Vietnam football suspends 5 players for drug use

The players are midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung, goalkeeper Duong Quang Tuan, midfielder Nguyen Trung Hoc, and defenders Nguyen Ngoc Thang and Nguyen Van Truong.

The suspension is applied to all national football leagues managed by VFF and is effective until another decision is made.

V. League club Hong Linh Ha Tinh (HLHT) have not made an official statement about the incident. However, the club terminated the players’ contracts before playing round 17 of the V. League on Wednesday afternoon.

These five players were part of a group of 10 people arrested at a hotel in Ha Tinh City on May 4, one day after HLHT’s 1-2 defeat to Quang Nam FC in round 16. They are being investigated for organizing the use of banned substances.

The most famous name among them is Trung, 36, who won the V. League title with Quang Nam FC and the Vietnamese Golden Ball in 2017. He was regularly called up to the national team from 2010 to 2018, playing 28 matches and scoring two goals. Before the incident, Trung was granted a scholarship by HLHT to study for a coaching license and was guaranteed a place on the coaching team after he is done playing.

Thang was born in 2002 and is considered a new talent at HLHT. He won the 2021 U21 national championship, the 2022 and 2023 U23 AFF Cup, and was included on the squad roster for SEA Games 32 and the 2024 U23 Asian Cup.

Hoc, 26, is a mainstay at HLHT and often wore the captain's armband this season. Goalkeeper Tuan used to be a key player for the club before losing his position this season. As for Truong, 21, he is a member of the youth team.

HLHT dropped to 10th in the league after losing 0-2 to Binh Dinh FC on Wednesday.