From Bank Boardrooms to Football Pitches: The NBP CEO Appointment Lesson Vietnamese Football Is Missing

Pakistan just appointed a bank CEO. Sounds completely unrelated to Vietnamese football. But wait — look closely at the appointment structure, the approval process, and the leadership transition context in this deal. That's exactly what Vietnamese clubs are severely lacking: a system to control leadership competence before granting power, instead of granting power first and then looking for someone to take responsibility. On August 21, 2026, the Government of Pakistan officially appointed Imran Sarwar as President & CEO of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for a three-year term, effective immediately. The information was disclosed through a filing to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) — a mandatory transparency channel for listed companies. The most notable point isn't the decision itself, but the attached condition: the appointment only takes effect after passing the Fit & Proper Test by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This is a small detail with vital significance. In Pakistan, a bank CEO cannot sit in the hot seat just because of connections or past achievements. He must prove competence, integrity, and suitability for the position before an independent body. This process isn't mere administrative procedure — it's a risk filter, ensuring that the person in the highest position must possess three elements: professional competence, moral character, and alignment with the organization's development direction. Now, let's try applying this logic to Vietnamese football. Look at how V.League clubs appoint executive directors, technical directors, and even head coaches. How many clubs actually have an independent competence assessment process before signing contracts? How many clubs set measurable criteria — not based on sentiment, but on specific data about management track record, professional competence, and alignment with the team's football philosophy? The answer, based on my experience following matches and behind-the-scenes operations of Vietnamese football over the past 9 years, is almost none. Appointment decisions are usually based on personal relationships, media reputation, or unverified recommendations. What's the consequence? A continuous cycle of appointment-dismissal-reappointment, with enormous opportunity costs that nobody measures. Look at the numbers: NBP posted profit before tax of Rs67.3 billion and profit after tax of Rs32.4 billion in the first half of 2026, with EPS of Rs15.23. This is the result of an organization with clear governance processes, where every senior personnel decision must pass through layers of control. Meanwhile, Vietnamese football clubs disclose finances opaquely, and senior personnel appointments are often decided in closed meetings without minutes. I was wrong about school football data, and that was the most accurate finding ever. I used to think Vietnam's football problems lay in tactics, player technique, or facilities. But the deeper I dig into the data, the more I realize the root of all problems lies in governance — specifically, the process of selecting and evaluating leaders. It's not that Japan plays well; they just revealed a formula the whole world overlooked. That formula isn't in training grounds or youth academies — it's in how they manage senior personnel. The J.League has a strict club licensing process that includes assessing the governance competence of club leadership. A club that doesn't meet governance standards won't participate in the league, regardless of on-field performance. Let's cross-reference data between two seemingly unrelated fields: Pakistani banking and Vietnamese football. What's the common thread? Both are organizations operating on trust. Banks operate on depositors' trust; football clubs operate on fans' trust. When trust breaks, the consequence is collapse — not just financially, but culturally. Imran Sarwar brings to NBP an impressive profile: a Business and Accounting degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, an LLB from Punjab University, and over 27 years of experience in corporate banking, investment banking, and risk management across Pakistan, Australia, UK, and UAE. But what matters isn't the profile — it's the process that filtered that profile. That process ensures not only professional competence is verified, but also alignment with organizational culture and strategic direction. Vietnamese football is at a similar turning point as NBP before having strict governance processes. Clubs are spending heavily on foreign players, youth academies, and facilities — but overlooking the most important element: the person leading the operational machinery. A club can have beautiful training grounds, modern academies, and talented players — but if the leader lacks governance competence, everything collapses. Look at the appointment-dismissal cycle of coaches in V.League. In the past 5 years, how many coaches have been dismissed after just a few unsatisfactory matches? How many technical directors came and went without leaving any mark? How many personnel decisions were made based on the emotion of one loss, rather than a systematic evaluation process? This isn't just Vietnam's problem. This is a systemic issue for Southeast Asian football in general. But Vietnam has an advantage others don't: we have a generation of talented players, a passionate fan community, and a growing economy. What we lack is a governance system strong enough to turn those advantages into sustainable success. Look at how NBP handled the leadership transition. The previous CEO Rehmat Ali Hasnie's tenure ended on August 21, 2026, and Abdul Wahid Sethi served as Acting President & CEO during the interim. This is a structured transition process, ensuring the organization never falls into a leadership vacuum. In Vietnamese football, we often witness prolonged leadership vacuums that leave organizations stagnant and directionless. I believe in data, but I believe more in the mistakes that data cannot measure. Data can tell us a coach's win percentage, but cannot measure whether he fits the club's culture. Data can tell us an executive's years of experience, but cannot measure whether he has the courage to make difficult decisions during crises. That's why SBP's Fit & Proper Test process is so important. It doesn't just assess professional competence — it also assesses moral character, integrity, and alignment with organizational culture. These are factors that cannot be measured by numbers, but they determine an organization's long-term success or failure. Vietnamese football needs its own version of the Fit & Proper Test. Not as cumbersome administrative procedure, but as a systematic evaluation process, ensuring that those granted leadership power at clubs — whether chairman, executive director, or head coach — possess three elements: verified professional competence, clear moral character, and alignment with the club's sustainable development philosophy. Transfers aren't mathematics, but mathematics explains why people go crazy. Similarly, governance isn't a ready-made formula, but it has immutable principles that any organization must follow. One of those principles is: power must come with responsibility, and responsibility must be evaluated through a transparent process. Esports and football: two playgrounds, one crowd learning to clap. Both are growing strongly in Vietnam, but both lack a strong governance system. While sports organizations worldwide are increasingly focusing on governance, Vietnamese football still operates in a 'father-to-son' manner — based on personal relationships and sentiment rather than process and data. Look at what's happening at Europe's top clubs. Manchester City isn't successful just because they have money — they're successful because they have a clear governance system where every personnel decision is evaluated based on data and process. Liverpool isn't successful just because they have Jurgen Klopp — they're successful because they have an operational machine behind him, where every decision is made based on thorough analysis. Vietnamese football doesn't need to copy Europe's model. But we need to learn the core principle: good governance is the foundation of all sustainable success. And good governance starts with choosing the right people, through the right process, based on the right criteria. Pakistan just gave us a valuable lesson. Not about banking, not about finance — but about how an organization takes leadership selection seriously. The question is: when will Vietnamese football start taking it just as seriously?