Referee causes controversy in Nam Dinh's 'close call' draw; U22 Vietnam attends Panda Cup 2023 in China

Referee blew whistle, blew controversial penalty in Nam Dinh - Khanh Hoa match

The most controversial situation in the match of round 5 of V.League 2023 between Nam Dinh and Khanh Hoa clubs at Thien Truong Stadium happened in the 90+3 minute of extra time. Referee Truong Hong Vu thought that Khanh Hoa goalkeeper Vo Ngoc Cuong fouled Mai Xuan Quyet in the penalty area, so he awarded Nam Dinh a penalty and showed a red card to the away team's goalkeeper.

It is worth mentioning that referee Vu hesitated for a while before blowing the whistle. Mr. Vu pointed to the penalty spot and showed the red card to goalkeeper Ngoc Cuong. After receiving complaints from Khanh Hoa players, Mr. Vu broke the whistle and gave Ngoc Cuong a yellow card.

Referee Truong Hong Vu made confusing decisions in the Nam Dinh - Khanh Hoa match on the evening of April 7. Photo: Bao Ngoc

At the time of the controversy, the home team Nam Dinh was trailing Khanh Hoa 1-0. Referee Truong Hong Vu's decision changed the outcome of the match, causing Khanh Hoa to lose the victory, while Nam Dinh escaped defeat and even went to the top of the table with a 1-1 draw.

This was not the only controversial situation in the match. Earlier in the 86th minute, assistant referee Nguyen Trung Thien awarded Khanh Hoa a throw-in instead of a free kick for Nam Dinh, allowing the away team to seize the opportunity to score. This situation angered the fans because it happened right next to the touchline in the B stand of Thien Truong stadium, where the fans had a favorable view.

With a 1-1 draw, Nam Dinh moved to the top of the table with 9 points, while Khanh Hoa struggled in the bottom half of the rankings with 5 points.

U22 Vietnam attends Panda Cup 2023 in China

The Panda Cup is a youth football tournament held annually in China since 2014. After being interrupted for 2 years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament has been restarted.

As planned, the Panda Cup 2023 will be held in June; with the expected competition dates being June 14, 16 and 18. The tournament will have the participation of 4 U22 teams including host China, Bahrain, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

With such quality teams, the Panda Cup 2023 is considered a very useful practice for the U22 team in the preparation for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers and the 19th Asian Games which will take place next September. Especially for China, the host country of the 19th Asian Games.

Tien Linh (left) in a friendly match against U22 China in 2019. Photo: VFF

Panda Cup 2023 is also the first time in 4 years that the Vietnam U22 team has returned to China. Previously, in September 2019, the Vietnam U22 team had a friendly match with the China U22 team in Wuhan. As a result, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team won 2-0 with a double from striker Nguyen Tien Linh.

Saudi Arabia offers Mourinho a record contract

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, top officials of Saudi Arabian football have directly sent this offer to Mourinho. If accepted, "The Special One" will become the highest-paid coach in the world.

The Saudi Arabian offer gives Mourinho two options to choose from. The first is to lead the Saudi Arabian national team. The Portuguese coach has the right to terminate his contract after the first year and receive 65 million USD. If he continues to stay with Saudi Arabia, Mourinho will have to extend his contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup. This clause helps Saudi Arabia not be passive in its preparation plan for the tournament, which will be co-hosted in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Mourinho at Roma's Trigoria training ground on April 4. Photo: asroma.it

The second option for Mourinho is to work at the club level, and accordingly, he can choose Al Nassr or Al Ahil - the two most potential teams in the Saudi League.

In December 2022, Al Nassr recruited Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer with a contract until June 2025. The Portuguese striker receives the world's highest salary of 200 million USD per year when including sponsorship and advertising.

Meanwhile, Al Hilal has just sent Lionel Messi a $440 million annual salary offer, which is double Ronaldo's income. According to Football Italy, Mourinho has discussed this $135 million offer with his staff and received many opinions. The internal debate is taking place fiercely, with some people saying that such an unbelievable offer and salary is an opportunity not to be missed. However, Mourinho wants to stay at Roma and is waiting to meet with Roma President Dan Friedkin to discuss the club's goals and ambitions before making any decisions.