Referee error causes V. League 1 suspension

By Lam Thoa   July 21, 2020 | 03:00 am PT
Referee error causes V. League 1 suspension
Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh players confront referee Mai Xuan Hung on their match with Sai Gon FC on July 18, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong.
Referee Mai Xuan Hung was suspended for three games after committing serious mistakes during a V. League 1 match last week.

When Sai Gon FC played Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh in the 10th fixture of the league on Saturday, Hung made some awry decisions that directly affected results.

The Referee Department of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) reviewed the game last week, focusing on three possible penalties Nam Dinh could have enjoyed during the match.

In the 22nd minute, when Saigon lead 1-0, Do Merlo of Nam Dinh got tackled in the box but Hung didn’t react. In the 13th and 60th minute, midfielder Cao Van Trien of Saigon committed handball fouls inside the box. Despite being close by, Hung still did not award Nam Dinh a penalty. The game ended with a 3-0 victory for Saigon.

According to the referee department, Hung made critical errors that led to an unfair result and would be suspended for three games.

Poor refereeing is once again a problem in V. League 1 this year. Clubs like Thanh Hoa FC, SHB Da Nang, Song Lam Nghe An and Nam Dinh have all protested referee decisions during their past few games.

This is not the first time Nam Dinh lost unfairly due to bad refereeing. In the eighth fixture, the club played Hai Phong FC and lost 0-2 after the latter scored an offside goal that went unpenalized.

 
 
go to top