The five players - Dinh Thanh Trung, Nguyen Trung Hoc, Duong Quang Tuan, Nguyen Van Truong and Nguyen Ngoc Thang – will be banned from playing at national football tournaments controlled by the Vietnam Football Federation.

They were caught red handed using banned substances together with five girls in two hotel rooms in Ha Tinh province on May 5. They are now being detained by the Investigation Police of Ha Tinh province for further investigations.

Ha Tinh FC has yet to make an official announcement, but sources said the management of the team has terminated the contracts with the five players.

The coaching board of the FC decided to cross out five names in the official lineup ahead of the team’s May 8 match in Binh Dinh province.

Without key players in the official lineup, Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC conceded a 2-0 loss to Binh Dinh FC in a V-League away match.

Before the May 8 match, the FC stood in eighth position after scoring only 20 points from 16 matches.

It’s noteworthy that among the five players was midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung who won the 2017 Vietnam Golden Ball Award and won the V-League championship with Quang Nam FC. He was also the captain of the Vietnamese national football team.

VOV