Hanoi man fined for setting off flare after Vietnam-UAE match

By Hoang Phong   November 17, 2019 | 08:46 pm PT
Hanoi man fined for setting off flare after Vietnam-UAE match
Nguyen Trong Du is held at a police station in Hanoi for setting off a flare after a World Cup qualification match between Vietnam and UAE on November 14, 2019. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Football Federation.
The Hanoi police have fined a fan VND1.5 million ($65) for lighting flares during Vietnam's World Cup qualifier against the UAE.

After the match ended at the My Dinh Stadium last Thursday night with a 1-0 win for the home team, Nguyen Trong Du, 20, set off a flare to celebrate the win.

Officers stopped him when he tried to shoot a second.

Later, at the police station, he admitted to smuggling flares into the stadium. He had no opportunity to set them off during the match as officers patrolled the stadium.

In September Vu Trung Truc, 35, another local football fan, was arrested for smuggling flares into a stadium and disrupting public order.

He shot a flare which travelled across the field and hit another fan during a V. League match at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi, burning her leg to the bone and forcing her to undergo two surgeries.

Vietnam has banned the lighting of flares at matches.

Since 2015, Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has imposed 60 fines of more than VND1.5 billion ($66,300) against V-League clubs for fans burning flares and throwing objects into the stadiums.

Fans burning flares have also cost VFF big money.

It was fined $13,750 by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after fans lit flares during a game against Indonesia, and $25,750 for setting off flares and tossing a bottle of water onto the field during the match between Vietnam and Thailand at the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers in March.

 
 
go to top