Violence in football: 'Bad children are the mother's fault'?

(Baonghean.vn) - V-League 2017 has only been 4 rounds but it seems like everything is in chaos. Public opinion has reacted strongly to Samson being "acquitted" after a rough tackle with the sole of his shoe, kicking straight into the thigh of player Chau Ngoc Quang, and then FLC Thanh Hoa threatening to withdraw from the tournament...

From the way the penalty framework is built, to the way VFF applies it in an unconventional way, going against the world of referees... causing public opinion to boil over for nearly the past month.

Fine, no fine, then fine again!

Dr. Mai Liem Truc - former Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, former President of VFF term V once said: "The VFF level is lower than the general level of society". He said: "With many years of experience as a person managing a large enterprise, a state agency, I have seen the shortcomings, overlaps, over-emphasis, and lack of ability to gather strength in the VFF management apparatus and I said so". More than a decade later, the opinion of this President of VFF term V is still hot and valuable.

V-League 2017 has just started with 4 rounds of V-League and National Cup qualifying round, but the unsportsmanlike behavior and "unsightly" handling of the situation by the organizers have made the image of Vietnamese football even worse. The press release of the V-League 2017 organizers clearly stated: "The VFF Referee Board and the tournament organizers have carefully studied and have objectively assessed the situation as follows. After studying the reports and technical videos, the expert boards concluded: According to Law 12, Samson's tackle was a situation of fighting for the ball with a reckless level, not caring about the safety of the opposing player, not an act of violence".

The image of Hoang Vu Samson (Hanoi FC) kicking straight into Chau Ngoc Quang's (HAGL) thigh, when this player had fallen on the field, was clearly seen by millions of viewers. People also sent this clip to football referees in the Asian region for reference and all received a definitive answer: red card, definitely a red card. However, at first, VFF tried to "argue to the death" with public opinion: There was no penalty card (the reason was the referee did not see it), there was no penalty (the Referee Board affirmed that the ball was normal). In the VFF dictionary, the concept of "defeating the opponent" has now appeared, explained as "reckless action of fighting for the ball!".

However, when journalist Phan Dang (CAND Newspaper) "complained" to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, and then the General Department of Sports and Physical Training requested a re-examination, the VFF hastily convened a meeting to issue a two-match suspension for Hoang Vu Samson for the above behavior. It was exactly like a children's game of "even and odd": Fine, no fine, fine...

The Appeals Board has decided to reduce Pape Omar's disciplinary sentence to 6 matches instead of 8 matches as previously issued by the Disciplinary Board. Photo: Internet

Threat to win?

In another incident, striker Omar (FLC Thanh Hoa) committed a brutal foul on Nhat Nam (S.Khanh Hoa), after which the Thanh Hoa captain had a cold punch on the central defender Van Vu. Referee Xuan Nguyen did not hesitate to give a red card to the foreign player of the visiting team. On the way to the dressing room, when Nha Trang spectators reacted, Pape Omar had an impolite and uncultured behavior.

Accordingly, the VFF Disciplinary Board relied on the videotape, along with information from the press, based on Article 63 of the Professional Football Regulations and decided to raise the penalty to the highest level for the above behavior of the FLC Thanh Hoa foreign player. Omar was fined 30 million VND and suspended from the next 8 matches.

But after the FLC boss spoke up, Thanh Hoa locality sent a document to VFF demanding fairness and the law, but things took a different turn. The appeals board decided to reduce Pape Omar's disciplinary sentence to 6 matches instead of 8 matches as previously issued by the Disciplinary Board. A series of VFF officials have long affirmed that they have punished the right person and the right crime, even Mr. Cao Van Chong - General Director of VPF affirmed: "If FLC Thanh Hoa withdraws from the tournament, it only takes 15 minutes for the Organizing Committee to adjust the match schedule"... but now the bosses themselves "suddenly want to reduce the sentence", making public opinion even more fed up.

Vietnamese football is in chaos due to the VFF's unique management style. Audiences have the feeling that disciplinary cases are handled in a way that favors the football giants.

Journalist Phan Dang asked: “Hoang Vu Samson has suffered the consequences of his mistakes, so the series of mistakes and lack of responsibility of the Referee Board, the Organizing Board, and the Disciplinary Board will not be subject to any form of sanctions? If no one blows the whistle and punishes the obvious mistakes of VPF and VFF officials in this incident, from now on, similar incidents will likely repeat themselves!”

As for me, a Nghe An audience member, I secretly regret that if only VFF had punished Hoang Vu Samson properly and severely from the beginning, then maybe The Nhat (SLNA) would not have dared to "slap his hand on the nose" of Trung Hieu (Dak Lak) and receive such a heavy penalty.

The old saying goes: If a child is spoiled, it's the mother's fault!

Catcosan Vinh