Not only in sports or football, racist behavior is always opposed and severely punished. There have been many cases where players and fans have been punished for racist behavior. Even in the world of rapidly developing media and social networks, any words uttered can be interpreted in a negative way.
A Tottenham player was widely criticized for saying - "you can ask for Son Heung-min's shirt because they all look the same" (referring to Koreans). Some people understood it as a joke, but others considered it a "racist" move. The player had to publicly apologize.
There are many other examples of this, but the question is, how do people who are confronted with such reprehensible behavior (in a direct way) react? Some people burst into tears, some people decide to leave the field and not play anymore, some people even pick up the banana that was thrown on the field and take a delicious bite…
In Vietnamese football, the most recent incident that has attracted attention is the actions of Quang Hai and a foreign player in the match between Hanoi Police and SHB Da Nang in round 6 of V.League 2024 on Sunday (November 3). The recorded image shows that the foreign player had an action that many people understood to be referring to Quang Hai's height, while the star from Dong Anh used his "middle finger" towards the opponent.
Who provoked first, who responded, that is not the issue. The problem is, in the “four-sided stage” of football, in the midst of many cameras, every action can be recorded. Is it because we are Vietnamese that we “defend” Quang Hai, condemn the foreign player of Da Nang?
A photo does not tell the whole story, the event, but the behavior and attitude of the character in it are clear, enough to show something. In a "flat" game, especially sensitive issues related to race or rudeness, no one deserves to be defended. Quang Hai is even a star, an important factor of the Vietnam Team, needs to be controlled. Controlling emotions shows courage, especially in the spotlight.
The next story is the actions of VPF, VFF...
