Ho Chi Minh City proposes to replace the Head of the Referee Board; Hai Phong lends foreign striker to Quang Ninh

Ho Chi Minh City Club proposes to replace the Head of the Referee Board

"Referee Tran Van Trong had a good viewing angle but did not award HCMC a penalty in the first half. This affected the outcome of the match," Nguyen Huu Thang shared after the match at Thong Nhat Stadium. "These are regular, systematic mistakes, so we recommend replacing Head of the Referee Board Duong Van Hien in the hope that this situation will improve."

In the first half, the ball touched Thanh Chung's hand twice in the Hanoi penalty area from shots by Cong Phuong and Sam Ngoc Duc, but referee Tran Van Trong did not award a penalty to the home team. According to some experts, Mr. Trong's decision was correct because according to the new law, Thanh Chung cannot be penalized when he touches the ball with his hand in a passive position. Mr. Trong even angered the Hanoi club by not recognizing Van Quyet's goal even though he was not offside at all and refusing to award a penalty when Tan Tai was tripped in the penalty area.

Ho Chi Minh City players surrounded the referee.

However, after the match, many members of the HCM City Club coaching staff still chased after the referees to protest. The home crowd also stayed behind to boo. It is expected that on July 27, HCM City Club will send a document to the Vietnam Football Federation, reporting on the referee team that controlled the match and requesting the replacement of the Head of the Referee Board, Duong Van Hien.

Hai Phong lends foreign striker to Quang Ninh

Andre Fagan's return from Quang Ninh half a season earlier than the loan contract ended left Hai Phong with a surplus of foreign players. They decided to keep Josep Mpande and push Claudecir away in the opposite direction.

Claudecir was once voted "Best Foreign Player" after scoring 12 goals in 23 matches, contributing greatly to helping Quang Nam win the 2017 V-League. But the Brazilian striker then lost his form, only playing 14 matches and scoring 4 goals in the following two seasons.

Ahead of the 2020 season, Claudecir was recruited by Hai Phong, after the port city team unexpectedly let two main strikers Fagan and Lynch go to Quang Ninh on loan. Claudecir was often on the field but was disappointing, scoring only 1 goal after 11 rounds.

Claudecir played poorly when Hai Phong drew 0-0 with Ho Chi Minh City at Lach Tray on June 5. Photo: Lam Thoa.

"Coach Chung Hae-seong resigns due to internal affairs"

On the evening of July 25, Hankooki (South Korea) reported that coach Chung Hae-seong had resigned from leading Ho Chi Minh City FC. Reporter Lee Jae-ho, the author of the article on the Korean news site, opened his exclusive news with the title: "Ho Chi Minh City FC coach Chung Hae-seong decides to resign".

A short while ago, a senior leader of Ho Chi Minh City Club confirmed that Chairman Nguyen Huu Thang will temporarily replace Coach Chung Hae-seong to lead the team in the next rounds of V.League 2020. The team's leadership wants Mr. Chung to be the technical director, but the Korean coach has not made a final decision.

Korean media speculated that coach Chung Hae-seong resigned due to internal conflicts. Photo: Duy Anh.

Ho Chi Minh City FC did not provide further information about the reason for coach Chung's resignation from the team or his future. However, information from the Korean media said that the recent loss to Hanoi FC was the cause of internal conflicts that led to the resignation of the strategist born in 1958.

Hien Tung