On May 10, in round 22 of V.League 2024-2025, the match between Song Lam Nghe An and Hanoi FC taking place at Vinh Stadium left many controversies regarding the management of the referee team and match supervision.
After the match, Hanoi FC officially issued a document reflecting on 2 situations that the team said had seriously affected the competition results and the rights of the team.
In the 51st minute of the match, player Nguyen Quang Vinh (number 16 - Song Lam Nghe An) had the ball in the home team's penalty area. When player Floro Da Silva Daniel (No. 99 - Hanoi FC) successfully approached and touched the ball, he was kicked in the heel by Nguyen Quang Vinh, causing him to fall in the penalty area.
Although the situation was reviewed by VAR, referee Hoang Thanh Binh still decided not to award the away team a penalty. Hanoi FC believes that this is an unreasonable decision, directly affecting the situation and advantage of the team.
The second situation occurred in the 83rd minute, when Hanoi FC registered to replace player Kyle Nino (number 4 - overseas Vietnamese player) on the field to replace Nguyen Thanh Chung (number 16) due to injury.
However, the fourth referee Nguyen Kim Viet Bao refused the request for a replacement, saying that the team already had an overseas Vietnamese player on the field, if they brought in another overseas Vietnamese player, they would be held to a 0-3 loss.
Although the Hanoi FC coaching staff has cited current regulations allowing the registration and use of a maximum of 2 foreign players of Vietnamese origin in each tournament, the table referee still did not accept and said that they are following the instructions of match supervisor Tran Quoc Dung.
Unable to replace the players as planned, Hanoi FC was forced to change the personnel plan in the context that player Thanh Chung could not continue playing, greatly affecting the tactics and preparation during the sensitive phase of the match.
After the match, the Hanoi FC leadership met directly with the referee and supervisor to discuss, but the match supervisor still reserved the referee's viewpoint to handle the match in accordance with regulations.
In the document sent to VFF, Hanoi FC affirmed that the referee's decisions were contrary to current VFF regulations, specifically Resolution No. 500/NQ-BCHLDBDVN dated July 22, 2024 and Notice No. 2615/LDBDVN-PL&TCCT dated December 6, 2024. Both documents clearly state that clubs participating in tournaments managed by VFF are allowed to register and use a maximum of 2 foreign players of Vietnamese origin in each tournament.
Hanoi FC said that the errors in the operation of the last match not only affect the results of the match with an important nature in the championship race, but also harm the image and reputation of the tournament. At the same time, this reduces the confidence of clubs in the transparency and fairness of the arbitration work.
Hanoi FC recommends that VFF review all the management and supervision of the above match, and at the same time take strict measures to handle violations to ensure fairness and transparency for the tournament as well as the legitimate rights of the participating teams.
