FIFA bans Vietnam football club from new signings over delayed compensation for French player

The ban, effective during the 2024 summer and winter and 2025 summer transfer windows, prohibits Khanh Hoa from registering new players, including signing or loaning players from other clubs. However, the V. League 2 club are still allowed to sell players or promote youngsters from their academy.

Mamadou Guirassy (R) plays in Khanh Hoa's 0-2 loss to HCMC FC during V-League 2023-2024. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

In March 2024, Khanh Hoa terminated Mamadou Guirassy's contract with an agreement to compensate him for three months' salary - March, April, and May. However, as the club's bank accounts were frozen from March 15 to June 25 for unpaid taxes from the 2022 - 2023 season, Khanh Hoa were unable to meet Guirassy's demand for a one-time payment. The club later proposed to pay in three installments, but the French forward refused.

On March 27, FIFA issued a letter requiring Khanh Hoa to pay the 1995-born player by April 16, 2024. The amount for three months' salary was $19,500. However, it was not until June 26 that Khanh Hoa managed to pay Guirassy after their bank accounts were unfrozen.

On July 2, FIFA announced that due to the delayed payment, the amount Khanh Hoa owed had increased from $19,500 to $27,900, including fines and 5% interest. The Vietnamese club agreed to pay the remaining amount and reached an agreement with Guirassy to settle the payment by Aug. 3 to avoid being sued.

Nonetheless, more issues arose as the French player's visa renewal was not completed, which prevented the bank from processing the transaction according to regulations. This led Guirassy to file a complaint. On Aug. 6, FIFA announced on its official website that Khanh Hoa are banned from registering players for three transfer windows and sent this decision to both the club and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

On Aug. 12, Khanh Hoa sent a letter to the VFF and FIFA to explain the situation. The club need to wait for Guirassy to complete his visa renewal in order to make the remaining payment, which could potentially lift the international ban.

Khanh Hoa played in the 2023 - 2024 V-League but were relegated to V. League 2 with four match weeks remaining. The club have been facing financial difficulties for over a year, including recent debts for bonuses and three months' salary, leading to a player strike in June 2024.

Before the 2024 - 2025 season, Khanh Hoa also failed to meet the A-level financial criteria. The team were at risk of not being able to compete in this season's V. League 2 without the province's support.

Another Vietnamese club currently under a transfer ban is Than Quang Ninh, but they declared bankruptcy and dissolved in October 2021, owing more than VND70 billion in salaries, bonuses, and signing fees to players.

On July 1, a new Quang Ninh club were established and joined the Third Division. The club are not subject to FIFA's penalty.

Before Khanh Hoa, several other Vietnamese football clubs had been fined significant amounts after coaches or foreign players sued them through FIFA. Thanh Hoa FC were once fined over $470,000 for contract violations involving foreign players Igor Jelic, Idrissa Sega Cisse, Gramoz Kurtaj, and coach Fabio Lopez. Hai Phong FC also lost a lawsuit and had to pay nearly $200,000 to Errol Stevens in 2019.