Philippines FA Facebook page faces backlash over disputed refereeing call in SEA Games final

By Phong Ngo December 18, 2025 | 12:27 am PT

The Philippines Football Federation’s Facebook post celebrating its first women’s football SEA Games gold medal drew hundreds of comments from Vietnamese fans critizing a refereeing decision in Wednesday’s final.

In the post marking the Philippines’ historic gold medal, Vietnamese football fans flooded the comments section in both English and Vietnamese, condemning what they described as an undeserved victory aided by refereeing decisions. Critical comments rose to the top of the post with thousands of interactions.

One of the most engaged comments read: "Oh my god, I can't believe it! The linesman disallowed the goal for offside, but there was absolutely no offside in that situation. In fact, you won because the referee stole the goal from us!"

Another wrote: "The referees who officiated today's match deserve to be the champion!"

Philippines players celebrate their women’s football gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games on Dec. 17, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

The online backlash stemmed from a controversial offside call that denied Vietnam’s women a goal in the 29th minute of Wednesday night’s final.

Midfielder Ngan Thi Van Su sent a cross into the Philippines’ penalty area to Nguyen Bich Thuy, who positioned herself between two defenders and headed the ball into the net.

Celebrations were cut short when assistant referee Chanthavong Phutsavan raised her flag for offside. Thuy reacted in surprise, pointing toward the assistant referee and questioning main referee Rebecca Anne Durcau, but the decision stood.

The call sparked heated debate across social media platforms. On regional forums such as ASEAN Football, fans from multiple countries criticized the decision.

"That was a perfectly valid goal. I have to admit that, even though I'm Filipino," a user wrote.

Another fan commented: "I'm Filipino, but I don't want to win like this either."

"The referee was Laotian, but Thailand is the host and must take responsibility. Once again, I feel sorry for Vietnam," a fan from Thailand wrote.

Despite the setback, coach Mai Duc Chung’s side continued to press but failed to score during 120 minutes of play. In the ensuing penalty shootout, the Philippines won 6–5 to claim their first-ever women’s football SEA Games gold medal, ending Vietnam’s bid for a fifth consecutive title.