CEO cum Footballer
The first foreign footballer in a
Vietnamese football club.The first ever
foreign football player to officially play
in Vietnam will be David Serene, a
Frenchman. David Serene, 30 years of
age and 1.80 m high, is now playing as
a center forward in the HCM City Police
Football Club (HPFC).After every
manoeuvre with the team, he returns to
the office of VIRBAC Vietnam Company
on Dien Bien Phu Street where he works
as a general director. His daily work
usually finishes late in the evening when
all the staff have left.
According to the latest news, the leaders of HPFC and Serene
have just signed a 2-year contract. Though details of the contract
are not yet unspilt, the contract value is not high since Serene is not
so attentive to wages. "David comes to the club with his goodwill
and passion for football," says Mr Dang Quang Duong, director of
HCM City Police Gym & Sports Center.
The best among 200 foreign footballers in Vietnam. As an amateur,
David once played for the Toulouse team in France when he was
a medical student. After his graduation, he decided to be in
business. In 1996, he came to Vietnam and set up his own
company VIRBAC Vietnam, which is specialized in supplying and
producing veterinary drugs with its head office in HCM City and a
manufacturing plant in Dong Nai Province. His company's annual
revenue is over US$ 3 million. So, it is understandable why David
did not ask for a high wage when he decided to join the HPFC.
Being a general director, he is not able to spend as much time on
football practice as a professional player, but he is always at the
Phu My Hung stadium every Sunday, together with other foreign
footballers of the Olympic de Saigon for a game. In the HPFC's
opinion, David is the best player among about 200 foreign
footballers in Vietnam.
Though having good football skills, David is very frank when
saying that he has to practice much more in physical strength and
that it will take many months [for him] to keep up with his new team."
In reply to the question that whether it is adventurous for the HPFC
to choose David to play in the next semi-professional football
season, Duong says, "We have kept a sharp eye on David and
we believe he is quite competent to play football in Vietnam.
Besides, it is not a risk since we haven't spent a big amount of
money to hire this player. David is presently working in Vietnam.
He has quite good conditions for his living but he is ready to
devote himself to the team for the sake of passion for football. We
highly appreciate his goodwill."
Ready for the new football season. According to Duong, all the
teammates like David very much because of his seriousness in
practice and friendliness.
When asked if playing football would have any impact on his
business, David answers confidently, "I know how to regulate my
business. If you are a good manager, you can run many
companies at the same time."
Besides David, the HPFC leaders have been seeking for other
foreign players. A number of footballers from Russia and East
European countries have been looked on, however, agreements
on prices and wages have not yet been reached. According to
Duong, the wages acceptable for these players are about US$
3,000 a month, not mention other extra conditions such as bonuses,
houses and means of transportation. The HPFC is now seeking for
financial resources in order to have a go-ahead in this direction.
The Saigon Times Weekly - August 12, 2000.
|