Is FLC Thanh Hoa being 'forced'?

(Baonghean.vn) - Recently, public opinion has been having heated debates about whether or not FLC Thanh Hoa is being pressured in the championship race?

After the 3-3 draw with direct opponent Hanoi FC right at home in round 21, coach Petrovic could not keep calm when he affirmed: "I ask you, have we had any penalties in 21 rounds? I have never encountered this in my entire career, and I encountered this in Vietnam. It is a pity that the opponent received a penalty just because they are a big team."

If we review the situation where Dinh Dong let the ball touch his hand, it is clear that the Serbian coach's statement is baseless.

Most of the FLC Thanh Hoa players, the fans present at the stadium and the audience watching the match on the small screen all agreed that the referee team made the right decision when awarding Hanoi FC a penalty. In fact, in that match, FLC Thanh Hoa was the team that benefited more when Oseni's goal was disallowed due to offside.

Referee Lumpei Iida awarded Hanoi FC a penalty kick at Thanh Hoa Stadium. Photo: Internet

In the press conference room after the match between Than Quang Ninh and FLC Thanh Hoa (4-3), coach Petrovic continued to make a rather shocking statement: “For us, there are real problems with the referee. In the first and second half, there were situations where we were fouled but the referee refused to call. I think that the situation that led to the third goal of Than Quang Ninh was probably offside. I am not absolutely sure, but that is my feeling.”

Not stopping there, the Serbian strategist also dragged his rival Hanoi FC into the matter: "I don't understand what's going on, our opponents always get a lot of penalties, we get fouled in the penalty area but don't get a penalty. I think we should announce the champion from the beginning of the tournament, the remaining teams just compete for second and third place."

Immediately, Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem of the capital team responded: "At this time, I think Coach Petrovic is under pressure in the championship race, so his statements are not accurate. I remember that FLC Thanh Hoa was awarded penalties and Omar was the one who took them." Through Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's ​​statements, we can see that Coach Petrovic is under certain pressure.

Although he has only been working in Vietnam for about a year, it seems that Coach Petrovic has been "whispered" quite a lot about the complicated situation of football here. And of course, the 70-year-old strategist has been infected with skepticism about a game that often has injustice. A veteran strategist with proven class like Coach Petrovic has fallen into such a negative psychological state, so it is strange that his students are not affected.

Coach Petrovic continuously made statements implying that FLC Thanh Hoa is being oppressed. Photo: Internet

Vietnamese players are all too familiar with the phrases “gang beating” and “Mr. Hien’s alliance” that have appeared for nearly ten years. Every time the tournament reaches its final stage, the media and public opinion bring up those refrains as warnings. Invisibly, it becomes an invisible pressure on the referee team and the teams competing for the championship with Hanoi FC, SHB Da Nang, Quang Nam... Of course, FLC Thanh Hoa is no exception.

Putting on their shoes and entering the field with a lack of confidence, the players find it difficult to play with the highest spirit and performance. They always feel like they will be unfairly penalized at any time. The defense is always nervous in situations of dispute with the opposing players, mistakes by Dinh Dong, Van Bakel, Thanh Thang... are inevitable.

Since the second leg, FLC Thanh Hoa has often fallen due to extremely silly goals conceded at quite sensitive times. The reverse loss to Quang Nam (2-3), the draw with Hai Phong (1-1), the draw with Hanoi FC (3-3) and the loss to Than Quang Ninh (3-4)... are the consequences of that invisible pressure.

Therefore, as long as Vietnamese football has not completely ended the situation of "one boss controlling many teams", "the intricate relationship" between teams, and the referee team being weak in many aspects, there will continue to be victims such as Xi Mang Xuan Thanh Sai Gon, Hai Phong, FLC Thanh Hoa... It is true that FLC Thanh Hoa is being "pressed", but that is an invisible pressure in a controversial tournament like V.League./.

Thanh Hung