HOT: Thanh Hoa pays 3 billion to FIFA, activates 4 new contracts

Thanh Hoa Football Club has paid around 3 billion VND to FIFA to remove the transfer embargo and promptly register 4 additional new players.

Thanh Hoa Football Club has officially submitted the payment of approximately 3 billion VND as required by FIFA to lift the transfer ban, thereby paving the way for an emergency squad reinforcement plan ahead of a crucial phase of the season. This is considered a turning point that helps the Thanh region's team relieve the prolonged personnel pressure.

The ban was imposed by FIFA after the organization received complaints from several former foreign players of Thanh Hoa. Fulfilling the financial obligation is a prerequisite for the club to be allowed to register new players. In the context of a severely depleted squad, there was a time when goalkeeper Y Eli Nie had to play as a forward to field enough players, making the decision to pay the fine a matter of survival.

Immediately after completing the procedures, Thanh Hoa swiftly activated the plan to strengthen the team with 4 players. The most notable is foreign player Amar Catic, a dual citizen of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands. Born in 1999, standing 1.78m tall, he excels as a right forward and has played for the Bosnia-Herzegovina U21 team. According to Transfermarkt, Catic was valued at approximately 250,000 euros (around 7.7 billion VND) in October 2025.

Alongside Catic, the Thanh region club added three domestic players: Le Van Hung, Nguyen Huu Dung, and Le Van Hoan. Among them, Huu Dung is an experienced figure, having participated with the Vietnam U23 team in the 2016 AFC U23 Championship under coach Toshiya Miura and was a teammate of Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, and Xuan Truong. He also contributed to Thanh Hoa's National Cup victory before moving to play for Da Nang.

The other two names, Van Hung and Van Hoan, belong to the club's youth generation and have spent a long time training with the first team under coach Mai Xuan Hop. Their official promotion reflects the strategy of combining foreign reinforcements with opportunities for internal resources.

Currently, all four new signings are ready for the away match at Lach Tray Stadium against Hai Phong at 6:00 PM on March 1st. Thanh Hoa is racing against time, awaiting FIFA's final decision to completely lift the ban in order to register and field the new players in time, thereby strengthening the squad for the journey ahead.