VFF says no to international referees

Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) has refused to employ international referees for the V-League 2012 after a series of mistakes local referees made in the beginning of this season.

VFF Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy said that it was not good for Viet Nam as a rising place in Asia. He emphasised that the body would now look to bring more national referees to the big tournaments.

The department criticised referees whose whistle-blowing affected ninth round's matches. FIFA-accredited referee Vo Minh Tri was suspended for one match for his mistake in the Thanh Hoa vs Hai Phong game last Sunday. Tri abrogated the second yellow card of Hai Phong midfielder Tu Huu Phuoc and declined a penalty of Thanh Hoa club.

Meanwhile, referee Hoang Anh Tuan was suspended for two matches for recognising a goal of Kien Giang from an offside position during the match against SHB Da Nang last Saturday.

Larue Cup to kick off this week

The Larue Cup Football Tournament 2012 starting this week, featuring five-a-side teams, is expected to attract nearly 600 football teams from 12 major cities and provinces.

Sponsored by Viet Nam Brewery Ltd's Bierre Larue brand, the tournament aims to satisfy the passion of every amateur player in the country.

Players 20 to 35 years old from 12 major cities and provinces – HCM City, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Can Tho, Nha Trang, Tien Giang, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Quy Nhon, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Quang Binh – will compete against each other from March 22 to July 27.

Larue Cup 2012, which is in its fifth edition, has enjoyed increasing popularity across the country.

Ha Noi, Song Lam Nghe An in goalless draw, Vinh injured
 
An injury to top striker Le Cong Vinh compounded Ha Noi FC's misery as they played out a goalless draw against Song Lam Nghe An yesterday's V-League round 10 in the capital.

The visitors looked the more likely of the two to take all three points, with foreign strikers Bebbe Gustave Anicet and Hector Hughtun Kerin testing goalie Nguyen Minh Phong time and again.

Vinh, who received solid support from captain Pham Thanh Luong and striker Anjembe Timothy before he was forced off, was unable to break through the Nghe An defence.

Midway through the first half, he went down with a leg injury, leaving his teammates with an uphill task against the defending champions.

His absence also forced coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh to change his tactics to counter-attack.

While the host defenders had to work hard to keep their net clean, their forwards had to wait until the 62nd minute for their first proper opportunity when midfielder Nguyen Hai Nam shot just wide.

The draw was also a disappointment for the visitors as it was their eighth in ten games.

They have 14 points and remain sixth in the table. They will travel to Ninh Binh Province, some 100km from Ha Noi, to play The Vissai Ninh Binh on March 26.

Ha Noi are ninth with 11 points. In their next match they will face Navibank Sai Gon who beat former champions SHB Da Nang 3-1 in another earlier match yesterday.

In today's games, Hai Phong will play Becamex Binh Duong, Kienlongbank Kien Giang are to face Thanh Hoa and Khatoco Khanh Hoa will meet Ha Noi T&T.

Tomorrow, Ninh Binh will clash with surprise league leaders Sai Gon FC, while Dong Thap will welcome two-time champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Ministry stays firm on TV rights inspection results

The inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism have confirmed their conclusions on the inspection into the TV rights deal between VFF and AVG, according to head of the body, Vu Xuan Thanh.

Specifically, in the response document to the appeal lodged by VPF chairman Vo Quoc Thang, the inspectorate team again confirmed that the contract, which awarded digital TV provider AVG the telecast rights of the country’s professional football leagues for 20 years, starting from the 2012 season, has full legal validity.

The conclusions were first announced on February 2, and received objections from VPF, which had immediately lodged an appeal to review the results. Earlier, VPF has called for the inspection by denouncing the deal as invalid and unlawful.

“If the response still fails to satisfy VPF, they can continue to appeal to the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism within 30 days after receiving this appeal conclusion,” Thanh told Tuoi Tre.

“[VPF] can also appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

For his part, Thang of VPF said the company will collect feedback from 28 football clubs in the V-League and the First Division to reach a consensus on the next step to take in the TV rights battle.

“We believe that we can find a solution via negotiation with AVG,” said Thang.

“To date, AVG has agreed on one out of three proposals of VPF -- allowing TV stations to freely broadcast the leagues.”