Two Vietnamese clubs field least number of players globally

By Hoang Nguyen   April 11, 2020 | 11:00 pm PT
Two Vietnamese clubs field least number of players globally
Song Lam Nghe An players during a V. League 1 game against Becamex Binh Duong on March 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Thuy.
Song Lam Nghe An and Sanna Khanh Hoa are among world clubs that have fielded the least number of players in the last four years.

Research conducted by renowned football data and analysis site CIES Football Observatory revealed the clubs ranked third with only 50 players used from January 2015 to December 2019. Sharing third place are five other teams, including top Spanish division La Liga side Athletic Club.

SLNA and Khanh Hoa are both financially limited and rarely sign new players from the transfer market, rather sourcing them from their own youth academy.

Khanh Hoa was relegated to second division V. League 2 after the 2018-2019 season, while SLNA often battles to remain in first division V. League 1.

Top clubs with least fielded player worldwide since January 2015. Photo courtesy of CIES.

Top clubs with least fielded player worldwide since January 2015. Photo courtesy of CIES.

Topping the chart with the fewest number of players fielded in the world is Chinese club Shanghai SIPG with just 44, followed by Japan’s Urawa Reds and Icelandic side Stjarnan with 48.

The 290th edition of CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks clubs from 87 top divisions worldwide according to the number of players fielded in domestic league matches since January 2015. The highest value was recorded for the Colombian side of Deportivo Pasto with 176 different players.

CIES also conducted a report on the average number of players fielded in 87 top football leagues worldwide from 2015 to 2019. Vietnam’s V. League 1 has an average of 26.30 players fielded each year.

V. League 1 has been postponed after two rounds into the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s set to return by mid-April or early May depending on the situation in Vietnam.

 
 
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