VFF President Le Hung Dung directed VPF to handle the Long An case.

Immediately after the incident of Long An Club withdrawing from the match against Ho Chi Minh City Club at Thong Nhat Stadium on the afternoon of February 19, VFF President Le Hung Dung gave instructions to VPF on how to handle Long An Club's violations.

» Priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners

Mr. Dung said: "This is a serious incident, not only affecting the image of the tournament but also the image of Vietnamese football. The actions of Long An Club lack professionalism, go against the spirit of noble sportsmanship and disrespect the audience. VFF has requested the tournament's Organizing Committee to report and transfer to the Disciplinary Board to strictly handle violations of the Professional Football Regulations."

Previously, in an interview with Thethaovanhoa.vn over the phone, head of the V-League 2017 Organizing Committee Nguyen Minh Ngoc also confirmed that he would transfer the Long An Club case file to the Disciplinary Board to restore discipline in the tournament.

Mr. Ngoc said: "We will transfer the file to the VFF Disciplinary Board. The reaction of the Long An coaching staff and players is unacceptable for professional football. This is an ugly behavior, disregarding the discipline of the tournament. Long An Club has reacted too negatively.

Fortunately and unfortunately, I was present here to witness this match. I am asking the members of the Organizing Committee such as the supervisor and referee to write a complete report and send it to the Disciplinary Committee to restore discipline to the tournament. This kind of thing cannot be accepted."

Not only were the leaders of VFF and VPF upset about the violations of Long An Club, but the leaders of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training also expressed their opinions to VFF on this issue. A source confirmed that the leaders of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, VFF and VPF all shared the same opinion that there was no reason to justify the actions of some Long An players giving up or playing superficially in the match against Ho Chi Minh City Club, because V-League 2017 had just entered round 6 and all rankings were only temporary.

Furthermore, Long An Club is a football team representing Long An province, not a corporate team, so in all circumstances the club must be aware of its position and role. Therefore, Long An Club’s violation is considered extremely serious and will certainly be severely punished to set an example.

According to TT&VH