The situation stems from Ngoc Hai's error in Binh Duong's 2-3 loss to SLNA in the 2024-2025 National Cup semi-final on 26/6. In the 89th minute, the 1993-born defender fouled Michael Olaha in the penalty box, leading to a penalty and the winning goal for the opponent.
According to VnExpress sources, Binh Duong's management believes Ngoc Hai's performance has declined and wants to terminate his contract a year early. However, both sides will have to negotiate as Binh Duong has not yet paid the signing bonus for the defender's final year.
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Que Ngoc Hai (white shirt) fouls Michael Olaha, leading to the penalty that gave SLNA a 3-2 victory over Binh Duong in the 2024-2025 National Cup semi-final at Vinh Stadium, Nghe An on 26/6/2025. Photo: Xuan Thuy |
Que Ngoc Hai (white shirt) fouls Michael Olaha, leading to the penalty that gave SLNA a 3-2 victory over Binh Duong in the 2024-2025 National Cup semi-final at Vinh Stadium, Nghe An on 26/6/2025. Photo: Xuan Thuy
In 8/2023, Ngoc Hai requested an early termination of his contract with SLNA, which was granted. He then signed a three-year free transfer contract with Binh Duong, receiving a two-year signing bonus, reportedly around 10 billion dong.
Born in 1993, Que Ngoc Hai came through SLNA's youth academy and joined their first team in 2012. Six years later, he joined Viettel (now The Cong Viettel). Before the 2022 season, Ngoc Hai returned to his hometown club on a three-year contract.
Ngoc Hai has won every major title in his career, including the National Cup with SLNA in 2017, the V-League with Viettel in 2020, and the ASEAN Cup with the Vietnam national team in 2018.
In the 2023-2024 season, Ngoc Hai suffered from injuries and played only 15 matches, totaling 982 minutes for Binh Duong across all competitions. This season, his appearances increased to 25 matches and 2,005 minutes. Binh Duong finished 9th and 7th in the V-League, and their National Cup runs ended in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.
His declining form has kept Ngoc Hai out of the Vietnam national team since the 2024 ASEAN Cup. His last appearance was in a 1-1 draw against India in October 2024, where Vietnam's conceded goal resulted from the Nghe An-born defender's misjudgment of the ball's trajectory.
While Ngoc Hai's performance has dipped, Binh Duong has also faced instability, changing head coaches 10 times since 2020. For the 2024-2025 season, they signed coach Hoang Anh Tuan, but he left in 12/2024. Assistant coach Nguyen Cong Manh took over but resigned in April. The current coach is former striker Nguyen Anh Duc, but he is unlikely to lead the team next season.
Minh Khue
