When referee mistakes are part of football?

Hanoi FC match –Lam River Nghe AnRecently, in round 10 of V-League 1-2022, the situation was similar when the two teams at the top of the table competed for the highest position. In the first half and the first 5 minutes of the second half, the home team took the initiative to control the ball and attacked continuously, but the one holding the temporary 0-1 lead was the away team with a set piece scoring a goal right at the beginning of the first half. In the 55th minute, striker Olaha, the hero of the first half, with a rare unnecessary swing of his hand, received a disastrous red card. Two minutes later, center-back Ba Sang also had an "extra hand" in a clearance and was penalized. The game changed in these 2 minutes due to a mistake originating from Olaha, which is indisputable, but the story so far still tends to point to the referee. That this man in black handled the situation too harshly, that...

Since ancient times, everyone knows that refereeing mistakes have always been a part of football, and at the same time, people are doing everything they can to minimize possible mistakes, using VAR referees and goal-line technology. The situation that happened between Olaha and Xuan Toan, just a slow-motion replay on television at that moment, even an impartial and objective person would have to admit that the referee handled the situation correctly and followed the rules, no matter who it was, or which team it was related to. The situation that happened with Ba Sang afterward reflected the instability of the away team after the previous disadvantageous situation. It is unfortunate but we cannot put all the blame on this young central defender, because from an individual's mistake leading to a reversal of the game and mentality, turning victory into defeat, easily becoming difficult in a split second and unable to stop.

Olaha's red card will put the Nghe An team at a disadvantage. Photo: VPF

The above, after all, is still "a daily occurrence" in football, not just in the highlands or lowlands. While having an advantage, suddenly losing people and losing the match is a daily occurrence in football. The 2021-2022 Champions League has witnessed a series of English teams such as Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea, who are not inferior to Real Madrid, but lost in the final minutes, in extra time, and it is impossible to understand why, where is the fault?

In the above match, Song Lam Nghe An had the advantage until the 55th minute but in the end, they went home empty-handed against the home team Hanoi FC, which is not a strange thing. Normally, with experienced coaches, even when reacting to the referee on the field, he will remain silent, letting the assistant speak up decisively and he will avoid a penalty card, ensuring the advantage of directing on the field in the following matches. Moreover, this is an unwritten rule, coaches always avoid speaking, commenting, and making judgments about referees because referees are always protected by football management agencies for many different reasons.

In fact, there was no conclusion that was unfavorable to the referee from the responsible agency afterwards. To see, too much confidence and lack of experience led to immediate mistakes, unable to change anything from the match result to changing the penalty card or anything else?

Despite playing with one less player, Nghe An players showed great courage when playing away at Hang Day Stadium. Photo courtesy of Chung Nguyen

Therefore, the loss to host Hanoi FC will only be a lesson for both coach and players of Song Lam Nghe An in the next round. Although they have no points, Song Lam Nghe An is still temporarily ranked 2nd after 10 rounds, meaning everything is still under control. The important thing is that Song Lam Nghe An is showing a face worth watching, a style of play that has both traditional features and many new, breakthrough features. The new version of Xuan Manh is really worth watching and hoping for. The new version of Van Duc with his corner kick skills recreates the charming and annoying ball of Van Quyen in the past. Xuan Tien is increasingly mature and strong enough to withstand any high-class midfielder...

We know that there is a football team A of a certain boss B that somehow always receives favor from the referee, this is not just a story of V-League. We know that if we do not speak up strongly, we will be "suppressed" as someone said, but sometimes if we want to go all the way, we have to temporarily "live with" the inevitable moments of the king of sports. Song Lam Nghe An can make mistakes in a match but are not allowed to make mistakes in a tournament. Hopefully, Olaha is the one who learns the biggest lesson after the match where he received a direct red card, will miss at least 2 matches and cause the team to face many difficulties in the future. Hopefully, the team will adjust itself in time to proactively deal with opponents, turning difficult into easy, easy into easier...