The story of the 'judges' at the 'Nghe An Newspaper Cup'

(Baonghean) - Currently, Nghe An has 2 referees working in V.League and First Division, Nguyen Hoang Anh and Tran Duy Khanh. Notably, these are the referees who have been with the Youth - Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup the longest.

The person considered the “big brother” among the referees is Nguyen Hoang Anh, because he is the only one who has been associated with the Youth Football Tournament – ​​Nghe An Newspaper Cup from the first season until now. Born in 1975 in Hanoi, but Hoang Anh’s father is from Ky Anh (Ha Tinh), his mother is from Vinh City (Nghe An).

In 1997, when Hoang Anh had just graduated from Tu Son University of Sports (Bac Ninh), his parents decided to move to Vinh city to live. Hoang Anh followed his family to his mother's hometown and applied for a job at Vinh City Sports Center. His main major was gymnastics, but when he started working here, he was also assigned to referee matches in grassroots sports tournaments such as badminton, volleyball, soccer and staged mass performances for ward and city-wide sports festivals. From the times he refereed grassroots soccer matches, Hoang Anh began to gradually turn his passion into a soccer referee.

Not only in Vinh city sports tournaments but also in most provincial sports tournaments, seeing that Hoang Anh had very good refereeing skills, the Department of Sports and Physical Training invited him to participate. After transferring to work at the Provincial Sports Competition and Services Center, he almost completely focused on the work of a referee. Continuously from 1997 until now, the audience as well as generations of players who have watched and participated in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth-Non-League Football Tournament are very familiar with referee Hoang Anh. Hoang Anh has been voted the best referee of the tournament many times.

After more than 10 years of experience as a referee at amateur football fields, in 2008, Hoang Anh attended a professional referee course. After completing his certificate, in 2012, Hoang Anh was included in the list of referees by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to officiate matches in the National First Division Football Tournament, and since 2015, he has been honored to be assigned to work in the V-League. However, every time the Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup takes place, Hoang Anh throws himself into everything, from preparing for the opening ceremony, matches taking place at the Sports Competition Center, checking personnel to assigning referees and directly officiating the matches.

Hoang Anh confided: “The most “happy” thing about working at the Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup is that the players play very carefree, innocent, and pure. However, because it is a grassroots tournament, some officials and coaches of the teams do not know much about the Laws of Football, so whenever the referee blows a whistle for a situation that they think is wrong, they immediately react harshly. When faced with such situations, my fellow referees and I have to be decisive with our decisions, and at the same time, explain clearly with a gentle attitude so that the match can continue to run smoothly. For me personally, working at the tournament every year, watching the moves of the young and child players on the field is truly a happiness, and I am sure that I will continue to be associated with the tournament for a long time.”

With 15 consecutive years of participation in the "Newspaper Cup", referee Tran Duy Khanh is also considered a "big tree" among the referees on duty at the tournament. Born in 1982, starting his sports career as a Taekwondo athlete, after retiring from the ring, Tran Duy Khanh pursued his passion from his childhood days of becoming a referee for the "king of sports". He participated in many referee training programs organized by the Vietnam Football Federation and the National Referee Council. While studying, Tran Duy Khanh also registered to participate in officiating at grassroots tournaments in Vinh City. Since the 6th youth and children's football season (2001), Khanh has been "fated" with the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. Over the past 15 years, Tran Duy Khanh has always been invited and arranged by the Organizing Committee of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament.

Khanh said that in the first season, Khanh rode his motorbike alone from Vinh to Ky Son to perform his duties in the qualifying round (before 2013, the tournament was organized in a 2-round format - qualifying round and final round - PV). For more than a decade after that, every time he entered the qualifying round, Khanh was always eager to choose the farthest locations. Khanh confided: "I was born in Vinh City, and I am very familiar with the football atmosphere in the plains, so I am always eager to go to the mountains to better understand and sympathize with the difficulties in the football movement of children there."

Referee Tran Duy Khanh (shirt number 19) participates in the VFF referee training course.

Many times, the qualifying round of the Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup was held when the Vietnam First Division Football Championship had not yet ended. To pursue his passion for children's football, Khanh asked his governing body, the Referee Board, Vietnam Football Federation, for permission to take a leave of absence from refereeing in the First Division, even though the salary was much higher. For Tran Duy Khanh, Nghe An Newspaper Cup is love, beautiful memories. Khanh affirmed: "I always prioritize choosing to referee the Youth - Children's Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup because this is a tournament for children, teenagers, a tournament of passion, enthusiasm, innocence, and purity".

Minh Quan