VietNamNet Bridge - Right after signing a contract to be the chief organizer of the 2014 V-League, Japanese expert Koji Tanaka has witnessed a series of incidents involving referees and football violence.

V-League chief Tanaka (middle) during a game.

From round 5 to round 5 of the V-League, a lot of incidents related to referees and violence occurred, which makes the new chief organizer – Mr. Tanaka Koji get a headache.

In round 6, Tanaka saw Quang Ninh Coal’s Bruno having his ankle broken after a collision with a Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s player.

In round 7, he once again witnessed Song Lam Nghe An’s Dinh Dong’s kick, which resulted in a broken leg to midfielder Nguyen Anh Hung of Hung Vuong An Giang.

According to Tanaka, violence stems from the players. Vietnam football needs to review the education of football players. As for players, they should have to change their thinking and the way to play football because that is their own livelihood.

After about two weeks, Tanaka had the initial assessment of the V-League. "After four games I directly watched, I saw some matches that were well organized, with very good quality, such as the game between Dong Tam Long An and Thanh Hoa,” Tanaka said.

“However, overall I found that the V-League level is not high and the professional awareness of players is poor. The games that I watched involved violence and many cards were used. In my opinion, to change the current situation, Vietnam football must change completely. Of course, we need to have the participation of all parties with the highest sense of responsibility," Tanaka said.

Tanaka is building very detailed plans to help V-League be more professional. However, he will have to learn more about Vietnam's football.

Nam Nguyen