VietNamNet Bridge – The group of referees who are suspected of accepting bribes worth VND100 million ($5,000) from a football club has been revealed. They are determined to be the four referees of Hanoi, including Dinh Hai Duong, Pham Dac Chien, Do Manh Ha and Kieu Viet Hung.

Referee Pham Dac Chien, one of the suspects.

Earlier, the V-League referee board refused to provide the names of the suspects. The board members only said that the four referees come from the same locality; they were suspended from the last four rounds of the V-League; and they did not participate in the training course from June 11 to 13.

Based on the information, the four referees and assistant referees Dinh Hai Duong, Kieu Viet Hung, Pham Dac Chien and Do Manh Ha are defined as the suspects because they were not convened for the training course in June, they were not assigned to duty in the four final rounds of the V-League.

 At the same time, the game between Thanh Hoa and Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the Round 3, with the participation of these referees, is the only game in the first seventh round of V-League using four referees from the same locality.

This became clearer when a member of the V-League Organizing Committee on June 8 confirmed that the four above referees were doubted of taking bribes.

The head and vice head of the V-League referee board.

VFF Standing Committee held an emergency meeting on June 9 to suspend the head and vice head of the V-League referee board – Mr. Duong Vu Lam and Doan Phu Tan for their weak response to the bribery scandal of the four referees.

Lam and Tan were strongly criticized for not reporting the incident to the VFF though the case happened in March. The two officials will be suspended until the police release the investigation report of the scandal.

VFF Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy also assigned Mr. Nguyen Tan Hien – a member of the referee board – to temporarily be in charge of the board from June 9.

Nguyen Nam