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Referees are swaying Vietnam’s football, say senior coaches
VFF did not allow journalists to attend the meeting until Hanoi ACB Chair Nguyen Duc Kien raised their voice about this. After that, Kien delivered a “shocking” speech.
“I would like to speak frankly that this report is not different from VFF’s report ten years ago. Do you think that we are kids to make such summary report?” Kien said.
He said that there were many problems associated with the V-League organizing board, which covered up mistakes and did not fully perform its responsibility.
“Six clubs told me they would leave V-League and come together to set up their own football league called Super Liga. This is a result of the growing anger of football investors in the nation over the indifference of VFF and its competition organization board,” he stated.
Kien said that these clubs had lost their trust on VFF. “VFF has been expanded but its functions and responsibility are unclear and it operates ineffectively,” he criticized.
Kien, one of the richest men in Vietnam, expressed his angry over referees at V-League 2011, though his FC did not have big problems with referees.
“It has nothing to do with the demotion of the two clubs Hanoi ACB and Dong Tam Long An, but is a strong and clear expression of disgust and anger from football fans and involved clubs against referees who intentionally favor some teams in exchange for money,” he said.
“Referees Tran Cong Trong and Nguyen Van Quyet, who are facing suspension for the entire coming season for their misconduct, favored Vicem Hai Phong over Hoa Phat Hanoi and Binh Duong in July and August in such an obvious manner that has drawn sharp protests among football fans. But VFF has, for a long time, kept repeating the refrain ‘we have no proof.’”
He said that VFF’s competition organization board and the national referee council have a lot of issues that need to be urgently dealt with, not the least of which is their dereliction of duty and handling of staff misconduct.
“I’ve been too disappointed with VFF.” he stated.
Kien also complained about VFF’s contract to sell the broadcasting right of V-League for 20 years for AVG Group, saying that VFF did not respect FCs when it made the decision.
Kien’s Hanoi ACB has dropped from the V-League to the First Division tournament. However, Kien has bought Hoa Phat Hanoi FC, which will play at V-League 2012. It is rumored that Kien will sell Hanoi ACB’s seat at the First Division to the Maritime Bank.
Vissai Ninh Binh club chairman, Hoang Manh Tuong, shared Kien’s criticism of VFF and showed his support to the idea to set up a new league.
Le Hung Dung, Chairman of Eximbank cum Deputy chair of VFF, also criticized refereeing activities at V-League 2011, saying that Eximbank is considering canceling their sponsorship due to rampant corruption.
Dung demanded that VFF impose life suspension penalties against the two referees Trong and Quyet as one of the conditions for Eximbank to continue its sponsoring deal with VFF. After the meeting, VFF decided to dismiss Trong and Quyet.
Dung said that VFF should reconsider the operations of the National Referee Council. He said it is abnormal when the son and son-in-law of the council’s chair were major referees at V-League 2011. He asked VFF to replace the National Referee Council by the Referee Board and asked the council’s chair to resign.
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