REBORN A TIME SYMBOL
At its peak, the city's football had three names that were strong enough to make waves, taking turns winning the national championship: Customs Club, Saigon Port and Ho Chi Minh City Police (HCMC Police). Among them, the HCMC Police brand attracted many generations of young fans with its strong, modern playing style and unique personality. The football team representing the HCMC Police force won the national championship in 1995, and finished second in 1993 - 1994, 1996, 1999 - 2000, 2001 - 2002. At that time, the HCMC Police team filled the stadium wherever they went thanks to the attraction of a series of famous players such as Huynh Duc, Minh Chien, Van Mui, Thanh Phuong... Therefore, the revival of the team considered the "southern symbol" exactly 30 years after the championship in 1995 was welcomed by many fans with many expectations. For a long time, Ho Chi Minh City football in particular and the South in general have not had names with enough strength and personality to counterbalance the teams in the North and Central regions. Looking at the successful model of the Hanoi Police Club returning and winning the double of V-League 2023 and National Cup 2024 - 2025, many fans in the city expect that Ho Chi Minh City Police Club will be able to do the same.
CA TP.HCM Club (right) is expected to help restore the city's football identity.
Photo: Kha Hoa
After finishing the 2024-2025 V-League in 10th place overall, CA TP.HCM Club (formerly known as Ho Chi Minh City Club) said goodbye to 2 foreign players Matheus Duarte, Joao Pedro and 3 domestic players Minh Trung, Thanh Thao, Vinh Nguyen. The good news is that the team has re-signed with technical and intelligent midfielder Endrick alongside Estonian striker Erik Sorga, and extended the contract with midfielder Huy Toan until 2027. They will combine with captain Patrick Le Giang, Vietnamese-American center-back Adriano Schmidt, Manh Cuong, Quoc Gia, Ha Long... as the main frame. In addition, CA TP.HCM Club also took over the young players who have been tested in previous seasons such as Thanh Khoi, Ngoc Long, Hoang Phuc, Thanh Long, Van Binh...
FINDING THE QUALITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY
On July 14, VFF issued an official document recognizing the Ho Chi Minh City Club's name change to Ho Chi Minh City Police Club. However, that will only be the first step in the transfer process with many procedures to follow, so that the police team can operate professionally according to the joint stock company model required by AFC. Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, after changing its name, is still quietly in the transition period preparing for the transfer, with a huge amount of work. Up to now, the main direction of the team is not to use foreign coaches, instead, using former famous players of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club to restore the identity and build the team's colors. The number 1 symbol of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club brand, which won the national championship 30 years ago, is Coach Le Huynh Duc, who is being mentioned in the role of chief architect for the team. In addition, a series of old names of the club also promise to be present in the coaching staff such as Chau Chi Cuong, Phung Thanh Phuong, etc.
It is known that the headquarters of the HCM City Police Club is still located in a spacious facility in Phu Thuan Ward (formerly Phu My Ward, District 7). In the long term, fans will expect this club to achieve two things: Build a competitive squad and establish an effective youth training system to help maintain the team's identity. These will be two important goals that require the leadership and coaching staff of the HCM City Police Club to invest a lot of effort, intelligence and especially passion for short-term and long-term calculations. Fortunately, the former famous players of the HCM City Police Club are all coaches who have proven their ability in Vietnamese football. They themselves always maintain a close-knit lifestyle, maintaining the spirit and pride of the team representing the HCM City Police. The appearance of many community football centers, along with hundreds of artificial turf fields in Ho Chi Minh City… has indirectly created potential, showing that the passion of young people for football in the city is still intact.
What Ho Chi Minh City football still lacks is the convergence of mind, heart, and strength to join forces, join hands for a common goal, truly for a common identity. The rebirth of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club is expected to fulfill that wish, so that one day Thong Nhat Stadium will be lit up again, packed with spectators watching football that truly touches the hearts of city fans.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-cong-an-tphcm-nhung-hy-vong-ban-sac-cho-tuong-lai-185250716220132311.htm
Comment (0)