Typical times SLNA was unfairly penalized by referees at V.League

“Ghost” penalty at Vinh Stadium – V.League 2011

In the match between SLNA and HAGL at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2011, first, striker Evaldo body-butted goalkeeper Quoc Cuong within 5m50, causing the goalkeeper to vomit the ball. No whistle was blown and Evaldo continued to rush in to kick the ball, but center back Huy Hoang cleared the ball to save the goal on the goal line.

Former FIFA referee Vo Minh Tri also caused controversy at Vinh Stadium in the 2011 season. Photo: ST

In the second situation, a surprise happened at the end of the match when referee Vo Minh Tri confirmed that the fault belonged to defender Huy Hoang for using his hand to play the ball. However, it was just a jump to block the opponent's vision, the referee was standing very close to the situation and awarded HAGL a penalty.

After that, along with sending a complaint letter to VFF, the tournament's Organizing Committee and the National Referee Council, SLNA also declared that it would resolutely refuse to arrange referee Vo Minh Tri to officiate any matches involving SLNA in any tournament.

Referee "blows whistle" at Lach Tray - V.League 2012

In the 49th minute of the match between Hai Phong and SLNA in round 7 of V.League 2012, after Bebbe of SLNA tried to cross the ball, it went over the head of Hai Phong goalkeeper Ngoc Tan and flew into the net. The distance from the cross of the foreign player of SLNA to the sideline was nearly 5m.

After scoring, Bebbe ran out onto the pitch to celebrate while referee Tran Trung Hieu pointed to the center circle, recognizing the goal for SLNA, but Mr. Hieu later changed his decision because assistant Do Manh Ha said that the ball from Bebbe's foot had gone all the way to the goal line before entering the Hai Phong net.

This forced coach Huu Thang to rush onto the field to protest fiercely. This “whistle-breaking” incident shocked Vietnamese football because of the unreasonable and unfairness of the referee. In the end, SLNA tied Hai Phong 2-2 and the referee team received disciplinary action from the VFF.

“Ghost” Ha Anh Chien – V.League 2016

Referee Ha Anh Chien made a mistake when he "imagined" a penalty for Thanh Hoa in the 88th minute of the match against SLNA. The wrong decision of this referee in black helped Thanh Hoa draw SLNA 2-2 in round 9 of V.League 2016. The collision between Dinh Hoang and a Thanh Hoa player was 4-5m from the 16m50 box but referee Chien firmly pointed to the penalty spot.

After this incident, SLNA Club as well as the press and public reacted strongly. The referee board announced that referee Ha Anh Chien would be temporarily suspended for the rest of the first leg to calm public opinion. However, this referee did not appear again after that because he was banned from duty forever.

SLNA lost miserably at Vinh Stadium – V.League 2017

Referee Nguyen Trung Kien B has made mistakes in several matches in the V.League, directly affecting the results of the matches. A typical example is the match between SLNA and Quang Nam in the 2017 V.League when this referee recognized Quang Nam's third goal against SLNA.

Accordingly, when the ball enters the goal area, the rule prohibits opposing players from colliding with the goalkeeper before the goalkeeper touches the ball. However, Quang Nam player Thiago (number 5) jumped at him and even used his hand to block SLNA goalkeeper Nguyen Manh, but the referee did not blow the whistle to allow Claudecir to score.

In the 2017 season when Quang Nam won the championship, SLNA lost miserably at Vinh Stadium because of this move. Photo: SLNA FC

Immediately after that, referee Kien had to call the SLNA club leaders to admit his mistake and apologize to the Nghe An team. He was also suspended from the 6th round of V.League 2017 because of his mistakes.

In V.League 2019, SLNA also lost the 4th place overall when they could not win against Quang Nam in the final seconds of the match. Similar to the situation in 2017, goalkeeper Van Tien was fouled but the referee did not blow the whistle, allowing the Quang Nam foreign player to comfortably score into an empty net.

Most recently, on July 5, SLNA continued to be oppressed on Quang Nam field - V.League 2020(see information below)

Referee goes easy on Quang Nam, SLNA loses miserably

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite having an equalizer from Ho Tuan Tai and playing quite well in the second half, the main referee of this match, Mr. Nguyen Minh Thuan, made decisions in favor of the home team Quang Nam, contributing to SLNA's disappointing 1-2 loss right on the opponent's field.

VFF Standing Committee requests the Referee Board to resolutely handle violations

To improve the quality of refereeing and maintain the prestige and image of the 2020 National Professional Football Tournaments, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation has sent a document to the Referee Board requesting:

1. Resolutely handle disciplinary actions against referees and referee supervisors who make serious mistakes that affect the outcome of the match.

2. Seriously draw lessons for the referee force in the match management work, improve the professionalism and expertise of the referee force in the next matches.

3. Promote a sense of responsibility, clarity and transparency in the designation and assignment of referees at matches.

4. Appoint referees with the right capacity and suitable for the nature of the match according to the process approved by the leadership of the VFF. Especially predict tense matches to assign the referee with the best capacity to officiate.

The Standing Committee of the VFF requested the Referee Board to closely coordinate with the Tournament Executive Board and relevant units and departments to promptly handle issues related to refereeing work in the 2020 National Professional Football Tournaments.

According to VFF

Surprising details about the linesman in the match between Quang Nam and Song Lam Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - In the second goal of the home team in the Quang Nam - SLNA match, the main referee "turned around" his decision after listening to the linesman even though he was also out of sight.