Is it true that only local referees understand Vietnamese football?
(Baonghean.vn) - For V-League, inviting foreign referees to officiate sensitive matches is nothing new, and this is considered the safest solution for the league organizers.
Both Groups A and B of the V-League 1-2023 are nearing the finish line with only 1-2 rounds remaining. Considering the importance of the matches in each group, it is planned to continue inviting foreign referees to officiate two matches considered "sensitive": Dong A Thanh Hoa vs. Hanoi FC (August 12th) in Group A and Ho Chi Minh City vs. Binh Duong (August 11th) in Group B. Previously, in Round 5 of Group A, a Thai referee was also invited to officiate the match between Hanoi Police and Hanoi FC, as many are aware of the events and the subsequent controversy, especially from the losing team, Hanoi FC.
In fact, for the V-League, inviting foreign referees to officiate sensitive matches is nothing new, and it's considered the safest solution for the league organizers. This stems from the fact that many important matches officiated by domestic referees have not performed well, leading to a loss of confidence from teams and fans, forcing the organizers to take disciplinary action such as suspending or banning them from some matches afterward.
The linesman's incorrect offside call in the Hanoi Police - Song Lam Nghe An match in the first phase, which cost the visiting team a counter-attack goal, is a memorable example. Mr. Vu Tien Thanh of Ho Chi Minh City FC was the most vocal and persistent critic of the mistakes made by domestic referees. And there are countless other prime examples of serious errors, intentional or unintentional, by referees, leading to disciplinary action after each round. And so, every season, the story of inviting foreign referees repeats itself, a trend seen in recent seasons.
We still remember that in the last four rounds of the 2022 V-League, six matches were officiated by foreign referees, including seven referees and 14 assistant referees. Even in the middle of the first phase of the 2023 V-League, foreign referees were invited to officiate matches such as Ho Chi Minh City vs. SHB Da Nang (as a gesture of "concession" after the harsh statements of Mr. Vu Tien Thanh), SHB Da Nang vs. Binh Duong, and Dong A Thanh Hoa vs. Hanoi Police. It is known that the first foreign referee to debut in the V-League was Mr. Ryuji Sato from Japan in the match between Binh Duong and Thanh Hoa on June 12, 2014. After Mr. Sato, many referees from Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, etc., have come to Vietnam, leaving different impressions and receiving various interesting assessments.
Strictness, objectivity, and accuracy are the hallmarks of foreign referees in recent matches. They prevent the game from being disrupted by collisions that don't warrant a whistle, but instead blow the whistle accurately and issue appropriate cards for blatant diving. They possess the physical fitness to closely follow situations on the field, choose the most advantageous viewing angles to make the most reasonable decisions, and coordinate effectively with their assistants to quickly handle complex situations. Of course, foreign referees are also "human beings" (in the context of the absence of VAR), so there have been instances of serious errors, involving controversial penalties, and red or yellow cards of varying severity. But the main point is that with the mistakes of foreign referees, there is no room for disciplinary action, and especially no accusation of bias or anything else, because it is definitely "part of football" that everyone must accept and follow.
Most recently, there's the story of Thai referee Songkran Bunmeekiart officiating the crucial match between Hanoi Police and Hanoi FC in Round 5, Phase 2, Group A. One of the players involved, Van Quyet of Hanoi FC, stated, "The V-League already has VAR, so I think domestic referees should be allowed to officiate at this time because important matches require the referee's composure. I prefer domestic referees because they understand what Vietnamese football needs." After this match, the head coach of the losing team, Hanoi FC, B. Bandovic, also blamed the aforementioned foreign referee, claiming he made a mistake by overlooking serious fouls that could have resulted in penalties…
The author followed the match and believes that the Thai referee performed his duties well, remaining completely unaffected by the commotion on the field or in the technical areas of the two teams (of course, the assessment of the supervisors and the large number of fans is also important). This is precisely what domestic referees are lacking and need to strive for. They should learn from and emulate what foreign referees are doing and overcoming in difficult and sensitive matches. They should also have self-respect and dignity, knowing that the league organizers will continue to invite foreign referees to officiate, based on concrete results on the field and the efforts of each individual, day by day, hour by hour, match by match.
The fact that Vietnam has had only 11 male referees on the FIFA referee list since 2000 (currently only 4 are officiating) clearly doesn't reassure us about the quantity and quality of referees in a developing football nation, compared to the regional average. Therefore, the possibility of inviting foreign referees as a temporary solution is unavoidable, because at least this always forces teams to fight with their own abilities to achieve the best possible results, and cannot rely on anything else from outside. Furthermore, it's impossible to say "only domestic referees understand what Vietnamese football needs," while foreign referees don't.
