Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports speaks out about the bonus of the Ho Chi Minh City women's team

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports clarifies information related to bonuses of Ho Chi Minh City women's team.

The document is in response to questions about the distribution of bonuses to players who directly participated in the competition and brought historic achievements to women's football in the city. According to the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City women's team will compete in the 2024/25 AFC Champions League as a professional club representing Vietnam. During the competition, the team received financial support from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), including tournament participation fees, performance bonuses and travel allowances.

This amount was transferred by AFC to the account of Thong Nhat Sports Center – the professional management unit of the team. Of which, 40,000 USD in bonuses for two victories in the group stage was paid directly to the players and coaching staff. In addition, the team also received 500 million VND in bonuses from VFF and 100 million VND from the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Talent Fund, which were also transferred to the team members.

However, the remaining budget of about 300,000 USD (more than 7.6 billion VND ) - belonging to the fees for participating in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, has not been distributed yet. Thong Nhat Sports Center said that this amount has been used partly for the costs of organizing the match, hiring foreign players, training, nutrition costs and other professional work. Currently, the remaining amount of more than 3.7 billion VND is still in the account and waiting for a plan of use.

In response to the team’s needs and wishes, on July 14, the coaching board and the HCMC women’s team submitted a proposal to divide 70% of the remaining funds among the coaches and athletes, and reserve 30% to prepare for the new season. On July 22, the Thong Nhat Sports Center worked with the coaching board and representatives of the HCMC Football Federation to discuss the mechanism for using funds in accordance with AFC regulations and Vietnamese law.

On July 23, the draft regulations on the use of bonus funds were presented for comments. It is expected that by July 25, the spending plan will be completed for submission to the competent authority.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports affirmed that all funds will be managed in accordance with regulations, transparently and towards the long-term benefits of women's football in the city.

Previously, many players of the Ho Chi Minh City women's team reported to the press that they had not yet received any bonuses transferred by the AFC, even though the tournament ended nearly 2 months ago. The players said that they were the ones who directly participated in the competition, but had not been recognized by a clear form of reward, while there was information that the money could be kept for "long-term development", it was unclear whether it would reach them or not.

Source: https://znews.vn/so-vh-tt-tphcm-len-tieng-ve-tien-thuong-cua-doi-nu-tphcm-post1571310.html