Speaking with Lao Dong, VPF representative said that inviting FIFA international referees requires coordination between many departments and national football federations, and at the same time requires time to carry out procedures according to regulations. VPF believes that the current time frame does not meet this requirement, so it is not possible to implement the foreign referee plan.
VPF and the tournament organizing committee said that they have coordinated with the Referees of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) in reviewing and assigning FIFA refereees of Vietnam to officiate the match. VAR technology is applied to support professional work.
This proposal for foreign referees was sent by The Cong Viettel to prepare for the match against Hanoi Police in the round of 16 of the 2025-2026 National Cup, taking place on November 23 at Hang Day Stadium.
Previously, The Cong Viettel had proposed to invite a foreign referee for the match against Ninh Binh in the V.League taking place on October 2 but was also rejected. The match was then contested by a domestic referee team and ended in a 1-1 draw.
This season, The Cong Viettel aims to compete for the title. However, after 10 rounds of V.League, coach Velizar Popov's team is currently in 4th place with 19 points, 8 points behind leaders Ninh Binh.
In addition to the race in V.League, the National Cup is considered an important goal for this traditional team to realize its ambition to win a title.
