Midfielder set to pay for breaking deal with V. League club

After Huy’s former club Than Quang Ninh closed down, Huy immediately received an offer from HCMC. The 30-year-old received VND700 million ($30,790) in advance, but hadn’t signed an official contract with the club.

Since Huy wanted to stay near his family, he canceled the deal with HCMC and chose Hai Phong as his new club.

HCMC requested Huy to return the money he had received and pay VND1 billion ($44,000) in compensation. Huy asked to reduce the compensation money by half but HCMC didn’t agree. The club has brought this case to Vietnam Football Federation and warned Huy they could increase the compensation to $70,000.

"I have apologized to HCMC FC and hope the club would understand my decision since I want to stay near my family and take care of them," Huy told VnExpress.

Before joining Hai Phong, Huy had spent his entire career with Quang Ninh and was considered one of the best attacking midfielders in V. League in recent years.

HCMC also had an agreement with national team captain Que Ngoc Hai before Huy, but the center-back changed his mind and chose his hometown club Song Lam Nghe An. Unlike Huy, Hai didn’t have to pay any compensation.

Recently, HCMC had signed the most prolific striker in V. League history, Nigerian-Vietnamese Samson Hoang Vu.