VietNamNet Bridge – Coaches and players share the opinion that refereeing during the current edition of V-League, the nation's premier football tournament, has been substandard.


Fair go ref: Simon McMenemy (left), head coach of Dong Tam Long An, complains to a referee in a V-League match. (Photo: VNS)
"Vietnamese football has made remarkable progress since 2005 with more and more qualified foreign players coming to play in the V-League, but the refereeing has gone down," said Binh Duong captain Lancelot Kubheka Philani Bhekizizwe.


"There are only a few referees who are doing a good job in the V-League," said the South African striker, who has been playing football in Viet Nam for the last seven years.


There have been numerous controversies surrounding referees' decisions in the V-League this season.


Referee Ngo Quoc Hung's decisions in the seventh-round game between Lam Son Thanh Hoa and Song Lam Nghe An or that of Nguyen Van Quyet in the match between Navivank Sai Gon and Da Nang stand out as examples.


The latest incident took place during a match between home team Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, in which referee Vo Minh Tri, who won the Golden Whistle award last year, made a mistake in awarding the away team a penalty.


Briton Simon McMenemy, head coach of Dong Tam Long An, has also lamented the quality of referees in the V-League.


"Some referees are very shaky. It is illegal to make tackles with two legs and such fouls must be shown a red card, but many referees have not done that," he said.


Referees also need to get tough with players who use time-wasting tricks, he said.


Other coaches and players like Mai Duc Chung, Le Huynh Duc, Pham Cong Loc and captain Nguyen Van Ngan of Dong Thap, to name just a few, have publicly remonstrated against referees' decisions during the tournament.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News