Professional referees at Nghe An Newspaper Cup

The Youth - Children Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup has turned 26 years old, and referee Tran Duy Khanh, a FIFA assistant referee currently refereeing in the V.League, has also accompanied and been associated with the tournament for 23 years, being one of the veteran referees of the tournament. However, every time a new season starts, referee Duy Khanh still feels as excited as the first days.

Referee Tran Duy Khanh shared: I have participated in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup since the first seasons, those were the days when teams competed in clusters, not yet gathered in Vinh like today. During that period of more than 20 years, I have witnessed many stars of Vietnamese football who have competed and grown up from this tournament. This is truly a big playground, which has affirmed its brand. Therefore, every time we participate in the tournament, witnessing new generations of players with a passion for the round ball, we feel even happier and prouder of a generation of young Nghe An full of talent and enthusiasm. Therefore, we are always determined to complete our tasks well in each match, to ensure objectivity and fairness, contributing to creating a successful season.

This year, the referee team of the 26th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth - Children Football Tournament consists of 20 members, including 2 referees working at the V-League - the highest level of the national football championship in the country. In addition, there are referees who have worked at the National First Division, Second Division, and youth football tournaments. The referees are all experienced, have participated in professional tournaments, have been trained through the elementary and advanced classes of the Vietnam Football Federation and have been granted certificates. Therefore, it is possible to ensure that the matches of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth - Children Football Tournament take place honestly and objectively.

In addition to the veteran referees, this year's tournament also featured young referees who were well-trained, had access to new knowledge, and always demonstrated their acumen and quickness when officiating matches. Referee Nguyen Ba Manh, born in 2003, is only 21 years old this year but has been officiating for the second consecutive year at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. For referee Ba ​​Manh, this is both an honor and a mandatory task that must be completed well so that each match can be played fairly, finding the most deserving winning team.

Referee Nguyen Ba Manh shared: After obtaining the advanced referee certificate of the Vietnam Football Federation, I was assigned by the Referee Board of Nghe An Football Federation to work at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth-Number Football Tournament. This is a great honor that I always cherish. Although my time with the tournament is not as long as my seniors before, my view on managing the match is always clear, and the objective and transparent factors are always my top priority in all situations. Only then can I create trust from the players, coaches and the audience.

On the football field, the referee is considered the most powerful person, but in reality, the refereeing profession is no different from "serving a hundred families", because any decision made will affect the game situation. Complaining about a ball situation by players, coaches or spectators always happens like eating. The important thing is that the referee must always be calm, keep a cool head to make the most correct decisions, not be influenced by external factors. The greatest joy of the referees is when the final whistle sounds, receiving applause and praise from everyone, not allowing any mistakes to happen.

Referee Nguyen Dinh Thai - Head of the Referee Team of the 26th Nghe An Newspaper Cup shared: In order for the matches to be fair and objective, to find the most worthy champion, we held a meeting and reached an agreement on technical matters before the tournament started and were all seriously informed about the tournament regulations.

The “hard” rules that referees must follow are the requirement to limit contact and closeness with the coaching staff of the teams. Referees only know the match they are refereeing a few minutes before the ball rolls, and are not informed of the schedule in advance. Later on, matches such as the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals will be managed by experienced referees. Referees are not allowed to control matches with their home team on the field to ensure objectivity and fairness...

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Refereeing matches at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament is very different because the children are young and play football with passion and innocence. There are fewer collisions and tense situations than refereeing older age groups. Therefore, our point of view is to referee according to the rules but also create conditions for the children to compete comfortably, innocently, and with dedication, appropriate to their age.

Head of Referee Team Nguyen Dinh Thai

During the 25 years of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children Football Tournament, there have been convincing champions. Therefore, with a team of highly qualified referees and the priority of fairness and transparency, this year's 26th season promises to find the most worthy owner of the golden cup, satisfying the trust of fans./.