương (2015) |
| Most championships | Thể Công (5 titles) |
| TV partners | VTV, VTC |
| Website | http://www.vnleague.com |
 2015 V.League 1 |
|
The V.League 1 (Vietnamese: Giải bóng đá Vô địch Quốc gia), officially named for sponsorship reasons Toyota V.League 1, is the top professional football league in Vietnam controlled by VPF, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company. It is contested by 14 clubs who play each other on a home and away basis. The team finishing top at the end of the season are crowned champions and enter the AFC Champions League.
The league was founded in 1980 as the Vietnamese National A1 Football Cup with Tổng Cục Đường Sắt emerged as the first winner. Thể Công is the most successful team in the league history, they won the title 5 times. The league turned professional in 2000-2001 season which allowed clubs to hire foreign players. VPF (Vietnam Professional Football) was established in 2012 and the organizing power was transferred from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to the VPF.
Contents
History
Foundation and early days
The V-League, as it is known today, dates back to 1980 when the first semi-professional league was launched (then known as the Vietnamese National A1 Football Cup). Seventeen clubs participated in the competition which was split into three groups and conducted more like a cup competition, with the winner from each group qualifying for the Championship Stage. Công An Hà Nội, Tổng Cục Đường Sắt and Hải Quan were the three teams to qualify, with Tổng Cục Đường Sắt ultimately taking out the title.That format, although the teams were split into two groups, continued until 1995 when the league reverted to a more traditional league format.
Turning professional
League football in Vietnam would turn professional in the 2000-2001 season, which saw the league change its name to its current moniker, V-League. In that inaugural V-League season there were only 10 clubs, with tighter restrictions meaning lesser teams. Over the next decade the league grew from 10 teams to the current 14, with the team that finishes on top of the table qualifying for the AFC Champions League. Clubs were allowed to hire foreign players from this season on.
VPF establishment
Following a season marred by accusations of refereeing corruption and a cover-up by the V.League governing body Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), 6 clubs (Đồng Tâm Long An, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, Hanoi ACB, Vissai Ninh Bình, Khatoco Khánh Hòa and Lam Sơn Thanh Hóa[1]) threatened to leave the league and form an entirely new league for the 2012 season. The most out spoken club in the move was Hanoi ACB, who were going through relegation from the V.League, with its chairman Nguyen Duc Kien announcing that ACB would spearhead the move. Due to the controversy, league sponsor EximBank expressed its intention to drop its title sponsorship of the league. League officials scrambled to resolve the issues, going as far as hiring foreign referees for the 2012 season.[2][3] After a meeting on September 29, representatives of the VFF and the 14 V.League 1 teams and 14 V.League 2 teams announced the formation of a new corporation, the VPF, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company to manage the V-League. The VFF would hold a 36% stake in the new corporation, and the rest would be held by clubs.[1]
From 2012 season, the organizing power was transferred from the VFF to the VPF (Vietnamese Professional Football), and the V.League was initially changed to the Super League, although this name is short-lived and the league was renamed back to V.League later in the season. The first division was renamed the V.League 2. At the same time, many clubs found themselves in financial and sponsor issues, and many clubs withdrew, merge, bought another or failed to meet requirements for leagues. As a result, the number of clubs in each league changed dramatically.
Competition format
- The V.League 1 season starts in January and ends in September. In each season, each club plays each of the other clubs twice, once at home and another away, for a total of 22 games.
- Teams are ranked by total points, head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored.
- Top team is qualified for AFC Champions League group stages.
