Vietnam shuts out pro players

By Norman Katende & dpaUGANDA professionals’ face a hard time after Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) clamped down on the number of foreign players eligible for local football teams.Only two players will be allowed in a game, and each club can only sign four foreign players.This comes just after a year of allowing internationals onto the pitch.The Tuesday ruling by VFF limits teams to a maximum of four internationals, with only two of them eligible for each game.“We put this limit on a number of foreign players in order to create space for young Vietnamese players,” said an official. The rule takes effect in the 2002-2003 season, which kicks off in December.Despite low average wages, foreign players have been hot commodities in Vietnam ever since the authorities allowed their participation from December 2000.“Several teams signed up five or six players with the team from Danang city acquiring eight foreigners,” the officials said.“The quality of these players is not high,” said the official.Vietnamese professional footballers are mostly Africans, particularly from Uganda and Cameroon.Last season, Uganda had five players in Vietnam. These included Livingstone Kyobe, Simon Kyobe, Iddi Batambuze, Enoch Kyembe and Ronald Katsigazi.Majid Musisi, Edgar Watson and Charles Kayemba were reportedly making a move to travel to Vietnam last month.ends