A one-match suspension in the AFF Cup is the punishment for Dinh Luat's red card.

The Vietnamese national team's central defender received a direct red card in the final group stage match against Cambodia on November 26th.

Losing Dinh Luat is a significant blow to the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Duc Dong

“The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has just sent a notification to General Secretary Le Hoai Anh regarding Dinh Luat's punishment. The player has been suspended for one match and fined $1,000,” VFF Permanent Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan shared with VnExpress.

In the seventh minute of the match between Vietnam and Cambodia, Dinh Luat carelessly allowed Chan Vathanaka to steal the ball, forcing him to commit a foul. The Japanese referee immediately showed a red card, sending off the defender wearing number 3. Despite playing with ten men, the Vietnamese team still won 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals as the top team in Group B.

"The referee's decision to give Dinh Luat a red card was correct. He wasn't playing roughly, but he was preventing a situation that could have led to a goal for the opponent. However, I don't blame Dinh Luat; it was just an accident," Coach Huu Thang said about the red card given to the central defender from Nghe An.

According to FIFA rules, a player who receives a direct red card is suspended for two matches. However, after receiving a report from the refereeing team and reviewing the video footage, the AFC issued a suspension of only one match for Dinh Luat.

With this suspension, Dinh Luat will be unable to play in the first leg of the semi-final against Indonesia on December 3rd. However, he may be able to play in the second leg at My Dinh Stadium on December 7th.

Dinh Luat, born in 1983, is the oldest player on the Vietnamese national team. He and Ngoc Hai form the first-choice central defensive partnership, guarding the goal in front of Nguyen Manh. In the first leg of the semi-final against Indonesia, it is highly likely that coach Huu Thang will field Tien Dung to replace Dinh Luat.

According to VNE