Cong Vinh writes a letter of apology to his fans.

(Baonghean.vn) - Following the unusual incident that occurred during the match between Ho Chi Minh City FC and Long An FC, Cong Vinh, in his capacity as Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City FC, posted an apology to fans on his Facebook fanpage.

The referee explains the penalty situation to the Long An team's coaching staff. Photo: Motthegioi

The former national team captain wrote:

"On behalf of everyone, I sincerely apologize to the spectators who spent their money and time yesterday buying tickets to watch the match between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An. Although the fault did not lie with our team, the uncontrollable situation on the field led to a significant impact on the quality of the match and the emotions of the spectators."

Personally, I strive every day and every hour to contribute my small part to rebuilding and regaining the trust of football fans in our country by trying to learn, changing our operational model to become more professional, researching and training professional youth according to international models, being honest, and most importantly, upholding the principle of saying no to negativity, etc.

Cong Vinh apologized to the audience on his Facebook fan page. Photo: FB

We work with our hearts for football, even though we've experienced a lot of injustice on the field since the beginning of the season. But I think, white will always be white, and black will always be black. As long as we work with our hearts, with integrity and kindness, success will surely come.

Out of respect for the fans who supported the Ho Chi Minh City team, I feel it is my responsibility to apologize, even though the fault did not originate from us. Regardless of what anyone says about me being pretentious, I hope this inconvenience does not affect your feelings for the team. I believe the Ho Chi Minh City players all tried their best in yesterday's match, and they deserve respect.

Thank you for your love and support; it will always be our motivation to strive even harder to build a stronger and more prosperous Ho Chi Minh City football team, no matter what happens."

Many people left comments on Cong Vinh's fanpage. Photo: FB

In less than an hour after being posted, Cong Vinh's apology received 7,000 likes and over 100 shares from the online community. Many comments praised Cong Vinh's professional conduct and argued that the Long An players had acted tactlessly.

However, some argue that the Ho Chi Minh City team could have acted more honorably by missing the penalty.

An unusual incident occurred during a V-League match on the evening of February 19th between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An. Long An was leading 1-0 when the referee awarded Ho Chi Minh City a controversial penalty. In the 80th minute, Ho Chi Minh City was awarded another penalty, prompting strong protests from the Long An coaching staff and players.

Hai Trieu - Sy Hung