The VFF's awkward handling of the situation.

(Baonghean) - The Vietnamese women's national football team has qualified for the final round of the Asian Women's Football Championship, which will be held on home soil in 2014. The opportunity to realize the dream of participating in the World Cup is clearer than ever; Vietnamese women's football will become one of the strongest teams in the world… Furthermore, there are positive signs from the U23 team. In friendly matches preparing for the SEA Games, Coach Hoang Van Phuc's team has shown progress in playing style and tactics. With ample time for preparation, fans have reason to believe in the explosive performance of the U23 players when the SEA Games officially begin.

But Vietnamese football hadn't even had time to celebrate these positive signs before a sad event struck. The break in preparation for the second half of the 2013 V.League season was affected by allegations of the refereeing team receiving a 100 million VND bribe during the match between Thanh Hoa and HA Gia Lai on March 3rd. The main referee was Dinh Hai Duong, assistant referees Pham Dac Chien and Do Manh Ha, and fourth official Kieu Viet Hung. If the investigation uncovers wrongdoing, not only will this refereeing team face a severe penalty, but the consequences for Vietnamese football will also be significant. It's certain that the refereeing misconduct will reach FIFA – the most powerful organization in world football, which is very strict about bribery of referees.

When the allegations of bribery were exposed by those directly involved – the referees themselves – the outcome became predictable. Both Thanh Hoa and HA Gia Lai initially denied giving money to the referees. The question now is, who gave the money and for what purpose? The match ended in a 3-3 draw, and the game showed no signs of biased or unfair officiating. However, whether it was bribery or gifts (if any), the referees' actions were very serious.

Head of the Refereeing Committee Duong Vu Lam (right) and Deputy Head of the Refereeing Committee Doan Phu Tan have both been suspended from their duties.

The nature and truth of the matter will be confirmed by the investigating agency, as it is still a suspected case, and conviction must be based on the right person and the right crime. What is noteworthy is that this incident once again reveals the VFF's clumsy management and handling of the situation. Instead of quickly conducting an investigation to reach a conclusion and impose disciplinary measures, the VFF followed an unnecessary procedure, which will only prolong the case. The VFF's clumsiness is further demonstrated in the decision to suspend the Head of the Refereeing Committee, Duong Vu Lam, and the Deputy Head, Doan Phu Tan. Expressing his views in several newspapers, Mr. Duong Vu Lam expressed his dissatisfaction with the governing body's decision, arguing that it would create the misunderstanding that the Refereeing Committee was also involved in receiving bribes. Ideally, in this case, the VFF should have allowed the Refereeing Committee to cooperate with the investigating agency, and once a conclusion was reached, they should have handled the matter clearly, regardless of who was involved.

As the second half of the 2013 V.League season is about to resume, in a season with relatively low competition (only 12 teams participating, 1 relegation spot), better prevention and handling of related negative issues will be necessary. Sadly, in a professional league that has been operating for over 10 years, negative elements still exist, hindering the development of Vietnamese football.

Trong Hai