Red card

Hoang Thinh tackled Hung Dung, breaking his leg in the match between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, 3-0, at Thong Nhat Stadium on March 23. Photo: Lam Thoa (VNE)

Ngo Hoang Thinh silently walked out and sat in the priority position for players on the sidelines of the field, while the 2019 Vietnamese Golden Ball Do Hung Dung got in the ambulance and went to the hospital.

Dear readers, this is not a sports commentary, nor is it just a story about injuries on the field. The author wants to take a look with readers at the alarming problem of violence that is happening around us.

From the “hot” incident! In the national football championship (V.League round 5), in the 27th minute of the match between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi at Thong Nhat Stadium on the evening of March 23, when the score was 0-0, Do Hung Dung was knocked down by Ngo Hoang Thinh with a “death kick”. Slow motion footage showed that the home team player “kicked” with great force, causing Do Hung Dung’s ankle to break.

This is not only a loss of personnel for a team but also the loss of a trump card in the journey to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Right at that terrible situation, Mr. Park Hang-seo, the coach of the Vietnamese national team, left the stands and went down to the pit lane to check on the situation. I think, like millions of fans, he has two sorrows, one is the loss of a key player, but the sadder thing is that the problem of violence in sports in particular and in the community in general is worrying.

Coach Park believes Hung Dung will soon return to football. Photo: VFF

According to the report of the doctor of Hanoi Club who is in the hospital, Hung Dung has a double fracture of his right shin. It is expected that this player will have to rest for 1 year to treat the injury and recover. "That's it! "Our army" has cut down "our own army". There have been hundreds of articles talking about the problem of violence on the football field, but have we ever questioned its origin? Pressure to achieve? Is that right? If we just blame the pressure to achieve and then "lax" in solving the problem, is it satisfactory? Let's ask ourselves, is there any national tournament in the world that is as "strict" as ours? Is it tactics or culture?

A player playing on the field is broadcast live, which means he is publicly performing in front of millions of eyes. Yet they still show no mercy to their colleagues. If they are released into society, will they be gentle enough to bring safety to those around them? The story is on the field, but the problem is not limited to that. Violence reigns in the environment we live in.

First of all, school violence. In recent years, school violence has emerged as a terrifying problem. Students fight each other brutally. Head-slamming, punching, kicking, stripping... not one case but hundreds of cases. One case subsides for a while, then another one resurfaces. It seems that this is just the tip of the iceberg because it is not always recorded and made public on social networks. And what is our action? Do we stand by and judge or share responsibility? For a long time, we have been dealing with this problem in a patchwork manner. Wherever it happens, we dissect it there. Every time, it is the same, every time, someone stands up to answer the press with the words "We will check, request a report to have a conclusion. The point of view is to strictly handle students who violate the law", that's all. Then another incident happened, and then the refrain: “We will check, request a report to have a conclusion. The point is to strictly handle the students who violate the law”, and then… that’s it. Cover up the leaking water, wipe away the rain when it comes, and in the end, every incident ends with “there’s more”! But educational tools such as psychological counseling and behavioral guidance are still on the… document table.

What is the cause, the conflict between students or the conflict within each student? Is there or is there not a conflict between the purpose of education and the method of education? Is the disease of achievement a part of the culprit? Education is "guilty" when a series of teacher scandals directly and brutally impact the psychology of students, that is undeniable. An educational model with pressure from exams, pressure from achievements that goes along with it and an outdated approach compared to the rapid development of the external environment, of course, the damage is inevitable. But is the morality of minors that is completely left to education a demand that is both too much and too unfair? A society where everyone tries to cram as many words into students' heads as possible, considering it an indicator of success, ignoring other skills of the learner, is it only the fault of the education sector?

After Hoang Thinh's tackle. Photo: EVN

Occasionally, newspapers and websites report on the phenomenon of gangsters being praised and welcomed like A-list stars here and there. It is too distorted, do not say that these things have nothing to do with the formation of the personality of school-age children. Students need to grow up in a healthy educational environment, but education also needs to grow up in a civilized social environment. If children are spoiled, no adult is innocent. We talk about violence on the football field, violence at school... all of these things do not come naturally or arise by themselves. The culture of "love others as you love yourself" has faded away. Car crashes, fights. Forced drinking, fights. Borrowing money to fight, love debts to fight, and even brothers fight at funerals. Not just fighting for fun, there have been hundreds of murder cases whose direct causes sound very ridiculous. Don't blame the wine, don't blame a moment of impulse, but consider it a cultural degradation.

A fight for the ball that leads to an accident is one thing, but a drop of the ball that breaks someone’s leg is another. It is no longer a matter of sports but of ethics. It is not only a matter of ethics but also a matter of law. Why are cases like this not considered intentional acts of causing injury with a criminal sentence? Do not hide your lack of seriousness behind the word humanity. Do not consider football violence as part of sports. Its influence is enormous and its ability to spread to the community is not difficult to detect but not easy to admit.

School violence or football violence are both formed from the social environment. It receives “energy” from society and it itself contributes to social violence. It is necessary to solve the problem at its root. It is necessary to build a healthy social environment. A society where there are no Duong Nhuệ, Minh Tuyền or Kha Bảnh. Violence must be eliminated from where it comes from. In addition to soft solutions, society also needs referees who are ready to show “red cards”.”.