On the afternoon of December 24, the organizing committee of the Thanh Hoa football tournament in Ho Chi Minh City posted an article - an apology letter from former player Le Sy Manh after his actions of hitting the referee in this tournament.
"My name is Le Sy Manh, a player participating in the Southern Thanh Hoa Football Tournament. With all sincerity, I write this letter to deeply apologize to the tournament organizers, referees, and all fans and football lovers for my lack of restraint and inappropriate behavior in the last match," Sy Manh said.
The former player born in 1984 admitted that his unsportsmanlike actions affected the atmosphere of the tournament, disappointed the organizers and damaged the team's image.
"As a player, I understand that I must be an example of professionalism, discipline, respect for opponents, referees and all participants in the tournament. However, in a moment of lack of control, I let my emotions guide my actions and failed to maintain the necessary composure.
I regret this incident and understand that my actions not only affected the tournament but also lost the trust of the fans.
I sincerely apologize to the tournament organizers for not contributing to the fair-play and professional tournament as expected. I also apologize to the fans - those who have placed their hopes on me. I know that this disappointment is deserved and I will do my best to make up for my mistakes," said Sy Manh.
From this incident, the former Vietnamese player emphasized that he had learned a profound lesson about controlling emotions, always maintaining maximum respect for everyone during the competition and committed to changing and correcting mistakes to avoid repeating this action.
Previously, in a match at the Thanh Hoa football tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Sy Manh was given a yellow card by referee Pham Van Nguyen for elbowing his opponent in the penalty area. Afterwards, he walked away and hit the referee in the face, receiving a second yellow card.
Dissatisfied with this decision, Le Sy Manh rushed forward, kicked the referee in the hip and punched him in the face. Many players on the field rushed in to stop him, but the former player still chased after him and threw his fists at the referee.
