Are V-League clubs forced to change their names after the local merger date of July 1: Nam Dinh speaks out?

After the localities are merged after July 1, the question is whether the clubs in the V-League and the first division are forced to change their names?

What would happen if football clubs changed their names?

Since July 1, some provinces across the country have no longer had their old names, after merging and being associated with the name of the new locality. Suppose domestic football clubs also changed their names to follow the new province, what would happen?

Nam Dinh Green Steel Club said they have no intention of changing their name.

Photo: Minh Tu

For example, the 2024-2025 V-League champion, Nam Dinh Green Steel, if named after the new locality, will be Ninh Binh Green Steel. Becamex Binh Duong Club will change its name to Becamex TP.HCM (this team is different from Ho Chi Minh City Club, which is also competing in the V-League), and Quang Nam Club will change its name to Da Nang Club (this team is different from SHB Da Nang Club).

Similarly, in the first division, the famous football team Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc will change its name to Truong Tuoi Dong Nai, Hoa Binh Club will be renamed to Phu Tho Club, Long An Club will change its name to Tay Ninh Club, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Club will change its name to Ho Chi Minh City Club (if this happens, they will have the same name as Ho Chi Minh City Club currently playing in the V-League), Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club will change its name to Quy Nhon Gia Lai Club (this team is different from Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club)...

However, all of the new names above are just assumptions. Almost no team has made a decision on the name after the local merger.

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On June 30, V-League champion Thep Xanh Nam Dinh spoke up: "Dear fans. The current name of the team is still Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. The club is urgently preparing personnel and training plans to prepare for the 2025-2026 season in which we will compete in 5 arenas: AFC Champions League Two, Shopee Cup, Vietnam Super Cup, V-League and National Cup. The team currently has no plans or any activities or documents related to the name change. The information about the team name change is completely inaccurate and causes confusion. The club would like to sincerely thank you."

World football does not require clubs to be associated with their locality

The change of name of football teams in Vietnam is hypothetical. There is no regulation requiring football clubs to combine their names with the province or city (under the Central Government) in their locality. World football does not require this either.

European football giant Chelsea is based in London, but the team's name is simply FC Chelsea, not Chelsea London or London Chelsea.

Photo: Reuters

For example, London (England) has many clubs, such as FC Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, FC Fulham, West Ham United... None of these teams add the word "London" to their official name. Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham are just the names of a district or an area in the capital of England, but they are still allowed to become the official names of clubs, which have existed for more than a century. That reflects that combining the names of football teams with the names of localities is not mandatory.

Similarly, in the capital city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, there are very famous clubs such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, or Argentinos Juniors, but none of them associate their name with the name of the city where they are "headquartered".

Returning to professional football clubs in Vietnam, in the V-League and the first division, whether these teams will change their names or not, or combine their names with their provinces or cities, may be up to each club to decide. Up to this point, some teams have revealed that they have no intention of changing their team name, including the new 2024-2025 V-League champion, Nam Dinh Green Steel.

The teams themselves probably do not want to change their club names (equivalent to changing the name of a business, because each club operates on the model of a business, according to AFC regulations), and more complicated coincidences may arise until they receive new decisions and instructions.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cac-clb-v-league-co-buoc-phai-doi-ten-sau-ngay-17-doi-nam-dinh-len-tieng-185250630115306907.htm