The recent arrest of soccer boss Nguyen Duc Kien will not affect the operation of the Vietnam Professional Football company (VPF), the manager of Vietnam’s most important leagues, company board chairman Vo Quoc Thang said Tuesday.

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Kien, who is deputy chairman of VPF that now organizes the country’s top-flight V-League and the First Division, was arrested at home Monday evening on charges of illegal business activities.

He is currently considered a key figure in Vietnamese soccer after founding, together with other local billionaires, VPF last year to run the country’s two leading leagues.

The two soccer tournaments were organized by the local soccer federation before being ‘transferred’ to VPF following Kien’s and his associates’ effort to ‘purify’ the competitions, which are believed to be dominated by match fixing and dishonest refereeing.

Thang, the board chairman, explained that Kien was authorized to manage a mere 3.9 percent stake in the company, so his arrest would not be a disaster.

“The company is legally represented by the board of directors and directly managed by the chief executive, so Kien’s problems will not have a damaging effect on its operations,’ Thang elaborated.

Nguyen Trong Hy, chairman of the Vietnamese soccer federation (VFF) which holds a controlling stake in VPF, said another person will be appointed as a replacement for Kien.

“VFF and VPF will try their best to prevent any possible chaos,” Hy added.

Shadow cast on Kien’s clubs

Contrary to the soccer bosses’ seeming confidence, worry and uncertainty have dogged the players and coaches of Kien’s two clubs, Hanoi Soccer Club in the V-League and Hanoi Juniors in the First Division, since his arrest.

Hoa Manh Hung, the Hanoi Soccer Club coach, said the players are very anxious because the club has yet to pay off salaries, bonuses, and transfer fees for this season, which ended Sunday.

“Most importantly, the future of the club is uncertain,” Hung said.

A player who asked to remain anonymous said he would prefer to find another club in the worst-case scenario, even though he is signed to play at Hanoi for a few more years.

Captain Pham Thanh Luong, who has been with Kien for almost ten years, admitted this is the most confusing moment in his career as he does not know what the future may hold.

“I am not sure about our future following this incident.”

Despite huge spending by Kien, his two clubs narrowly escaped relegation this season.