When did Vietnamese players learn about VAR?

Thanks to wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey to compete in major continental tournaments, Vietnamese players have had early access to VAR, when the World Football Federation (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) brought this very modern technology to many important tournaments.

GETTING TO KNOW V AR OUTSIDE VN TERRITORY

Phase 2 of the 2023 V-League season witnessed a historic milestone when VAR was applied for the first time in Vietnam. However, for the members of the Vietnam national team, VAR had become a familiar "partner" long before that. The first time the Vietnam national team came into contact with VAR was at the 2019 Asian Cup - this was also the first tournament in Asia to have VAR. This system was applied from the quarter-finals and the match between the Vietnam national team and Japan was the first match in the history of the Asian Cup (as well as Asian football in general) to witness the presence of VAR.

Referee consults VAR in Vietnam's match against Japan at Asian Cup 2019

This was a match in which VAR left mixed emotions for the Vietnamese team. Thanks to the advice of the VAR referee team, Coach Park Hang-seo's players avoided conceding a goal after Maya Yoshida used her hand to put the ball into the net. But also because of VAR, referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan decided to award a penalty after Bui Tien Dung fouled the Japanese striker. Then, on the 11m mark, Ritsu Doan scored the only goal, bringing Japan into the semi-finals.

Becoming the first team in the Asian playground to benefit, then being penalized by technology advice, fate has tied Vietnam to VAR in many subsequent tournaments. Typically, in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, all 10 matches of the Vietnam team used VAR. Among them were matches that Vietnam played at home, so FIFA and AFC had to bring VAR to Vietnam and install it at My Dinh Stadium.

VAR DETECTS EVERY TRICK

In the opening match of the 3rd qualifying round of the World Cup against Saudi Arabia, the away team Vietnam played extremely well in the first half when leading 1-0. However, at the beginning of the second half, central defender Do Duy Manh used his hand to block the ball in the penalty area. After consulting VAR, referee Tantashev Ilgiz reviewed the slow-motion replay, then decided to award a penalty to Saudi Arabia and give Duy Manh a red card. This turning point caused the Vietnamese team to lose with a score of 1-3.

Duy Manh and unforgettable memories

Five days later, the Vietnamese team faced Australia in the second match. Coach Park's players started the match well with a tight game, before organizing a dangerous attack on the left wing. Nguyen Phong Hong Duy's shot hit defender Rhyan Grant's hand in the penalty area in the 29th minute, but after reviewing the slow-motion replay with VAR, referee Al Jassim (Qatar) did not award the home team a penalty. It was cruel for the Vietnamese team when Grant later scored the only goal to help Australia win 1-0.

In the match between Vietnam and Oman (round 4), a Vietnamese player committed a foul in the penalty area. Although he did not see the foul clearly, the VAR system with dozens of camera angles, so after carefully reviewing VAR, the main referee awarded Oman 2 penalties (the opposing team scored 1 goal and missed 1 shot).

VAR referee carefully reviewed the situation

Those are just small details in the overall picture. According to statistics, because of mistakes, the Vietnamese team was awarded 7 penalties in 14 matches with VAR in the 2019, 2023 Asian Cup and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. That means for every 2 matches with VAR, Vietnamese players were awarded 1 penalty. The Vietnamese team lost all the matches with penalties. The winning rate of the Vietnamese team in matches with VAR is also very low, only... 7.1%. Coach Park Hang-seo once said: "It is difficult to answer exactly why we often get penalties. Perhaps it is due to defensive habits from when the players were young. In addition to habits, another reason is that the Vietnamese team is under great pressure from opponents. When taking defensive actions in a pressured context, the Vietnamese team lowers its formation and is easily awarded a penalty."

Another issue worth mentioning here is that the referee's decisions after watching VAR (or listening to advice from the VAR referee team) are all correct decisions. In some situations, Vietnamese players can fool the referee with tricks in the penalty area, committing hidden fouls, but cannot "fool" VAR. (continued)

If the referee doesn't make a call, VAR will.

While in office, Coach Park Hang-Seo repeatedly reminded his players to play calmly and calmly, and to control their emotions, especially in matches with VAR. He required the Vietnamese team to master the regulations related to VAR to avoid being carded. However, when facing many strong teams in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, his players seemed to have neglected his instructions, making regrettable mistakes that were detected by VAR.

A match with VAR that the Vietnamese team participated in

The Vietnamese team made so many mistakes that the Head of the VFF Disciplinary Committee, Vu Xuan Thanh, used it as an example at the 2021 season summary conference: "In the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, we saw more clearly the fact that there were situations when our players committed fouls, and the referee did not catch them, but VAR did. VAR cannot be bypassed. So clubs must train their players to avoid making fouls. If they commit a foul, VAR will handle it immediately."

Trung Ninh

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