- For 2010 season, two bottom teams are relegated to the Vietnam First Division while third lowest placed team goes to play-off with the third highest placed team from the First Division.[4]
- Starting in the 2013 season, the number of clubs participating in the V.League would be decreased from fourteen to twelve after three clubs failed to register. Also in the same season, the bottom team will be relegated to the First Division while the top three teams from the First Division will be promoted into the V-League.[5]
- Starting in the 2015 season, the league is competed by 14 teams.[6]
Sponsorship
Since the 2000–2001 season, the V.League has been branded with a principal sponsor's name and logo. The following companies have acted as principal sponsors:[7]
- 2000–02: Strata Sport Marketing (Strata V-League)
- 2003: PepsiCo (Sting V-League)
- 2004: Kinh Đô (Kinh Đô V-League)
- 2005: Tan Hiep Phat (Number One V-League)
- 2006: Eurowindow (Eurowindow V-League)
- 2007–10: Petro Vietnam Gas (Petro Vietnam Gas V-League)
- 2011–14: Eximbank (Eximbank V.League 1)[nb 1]
- 2015: Toyota (Toyota V.League 1)
Controversies
2013 controversy
After Xuân Thành Sài Gòn was docked points for what the VFF deemed the club unsportsman like conduct when the club fielded a noncompetitive squad for the their Matchdat 20 meeting with Sông Lam Nghệ An, club officials announced that the club would withdraw from the league. On August 22, 2013, the VFF approved Xuân Thành Sài Gòn's withdrawal request. Matches where the club was involved were vacated. The VFF is still debating if the last place club will still be relegated to V.League 2, though the league charter states that the club in 12th place would be the only club relegated in the 2013 campaign.[8]
Relegation was canceled for the 2013 campaign after Xuân Thành Sài Gòn withdrew from the V.League 1 before the conclusion of the season.[9] QNK Quảng Nam, Than Quảng Ninh and Hùng Vương An Giang, as winners, first runners-up and second runners-up respectively, were promoted from the 2013 V.League 2 season. Kienlongbank Kiên Giang failed to apply for the 2014 campaign and subsequently folded during the offseason.[10]
2014 Match-fixing scandal
Vissai Ninh Bình F.C. wrote to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and to the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company to be allowed to stop their participation in the league and also the AFC Cup due to 13 players being involved in match fixing. They had played 8 league matches and were third from bottom at the time.[11] Following their withdrawal from the league, all their results were declared null and void.[12]
Rule Changes, due to the match fixing scandal and withdrawal of Vissai Ninh Bình F.C., it was decided that the bottom-placed team at the end of the season will take part in a play-off match against the third-placed team in the First Division for the right to play in the V-League next season.[13]
Clubs
Clubs competed in 2015 season:
Stadiums
Primary venues used in the 2015 V.League 1:
| Becamex Bình Dương | Đồng Nai | Đồng Tâm Long An | Đồng Tháp | Hà Nội T&T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gò Đậu Stadium | Đồng Nai Stadium | Long An Stadium | Cao Lãnh Stadium | Hàng Đẫy Stadium |
| Capacity: 18,250 | Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 19,975 | Capacity: 23,000 | Capacity: 22,500 |
 |
||||
| Hải Phòng | Hoàng Anh Gia Lai | QNK Quảng Nam | Sanna Khánh Hòa | SHB Đà Nẵng |
| Lạch Tray Stadium | Pleiku Stadium | Tam Kỳ Stadium | 19/8 Nha Trang Stadium | Chi Lăng Stadium |
| Capacity: 28,000 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 15,624 | Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 30,000 |
 |
||||
| Sông Lam Nghệ An | Than Quảng Ninh | Thanh Hóa | XSKT Cần Thơ | |
| Vinh Stadium | Cẩm Phả Stadium | Thanh Hóa Stadium | Cần Thơ Stadium | |
| Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 14,000 | Capacity: 25,000 | |
 |
Attendance
V.League 1 average attendance stands at around 10,000 spectators per game for some recent seasons. As of June 2010, the average attendance of V-League 2010 is 10,208.[14]
Players
Rules on foreign players
Clubs are only allowed to register three foreign players per season.[15] In prior seasons, clubs were allowed to register two foreign players.
Starting from 2015 season, the number of foreign players allowed by clubs is reduced to 2 players plus 1 naturalized player.
Top scorers by season
Statistics
Previous winners by season
The following is a historical list of champions and runners-up of the V.League 1 by season. Superscripts in brackets (such as (2)) indicate a repeat win.
Top-performing clubs
| No. of championships[7] | Clubs |
|---|---|
| 5 | Thể Công-Viettel F.C |
| 4 | Becamex Bình Dương FC, Cảng Sài Gòn |
| 3 | Sông Lam Nghệ An, SHB Đà Nẵng FC[nb 2] |
| 2 | Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, Gạch Đồng Tâm Long An, Đồng Tháp, Hà Nội T&T |
| 1 | Hải Quan, Công Nghiệp Hà Nam Ninh, Công An Hà Nội, Tổng Cục Đường Sắt, Công An Thành Phố |
See also
- Football in Vietnam
- North Vietnam V-League and South Vietnam V-League – Before 1980
References
- Notes
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- League at FIFA
- League at soccerway.com
- Vietnam Football Federation
- V.League Site
- RSSSF.com - Vietnam - List of Champions
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