Shocking incidents of Vietnamese referees being attacked by players and fans

1996

On October 6, 1996, the final match of the National Football Championship took place at Cao Lanh Stadium between the home team Dong Thap and the Ho Chi Minh City Police team (the home team won 3-1). When the final whistle had just sounded, some Ho Chi Minh City Police players rushed to chase and beat referee Tuan Hung.

Leading the charge were defender Chu Van Mui and striker Le Huynh Duc. That day, Mui's punch also missed the target thanks to referee Tuan Hung's zigzag run. Le Huynh Duc had not yet struck but rushed towards referee Hung with an angry attitude.

As a result, Chu Van Mui was permanently suspended. Huynh Duc was banned from playing for 6 months, even though Coach Weigang really needed his presence at the 1997 Dunhill Cup.

2004

In the 2004 season, goalkeeper Phuoc Anh of TMN.CSG had a rather heavy "slap" on referee Tran Bao Son in the match against Buu Dien in the First Division. With this action, the promising goalkeeper of TMN.CSG received a 6-match suspension, and then an additional sentence of 2 years suspension plus 1 year probation.

2012

In 2012, "golden whistle" Vo Minh Tri was "tailed" and assaulted by nearly 20 Hai Phong hooligans on his way back to Ho Chi Minh City after the match between Dong Thap and Hai Phong at Cao Lanh Stadium.

Despite the security forces being deployed to ensure the safety of Vietnam's number one referee at that time, due to the aggression of the "hooligans" on the Hai Phong side, referee Vo Minh Tri was still beaten, causing a swollen face, chipped teeth, and was diagnosed with soft tissue injuries in the head area.

Referee Vo Minh Tri. Photo: Internet

A year later, referee Nguyen Van Kien was attacked and beaten by Saigon Xuan Thanh players for giving a red card to player Doan Viet Cuong. However, after the match, VPF "dissected" the issue and said that the players' reaction to referee Kien was due to his mistakes. VPF General Director Pham Ngoc Vien at that time also mentioned the possibility of not continuing to use referee Kien in the following matches.

2014

At Long Xuyen Stadium, An Giang lost 1-2 to Quang Ninh in round 22 of V-League 2014. In the 38th minute, referee Phung Dinh Dung showed Felix a second yellow card, expelling him from the game. After that, this referee ignored many situations and did not give a yellow card when Quang Ninh players played dirty and rough, making An Giang players and spectators angry.

When referee Dung entered the locker room, he was suddenly attacked by a security guard. In the stands, thousands of An Giang fans also lingered, demanding to "punish" the referee team.

Due to the excessive siege of the home fans, referee Phung Dinh Dung and his colleagues were still unable to leave Long Xuyen Stadium more than an hour after the match ended. To ensure the safety of the referee team, the organizing committee had to arrange for police to escort them to Can Tho.

2018

This year, Vietnamese football has had two incidents of referees being beaten. The first was at Thien Truong Stadium in the match between Nam Dinh and SLNA. Regretfully losing 2-3, Thanh Nam fans thought the referee was unfair, a few individuals rushed onto the field to chase and beat the referee and reporters. It is worth mentioning that the security force at Thien Truong Stadium was powerless against these ugly actions.

After more than 20 years, Vietnamese football still has referees being beaten. Photo: Internet

Not only that, in the match for promotion to the first division between Pho Hien FC and Ba Ria - Vung Tau (BRVT), the Ba Ria - Vung Tau team had a player sent off by the referee. Believing that the referee was biased, player Tran Quoc Tuan of the BRVT team rushed in to punch and kick the main referee of the match. After that, some BRVT players also rushed in to attack both the main referee and the linesman.

The 1-4 loss not only prevented BRVT from being promoted, but the players and the entire BRVT team may receive heavy penalties from the VFF. Meanwhile, player Tran Quoc Tuan has had his contract terminated by the club.

V.League in particular and tournaments in the Vietnamese professional football system in general have made many efforts to become more professional. However, the reputation of referees and the amateur, uncivilized behavior of players, fanatic fans, even coaches and club leaders have made Vietnamese football worse./.

Was the referee in the Nam Dinh - SLNA match right or wrong?

(Baonghean.vn) - The decisions of referee Tran Dinh Thinh in the match between Nam Dinh and Song Lam Nghe An in round 18 were the source of anger for the coaching staff, players and fans of Nam Dinh.