FIFA bans Khanh Hoa Club from buying players

According to the penalty, which will take effect in the summer transfer windows of 2024, late 2024 and summer 2025, Khanh Hoa will not be allowed to register new players, including buying or borrowing players from other places. However, the National First Division club still has the right to sell or promote young players from the training ground to compete.

Previously, in March 2024, Khanh Hoa terminated the contract of player Mamadou Guirassy, ​​with an agreement to compensate for three months' salary 3, 4 and 5. However, because the club's bank account was frozen from March 15 to June 25 due to unpaid tax debts for the 2022-2023 season, Khanh Hoa could not meet Guirassy's request for a one-time payment. The team then proposed to pay in three installments, but was rejected by the French player.

On March 27, FIFA sent a dispatch, requesting Khanh Hoa to pay the player born in 1995, before April 16, 2024. The amount of three months' salary is 19,500 USD. However, it was not until June 26 that Khanh Hoa paid the above amount to Guirassy, ​​after the bank account was unfrozen.

On July 2, FIFA continued to announce that due to late payment, the amount Khanh Hoa had to pay was not 19,500 USD, but 27,900 USD, including a penalty fee and 5% interest. The Vietnamese club agreed to pay the remaining amount, and agreed with Guirassy to pay before August 3, otherwise they would be sued.

However, the club continued to encounter problems because the French player had not yet completed his visa extension, so according to the rules, the bank could not make the transaction. This led to Guirassy filing a lawsuit. On August 6, on its homepage, FIFA announced a ban on Khanh Hoa registering players for three transfer periods, and sent this decision to both the club and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

On August 12, Khanh Hoa sent a letter to VFF and FIFA to explain the incident. The club needs to wait for Guirassy to complete his visa extension to pay the remaining amount, thereby possibly having his international ban lifted.

Khanh Hoa will compete in the 2023-2024 V-League, but will be relegated to the First Division four rounds early. The club has been facing financial difficulties for over a year, most recently owing signing-on fees and three months' wages, leading to a strike by many players in June 2024.

Before the 2024-2025 season, Khanh Hoa also did not meet the financial criteria of Class A. The team was even at risk of not being able to compete in the First Division this season, before receiving support from the locality.

Another Vietnamese team that is also banned from transferring is Than Quang Ninh. However, this club declared bankruptcy and dissolved in October 2021, owing more than 70 billion VND in salaries, bonuses and signing-on fees to players.

On July 1, a new Quang Ninh club was established and started competing from the Third Division. This club is not subject to any FIFA sanctions.

Before Khanh Hoa, Vietnamese football had several cases of being fined large sums of money when foreign coaches and players sued FIFA. Thanh Hoa Club had to pay a fine of more than 470,000 USD for breaching contracts with foreign players Igor Jelic, Idrissa Sega Cisse, Gramoz Kurtaj and coach Fabio Lopez. Hai Phong Club also lost the lawsuit, having to pay nearly 200,000 USD to Errol Stevens in 2019.