Don't turn the football field into a battleground!

(Baonghean.vn) - The flying kick with both feet straight into Anh Hung's (Hai Phong) shin, a deliberate attempt to injure his teammate by Sam Ngoc Duc (Hanoi FC) in Round 14 of the Toyota V.League 2017, has once again raised alarm bells.

This wasn't Ngoc Duc's first red card for a rough tackle, nor was it Hanoi FC's first red card of the season. And certainly not in the V-League, where "terrors" on the pitch are becoming increasingly common, leaving spectators shaking their heads in dismay.

Three aggravating circumstances

I, and many viewers, disliked Ngoc Duc's choice to destroy his opponent's legs in a situation where there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the game. The ball was far from the goal, and Ngoc Duc had several Hanoi FC players supporting him from behind.

Defender Anh Hung's injury. Photo: Dung Nguyen

What I disliked even more was how Sam Ngoc Duc later shared on his personal Facebook page: "Now, anything I say is meaningless given everything that has happened. I just want to apologize to the coaching staff, my teammates, and especially to my colleague Tran Anh Hung."

Because in a similar situation at the 27th SEA Games, when the Vietnam U23 team had already beaten the Laos U23 team 5-0, he still received a second yellow card even though the match time had ended. Watching Ngoc Duc play over the past four years, his skills have improved, but his reckless and aggressive playing style hasn't diminished. The match against Hai Phong wasn't the first time Ngoc Duc had engaged in rough tackles.

This is not the first time Hanoi FC players have played dirty and recklessly. After the tackle that injured Chau Ngoc Quang (HAGL), which drew much public outcry, the VFF finally issued a two-match ban. More recently, in the Round of 16 of the National Cup (against SLNA), Thanh Luong also received a red card for a foul.

Clearly, this constitutes an aggravating circumstance in the disciplinary actions taken against Hanoi FC regarding player training, as their players repeatedly commit fouls and engage in unsportsmanlike conduct, causing public outrage.

Immediately after Sam Ngoc Duc committed a brutal foul, Anh Hung writhed in pain clutching his leg after being kicked. Spectators expected the Hanoi FC players to visit and comfort the opposing player. However, captain Van Quyet and several other Hanoi FC players surrounded him, protesting referee Hoang Cong Khanh's red card.

After the tackle by center-back Que Ngoc Hai (SLNA) forced Anh Khoa (SHB Da Nang) to give up his football career, surely the Hanoi FC players feel the pain of this?

Don't raise it any higher.

Fans no longer want to hear the VFF's explanation of this situation: "It was just a reckless tackle by Ngoc Duc," like Samson did before. Even less do they want to see another Anh Khoa forced to abandon his playing career, especially since Anh Hung was once a victim.

Many parents, upon witnessing the violent scenes on the football field, have abandoned the idea of ​​their children pursuing a career as a footballer. Many spectators, after shaking their heads in dismay, have given up the habit of attending weekend football matches altogether.

Sam Ngoc Duc urgently needs an additional punishment. Photo: Dung Nguyen

In the past, the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) has imposed strict penalties on Dinh Dong (SLNA), suspending him for the entire 2014 season, and more recently, the sentence for central defender Chi Cong is being supported by fans.

Given the details analyzed above, and with efforts to bring spectators back to the stadiums and gradually eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct, the VFF should now, more than ever, impose a truly severe punishment on Sam Ngoc Duc. In fact, after his 28-match suspension, Dinh Dong has completely stopped his violent style of play.

Siam Sport, a popular sports website in Thailand, reported with full images and details of Sam Ngoc Duc's deliberately injurious tackle on Anh Hung, concluding with the comment, "This is one of the problems preventing Vietnamese football from reaching the light."

Such high-stakes football matches have been damaging the image of Vietnamese football internationally, and foreign players are no longer interested in coming to Vietnam to play football.

Football is a team sport where the rules must be respected. If players want to experience "thrills" in an unsportsmanlike manner, they should leave the field. VFF, don't hesitate any longer, severely punish players who play roughly!

AT