SHB Da Nang, whose budget comes from Vietnamese banking tycoon Do Quang Hien’s pocket, won Vietnam’s top-flight soccer competition V-League on Sunday after beating XM The Vissai Ninh Binh 3-1 in an away game of the 2012 season’s last matchday.

SHB Da Nang players celebrate their V-League championship in this August 19, 2012 picture. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Right-back Vo Hoang Quang opened the scoring with a close shot 26 minutes into the match before a double by left-winger Huynh Quoc Anh nailed a victory for Da Nang in the 50th and 60th minutes.

Côte d'Ivoire international Moussa Sanogo headed the only goal for hosts Ninh Binh 28 minutes later.

This is the second title in the last three years of the club coached by former national squad striker Le Huynh Duc, and its third throughout Vietnam soccer history.

SHB Da Nang’s triumph can be seen as a surprise sincelocal soccer pundits believed Saigon Xuan Thanh, still one notch above it before the last matchday, would lift the trophy when they took on the 2009 champions and table leaders Hanoi T&T, another club owned by Hien, on their home soil Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City the same day.

The two drew 0-0, however, after Hanoi allegedly fought for a tie – rather than the title as they should – to make way for their ‘brothers’ Da Nang’s championship, as the hosts were considered the stronger side at the moment.

Matches between the two ‘siblings’ have raised serious doubts as to their credibility so far because they took turns to win home games in a very 'strange' way.

Hien, the mogul, always denies his role as the real owner of SHB Da Nang even though SHB, or the Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank where he is the board chairman, has fully sponsored it since the 2007-08 season.

At the table bottom, TDCS Dong Thap which has provided generations of players for national soccer teams will play in the First Division in the next season although they staged a remarkable comeback to edge past Lam Son Thanh Hoa 3-2 at home today.

Moneybags Vicem Hai Phong had booked the other ticket to the lower league long before hosts CLBBD Hanoi (Hanoi Soccer Club) routed them 5-0 at Hang Day Stadium in the capital a few hours ago.

Dong Tam Long An, former V-League champions, and CLB Hanoi (Hanoi Club), Hien’s third team, have been promoted to the top-flight league after they finished first and second, respectively, in the 2012 First Division.

A typical V-League season starts in January and ends in August. Each of its 14 clubs plays a total of 26 games, both home and away, to find the champions and relegate the two lowest placed teams.

The Vietnam Football Federation managed the organization of the tournament from last year backward before the Vietnam Professional Football, a company controlled by several rich club owners, stepped in this year in a bid to quell violence, game fixing, and problematic refereeing reportedly going rampant by then.

But not much has been improved for the last one year.

Source: Tuoi Tre News