Where is the prestige of the "king of the field"!

Trung Kien• May 9, 2018 18:21

(Baonghean.vn) - For a long time, Vietnamese referees in general and V.League referees in particular have been referred to as ghosts of the field instead of the nickname "king of the field". The figure of the referee who makes players fear is gradually fading away.

The story of "referee authority" begins with the different penalties given to a total of 9 players for playing violent football since the beginning of the 2018 season. In V.League, they are Nguyen Tang Tien (HAGL), Nguyen Hai Huy, Mac Hong Quan (HAGL), Nguyen Quoc Long (Sai ​​Gon) and Tran Manh Cuong (Nam Dinh). In the National Cup and First Division, they are Huynh Tan Tai (Long An), Sam Ngoc Duc, Truong Dinh Luat (HCMC) and Nguyen Xuan Thanh (FLC Thanh Hoa).

The lightest person received a 2-match ban, the heaviest was 5 matches and a fine to deter other people from intentionally violating their bodies. In particular, the cold-blooded and retaliatory attacks by Xuan Thanh and Tran Manh Cuong were all overlooked by the referee.

Surprisingly, only Sam Ngoc Duc received a red card and had to leave the field (2 yellow cards). Huynh Tan Tai's tackle from behind and Tang Tien's deliberate kick on the opponent's shin also only received one yellow card.

The question is, are Vietnamese referees lenient or do they not understand the law, cannot keep up with the situation and accurately assess the severity of the fouls!?

Since the beginning of the 2018 V.League season, referees have continuously become a nightmare for football teams. There have been situations where just because of an inaccurate judgment of the referee, the result of the match was changed.

The first victims of the “ghost referee” were HAGL and SLNA. Then coaches Tran Minh Chien (B. Binh Duong) and Vo Dinh Tan of Khanh Hoa were also disciplined for reacting to the referee.

Referee Nguyen Van Kien is the first case in the 2018 season where VPF publicly terminated his contract and stopped his duties. Photo: Goal

Recently, in round 7 of V.League, the "imaginary" penalty in the 88th minute was successfully executed by central defender Tran Van Vu, bringing S. Khanh Hoa BVN a draw. Zarour Chaher's beautiful fall caused referee Nguyen Van Kien to make a mistake, leading to an important turning point of the season when a series of important decisions from VPF on refereeing were made.

VPF has decided not to invite 3 individuals to work in Vietnam's professional football tournaments in the coming time: Referee Nguyen Van Kien, Referee Nguyen Trong Thu, and Deputy Referee Duong Van Hien. In the case of referee Nguyen Van Kien, VPF will not invite him to work indefinitely.

Although the VFF Referee Board has not yet made an official conclusion on the penalty situation of referee Kien. However, VPF is still determined not to invite this referee to work indefinitely due to his continuous mistakes in the past. In fact, VPF is the unit that hires the referee and because of the quality of the tournament, they have the right to do that.

Two years ago, referee Ha Anh Chien was also "fired" for a similar situation, when he gave FLC Thanh Hoa a free penalty, causing SLNA to lose the victory and was permanently suspended. Referees being "punished" and not invited to work in the V.League is no longer a rare thing, it happens as usual. On average, each season, more than two referees say goodbye to Vietnamese football.

Referee Ha Anh Chien once made waves in V.League 2016 and was permanently suspended by VFF. Photo: Trung Kien

Why referees make mistakes: First, they are not very good at their job, they do not have a good grasp of the rules, so they are not confident, indecisive and their physical strength is not enough to keep up with the situation. Second, they are good at their job but have problems with their mindset. Third, they have limited skills and are easily influenced by invisible pressures outside the field.

In a game where the referee is the one who is given the ultimate power and decision. The authority of the referee does not only come from professional ability, it comes from the courage and respect of the players for them.

There are many situations where referees make serious mistakes just because they are deceived by players. However, once the referee on the field makes an inaccurate and unconvincing decision, the respect and trust of the players, the audience and the tournament organizers will no longer be there for them.

That is the reason why at the end of every season, VPF has to look for foreign referees./.

Trung Kien