“After work in the afternoon, we gathered our teammates to stay and practice until after 8 p.m. before taking a break. Everyone eagerly awaited the opening day of the qualifying round of the 2024 Vietnam Workers’ and Civil Servants’ Football Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City. Even though it was raining heavily, the whole team still practiced enthusiastically with a spirit of solidarity and determination,” said Mr. Bao Quan.
Captain Pham Hai Duong added that this was the first time participating in the tournament, everyone in the team was excited and wanted to show off their football talent in a big playground for workers and civil servants across the country.
According to Mr. Duong, although the time to concentrate is not much, all the brothers in the Soc Trang Trade Union football team have been passionate about football for many years.
“Each of us works in a different unit, and our ages are different. What we have in common is that we love playing soccer. Every day after work, we play, and some of us are very good at it. Now we have been called into a team, and we have a coach, so who knows, maybe we will be the team that can cause a surprise in the tournament,” said Mr. Duong.
The coach of the Soc Trang Trade Union football team is Mr. Bao Quan. Currently, Mr. Quan is a civil servant at Soc Trang Television Station.
In addition to his role as a commentator for sports tournaments organized by the station and the province, Mr. Quan has good coaching skills and is loved by football players in Soc Trang.
Commenting on the expertise, Mr. Quan said that the Soc Trang Trade Union football team consists of 16 players, most of whom are Khmer ethnic people and some are teachers.
“The players have very good football skills. Our team is in the same group with Long An Port, Dong Nai 3 and Dong Thap. We came to the tournament with the spirit of competition, learning and training. However, with good preparation and attention from the Provincial Labor Federation, hopefully the Soc Trang Trade Union team will go far and be the dark horse of the tournament,” Mr. Quan expected.
Watching the brothers practice at the field, Mr. Huynh Van Cuong – Head of the Propaganda and Women’s Union of Soc Trang Province Labor Federation, said that in response to the policy of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Standing Committee of the Soc Trang Province Labor Federation agreed to participate in the 2024 football tournament for workers and civil servants organized by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Vietnam Football Federation and the newspaper. Youth organization.
According to Mr. Cuong, this is a very good playground for civil servants and workers nationwide. Although it is the first time participating, the leaders of the Soc Trang Provincial Federation of Labor are very interested, creating the best conditions for the team, from selecting players from units, businesses, coaches to training, accommodation, and competition.
“We did not set any goals for the team when we first joined the tournament. The Soc Trang Trade Union Football Team participated in the tournament with a relaxed spirit, playing their best, exchanging and training their health. However, if we could get to the next round, that would be great,” said Mr. Cuong.