SLNA striker confirms he did not hit Dak Lak player

(Baonghean.vn) – In the match between SLNA and Dak Lak in the 2017 National Cup qualifying round, player Le Trung Hieu of Dak Lak suffered a nose injury after a collision with an SLNA player. The away team confirmed that striker Ho Phuc Tinh (SLNA) was the culprit. However, there was a mistake in identifying the player who caused the injury to Le Trung Hieu.

In the 72nd minute when the score was 1-1, during a corner kick, Le Trung Hieu (Dak Lak) was marking an SLNA player when he suffered a collision in the face and had to be hospitalized.

The match between SLNA and Dak Lak was fierce, Phi Son almost suffered a serious injury after a tackle by a player of the visiting team. Photo: Trung Kien.

On the evening of February 4, after returning from the hospital, the striker who grew up at the HAGL training center was diagnosed with a broken nose and needed surgery to fix it. On his personal Facebook, Le Trung Hieu shared with a full of indignation: “In football, I don’t talk about collisions or fierce tackles. In football, everyone wants to win, but win with expertise to make the opponent convinced.

As players, we behave in a civilized manner on the field. While arguing, we dropped the ball and punched the opponent straight in the face, breaking his nose, and the referee did not issue any penalty cards...”

Some opinions say that the person who hit Le Trung Hieu was striker Ho Phuc Tinh, who raised the score to 2-1 for SLNA a few minutes after that situation.

However, the young striker of SLNA insisted: “Surely Le Trung Hieu mistook me for someone else. In that situation, I was standing behind him, not even close to him, let alone collided. I couldn’t see clearly who collided with Trung Hieu, but when I turned around, I saw him lying there.

Perhaps we need to review the videotape to know exactly who injured Trung Hieu. I hope he recovers soon and can compete again.”

Striker Ho Phuc Tinh, who raised the score to 2-1 for SLNA, affirmed that he was not the culprit causing Le Trung Hieu's injury. Photo: Trung Kien.

The match was not broadcast on television. Up to now, the media department of the tournament's organizing committee has not yet released the video of the match at Vinh Stadium. Therefore, it is not yet possible to conclude clearly who was the culprit in the collision with Le Trung Hieu in the 72nd minute of the match between SLNA and Dak Lak on the afternoon of February 4.

As for SLNA, the Nghe An team's leadership held an internal meeting to learn from this situation. This morning, February 5, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang went to Huu Nghi Hotel to inquire about the health of Dak Lak players.

SLNA head coach said: “I am very sorry for this incident, but in football, jumping into disputes and collisions is normal. If any SLNA player commits an act of cold-blooded fighting, he will definitely be dealt with by the disciplinary committee.”

In the match on February 4 at Vinh Stadium, in fact, not a single Dak Lak player reacted to this situation. At the end of the match in the press conference room, coach Phan Ton Loi also did not mention the above situation. To be fair, the away team was the one who took the initiative to play low and more aggressively, causing SLNA to encounter many difficulties.

In round 4 of V.League 2017, the incident where Hoang Vu Samson (Hanoi FC) kicked Chau Ngoc Quang (HAGL) still angered organizers and fans because there was no punishment.

So Le Trung Hieu speaking out about being beaten up will certainly cause a stir in public opinion in the near future. This story will make SLNA once again become the center of criticism.

Trung Kien