VietNamNet Bridge - Football referee Ha Anh Chien, 40, has been banned for life following his serious mistakes at a V-League match last week, which made headlines for afew days.

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Chien (blue), 40, is a staff of the Thanh Tri District Sports Center (Hanoi). He has been working as a referee for six years and began working at the V-League in 2014.


Chien was to be the main referee of the round-nine match FLC Thanh Hoa and Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) on May 8.

SLNA’s Tran Dinh Hoang forced Pape Omar Faye down near the penalty area and when Chien approached the scene from the far side and saw the Senegal striker inside the box, he decided to award Thanh Hoa with a penalty shot in the 87th minute when SLNA was leading 2-1. Faye easily scored and Thanh Hoa managed to avoid a loss.

SLNA players and their coach Ngo Quang Truong objected, but instead of reversing his decision, the referee handed Truong a red card.

On May 9, Ho Van Chiem, general director of SLNA Football JSC and coach Truong sent a document to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF) calling for a life ban for Chien.

Chien’s decision not only cost Song Lam Nghe An a win, but also caused much anger among the fans, the document said.

The head of the VFF’s Referee Committee, Nguyen Van Mui, called these mistakes serious. He said Chien’s wrong decision had affected the outcome of the match.

Cao Van Chong, general director of VPF which manages the tournament, also called Chien’s mistake terrible and confirmed the company would impose a hefty fine on him. Chong said the mistake was unacceptable, had disappointed VPF and had strongly affected the transparency of the league.

Chien, through statements in several newspapers, admitted his mistake and sent an apology to Song Lam Nghe An.

The VFF’s Referee Committee on May 10 banned Chien from the remaining matches of the V-League 2016 first leg but on May 11, after carefully examining the video tape of the game, the committee suddenly issued a ban for life on the referee. Thus, Chien will never be able to work for professional football events.

Chien was previously blamed for ‘helping’ FLC Thanh Hoa beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1 in a round 15 match last season.

During that game, the referee recognized Hoang Dinh Tung’s goal in the 82nd minute, although the striker had touched the ball with his hand.

Chien, 40, is a staff of the Thanh Tri District Sports Center (Hanoi). He has been working as a referee for six years and began working at the V-League in 2014.

However, the public said that the life ban was too heavy on Chien.

Chien is the first football referee in Vietnam suffering from a life ban.

VNN/VNS