VFF has officially made a key decision regarding Thanh Hóa

Dong A Thanh Hóa Club has officially received permission from the VFF to participate in the V.League 2026/27 once they provided full paperwork demonstrating the settlement of their financial duties.

Dong A Thanh Hóa Club has officially obtained its license to play in the V.League 2026/27 after completing the supplementary procedures required by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). The decision, issued on June 2, put an end to concerns over whether the team from Thanh Hóa would be able to take part in the next professional season.

Previously, on May 23, the VFF Licensing Board had revoked Dong A Thanh Hóa's V.League license for failing to meet the financial criteria F.04. According to licensing regulations, clubs must prove they have no overdue debts related to employees, tax authorities, or social organizations. The failure to finalize the paperwork on time made the Thanh Hóa side the only one among the 14 V.League clubs still without a license.

Unwilling to accept the risk of missing the new season, on May 28, Dong A Thanh Hóa submitted an appeal to the VFF along with additional documents. In their explanatory file, the club provided written confirmations that employee wages had been fully paid as of December 31, 2025, and also demonstrated that all relevant financial obligations had been met as required.

After a review and verification process, the VFF determined that the documents submitted by Thanh Hóa Club sufficiently proved the team no longer had any overdue debts to employees, tax authorities, or social organizations. Based on this, the Licensing Board decided to accept the appeal and grant Dong A Thanh Hóa a license to participate in the V.League 2026/27. However, the club still received a warning for failing to complete the paperwork on time according to the original regulations.

Receiving the license for the new season holds special significance for the Thanh Hóa team, especially as they have just gone through a turbulent season. In the middle of the 2025/26 campaign, Dong A Thanh Hóa parted ways with a series of key players, which significantly impacted their squad. Nevertheless, the team maintained a resilient fighting spirit to achieve their survival goal one round before the finish.

The V.League 2026/27 license not only allows Thanh Hóa to continue competing at the highest level of Vietnamese football but also opens up opportunities to attract further investment resources in the near future. Given the ongoing financial and personnel difficulties, the team's realistic goal for the new season is to once again secure survival while gradually stabilizing the organization and building a foundation for sustainable development in the long term.