Coach Petrovic - FLC Thanh Hoa raises the white flag?

(Baonghean.vn) - "In my opinion, before the season, we should announce which team will win the championship so that the remaining teams can compete for second and third place" - Coach Petrovic said bitterly after the 4-3 loss to host Quang Ninh.

First of all, it must be said that this is not the first time the FLC Thanh Hoa coach has made such a shocking statement. Coach Petrovic was fined 10 million VND and banned from directing 2 matches due to his overreaction when referee Nguyen Hien Triet did not recognize Le Quoc Phuong's goal in the 1-2 loss to Hanoi in round 10 of V-League 2017.

After reviewing the slow-motion video, FLC Thanh Hoa's coaching board and coach Petrovic himself had to admit that the referee's decision was correct.

The fear of penalties

The obsession with Hanoi FC and the penalties of veteran coach Petrovic followed him throughout the season.

In round 21, Hanoi FC was awarded a penalty in the last minutes of extra time in the second half. In that situation, referee Jumpei Iida thought that Dinh Dong of FLC Thanh Hoa had used his hand to block the ball in the penalty area. On the 11m mark, Van Quyet calmly finished to equalize the score 3-3.

Coach Petrovic has made a series of shocking statements. Photo: AT

But after the match, in the press conferenceCoach Petrovicsaid: "Hanoi FC received a penalty today because they are a big team, I think so." Immediately after that, the 70-year-old coach stood up and left the press conference room to the astonishment of reporters.

An obvious handball foul by Dinh Dong and the Japanese referee managed a fair match but Mr. Petrovic still... complained.

At Cam Pha Stadium, FLC Thanh Hoa lost 3-4 to the home team Than Quang Ninh, who played brilliantly and made a spectacular comeback. The highlight of the match was goalkeeper Thanh Thang's silly pass in the 44th minute, which gave away a goal to Dyachenko of Than Quang Ninh.

However, surprisingly, after the match, coach Petrovic did not talk about the individual mistakes of his team but continued the story about the penalty issue. He was upset: "For us today, I am not surprised that Than Quang Ninh won, but there is a little problem with the refereeing."

Not only that, the 70-year-old coach also made a shocking statement: “Personally, I don’t understand what’s going on, like in the match with Hanoi FC, they were awarded a penalty but we weren’t. Today was the same, we were also awarded a penalty. Personally, I think before the season, we should announce which team will win the championship so that the remaining teams can compete for second and third place.”

Strangely enough, the acting chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Club has just spoken about the refereeing work and immediately the V-League 2017 Organizing Committee has issued a written reminder, but Coach Petrovic with such indifferent reactions is not affected. Is it because he is a foreigner, old and has achievements that the Organizing Committee is temporarily silent?

Wave the white flag

FLC Thanh Hoa, from the leading position, has dropped 5 points in the last 2 rounds. The Thanh team always plays an attacking game and scores 6 goals, but mistakes in defense cause them to concede 7 goals. Defender Dinh Dong, goalkeeper Thanh Thang and center back Van Bakel made mistakes one after another, preventing FLC Thanh Hoa from enjoying the full joy.

FLC Thanh Hoa is having to rely heavily on foreign players. Photo: Internet

The absence of Dinh Dong and Uche has somewhat weakened the Thanh Hoa team. But the Serbian coach's reaction and blaming objective factors will make FLC Thanh Hoa's championship chances decrease significantly.

Currently, the top 5 teams are only 3 points apart, making the 2017 V-League championship race extremely dramatic. However, FLC Thanh Hoa, with their unwarranted reactions, forced them to take the field with leaden feet.

V-League is coming to the finish line. This is a dramatic period and many off-field problems can happen in any match. But with the seemingly shocking reactions of the veteran coach, the disadvantage is for FLC Thanh Hoa. It is not simple, even when the Thanh team is leading, the insiders still do not vote for the Championship Cup for this team.

AT