Coach Van Sy Son has dropped forward Nguyen Dinh Bac from Quang Nam’s team for the 2023-2024 V-League season. The coach sent him to train with the youth team for breaking team rules.
“Because Dinh Bac broke our rules, I’ve decided he won’t play in Quang Nam’s next game against HAGL this weekend. I also left him out of the game against Binh Duong. He’s now training with the youth team as a form of discipline,” Coach Van Sy Son told VnExpress on February 21.
Van Sy Son said the team was supposed to meet on the second day of the Lunar New Year to get ready for their game against Binh Duong five days later. But Dinh Bac arrived two days late because he “missed his flight.” This wasn’t the first time Dinh Bac broke the rules after coming back from the Asian Cup 2023. He has been late for training several times, saying he “overslept.”
“Quang Nam will miss an attacker without Dinh Bac. Yet, football requires discipline. I’m doing this for his own good,” Coach Van Sy Son said. “Young players need strict training to succeed. I’ll watch how Dinh Bac behaves before deciding when he can play again.”
Dinh Bac, from Nghe An, started his career with his local youth team but left when he didn’t make the cut. He then joined Quang Nam and became a key player. In the 2023 First Division, he scored eight goals and had seven assists, leading Quang Nam to win the championship and move up to the V-League.
This afternoon, Dinh Bac said sorry to Coach Sy Son, the team, and fans on his social media. He admitted he had lost focus and said it was a “important lesson.” He wants to get back to playing for Quang Nam Football Club.
Coach Philippe Troussier picked Dinh Bac for the Asian Cup 2023, where he was one of the youngest players. He scored a key goal against Japan and helped Vietnam take the lead by winning a free kick against Yukinari Sugawara. However, Vietnam lost 2-4 to Japan.
An injury kept Dinh Bac from playing in a vital game against Indonesia, leading to Vietnam’s exit after a 0-1 loss. He returned to play against Iraq but couldn’t stop a 2-3 defeat.
Dinh Bac is likely to be called up again by Coach Troussier in March for two critical World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Indonesia. These games are key to Vietnam’s hopes of progressing. He is also expected to play a significant role in the U23 Asian Championship in Qatar from April 15 to May 3.
Leave a Reply