On the sidelines of Nghe An Newspaper Cup: The first female referee

"Overcoming illness" to the final

After the first semi-final match on the youth field, Quynh Luu players recorded their names in the final match after the penalty shootout. To get this result, the team and the fansQuynh Luutried very hard.

Accompanying his children from the beginning of the tournament, parent Dau Huy Phuc shared: “During the qualifying round, the disadvantages of the boarding house environment caused the children to fall ill all at once. This not only affected the health and fitness of the whole team but also made the parents worried and stressed. Some players even had to leave halfway. Because I have taken my children to the tournament in previous years, I understand that this situation has never happened before.”

Feeling that the situation was not good, the coaching staff changed to a better, more spacious and cleaner accommodation, and from then on the team's health and spirit improved a lot. "I believe that change decided the result of today's match. Now we want to play a few more matches. After the match, my parents will let us go on a satisfying trip and then come back" - the parents happily said.

First female referee in tournament history

In the two semi-final matches this afternoon at the youth stadium, for the first time in the history of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children Football Tournament, a female referee participated in the match. That referee is Nguyen Thi Thi (born in 2001).

In such hot weather that even men hesitate to seek shade, this petite female referee ran bareheaded on the field for an hour. Just that alone made many people admire her.

Choosing the refereeing job because of her passion for sports since childhood, Nguyen Thi Thi decided to study to become a referee right after graduating from high school. To date, Thi is the only female national referee in Nghe An.

Sharing her feelings about the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Football Tournament, female referee Anh Son said: "Although it is a tournament for teenagers and children, the tournament organizers worked very professionally, the matches had many exciting and thrilling situations, the teams tried very hard, giving the audience beautiful matches."

Mom always accompanies

In his matches, the number 12 player of the Youth teamVinh city- Pham Manh Cuong often goes with his sister. Cuong's father is a long-distance driver, his mother is a worker at VSIP Industrial Park who often has to work shifts, so even though she really wants to, she can't come to support her son.

Not only during matches, Cuong's parents also have very little time at home with their children. Although they cannot follow their children closely, their love is big enough for the children to feel and advise each other to study. "Usually, mom works all night, dad is only home for 2 hours in the evening. Even though the family still has many difficulties, and mom and dad cannot be there for important events, we are still confident that our parents always accompany, respect and support their children wholeheartedly. We feel lucky to be our parents' children" - Pham Thuy Trang, Cuong's older sister shared. In place of mom and dad, Trang has taken care of, accompanied her younger brother and worked to help her parents pay for his tuition.

Having met Pham Manh Cuong's mother in the quarter-finals, she shared: "Last night I worked the night shift from 8pm to 6am. I was going to sleep a little to regain my strength, but thinking about my son's match, I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to cheer him on. Tired but happy. This is also the first time I've come to cheer for him."

That mother, with her small stature and humble, gentle way of speaking, raised very obedient and understanding children.