A Controversial Name at the National U19 Championship

Vietnam's youth football community has recently been stirred by an unusual case that has raised many questions, related to a disciplinary sanction by the Vietnam Football Federation at the 2025 National U19 Championship.

On December 31, the VFF issued a disciplinary decision against five players from the Hoài Đức U19 team for underperforming. These players were fined a total of 3.7 million VND and banned from playing until the end of the 2025 National U19 Championship. Among them, the name Thái Bá Bảo Hoàng quickly became the focus of attention from both fans and experts.

The reason Bảo Hoàng was scrutinized goes beyond the disciplinary action; it also involves his rather unusual playing history. He previously played for the Sông Lam Nghệ An U13 team at the 2024 National U13 Youth Football Championship, where his team won the title. Notably, he was awarded the Best Player of the tournament for his skillful left foot, outstanding physique, and remarkable playing ability compared to his peers.

What sparked public doubt was that after only one year, Bảo Hoàng appeared on the roster of the Hoài Đức U19 team at the 2025 National U19 Championship. Such a jump from U13 directly to U19 is very rare in youth football due to the significant differences in physical development, mentality, and skill level.

According to information gathered by Tuổi trẻ Newspaper, the 2024 National U13 Championship was only open to male players born between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, roughly ages 12 to 13. Meanwhile, the 2025 National U19 Championship was for players born between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2010, corresponding to ages 16 to 19. These two age brackets do not overlap, making Bảo Hoàng's case even more puzzling.

The major question raised is what the actual birth year of Thái Bá Bảo Hoàng is. If he is old enough to compete in U19, then his participation and success in the previous U13 tournament might violate regulations. Conversely, if he was truly of U13 age in 2024, his appearance in the 2025 U19 tournament becomes even more irregular. This issue requires official verification from the VFF and related authorities.

Another surprising detail is that after winning the U13 championship with Sông Lam Nghệ An and being named the best player of the tournament, Bảo Hoàng was released by the Sông Lam Nghệ An Youth Football Training Center. He then joined the Hoài Đức Football Club and continued playing until he became involved in the disciplinary case at the National U19 Championship.