Nothing escapes VAR
Before VAR was applied in V-League (testing at the end of the 2023 season and officially in the 2023-2024 season), Vietnamese players were exposed to this modern machine system at the 2019 Asian Cup and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. When VAR was used, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team received 1 red card and 5 penalties in these 2 tournaments. Experts and fans can sympathize because that was the time when the players were still confused because they were not used to playing with VAR.
Nguyen Manh Hung, a player born in 2005, received a red card after the referee consulted VAR in the match against U.23 Iraq at the 2024 AFC U-23 Championship.
However, even after VAR has been applied for more than a season in the domestic arena, the fouls committed by Vietnamese players in the international arena have continued. At the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team received 2 red cards and 2 penalties. At the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals, the Vietnamese U23 team led by coach Hoang Anh Tuan also received 2 red cards and 2 penalties.
There have been many situations where Vietnamese players have paid the price for their dirty tricks and foul play. That was Khuat Van Khang stepping on his opponent's back after a high ball dispute in the match against Iraq. That was Nguyen Thanh Binh pulling the shirt of Rafael Struick of Indonesia, leading to a penalty. That was Nguyen Ngoc Thang pulling a player in the penalty area in the match against U.23 Kuwait or Nguyen Manh Hung stepping on the leg of an Iraqi U.23 player. In these situations, the referees watched VAR very carefully before making a decision, not making hasty, rash judgments.
At this point, we cannot blame our immaturity. What we need to do is look at the domestic league, where players have not yet looked at VAR to adjust their behavior.
It is reprehensible to exploit "loopholes"
It can be said that VAR is bringing positive points, helping Vietnamese referees reduce pressure as well as errors in decisive situations. Before the V-League took a break to make room for the Vietnam U.23 team to compete in the 2024 U.23 Asian Cup, in round 15 of the V-League alone, 14 players had to stop playing due to disciplinary action. Many of them received cards after the referees consulted VAR. In round 14, the referees had to issue 26 yellow cards and 4 red cards (many cards were issued after the referees consulted VAR).
VAR at V-League
However, many players still take advantage of VAR "loopholes" to be able to play dirty tricks. In round 8 of the V-League 2023-2024 season, Nguyen Thanh Thao of Ho Chi Minh City Club elbowed Nguyen Van Hanh of Ha Tinh team in the face. This match took place at Thong Nhat Stadium and there was no VAR. The main referee could not observe the situation so he only issued a yellow card. According to a VAR expert, if there had been VAR in this match, the referee would have made a more severe decision on the offending player.
From the above figures, it can be seen that VAR has really had a "weighty voice" in the V-League, but on the other hand, many players are still not "afraid" of VAR, do not know how to look at VAR to adjust their playing behavior. Rough and tricky plays are still "tricks" for players to gain an advantage or intimidate their opponents.
Even young players use a lot of tricks. Nguyen Hong Phuc's elbow to an Indonesian U.23 player in the final match of the 2023 Southeast Asian U.23 is an example. Fortunately, this tournament does not have VAR, so the defender born in 2003 did not receive a red card and the U.23 Vietnam team still won the championship.
In the V-League or in international tournaments, players may see playing dirty tricks and fouls without VAR as an immediate benefit. But fouls can also cause too much disruption to the match, affecting the quality of the game. If Vietnamese football wants to develop stably and sustainably, what players need to do is change their awareness, behavior, and conduct on the field right now. Otherwise, when VAR covers the V-League, which will be the first division in the future, the players and their clubs will be the first to pay the price. And of course, the national teams will have to suffer significant consequences (to be continued).
Lost both the fish and the net.
Recently, after the 2023 Asian Cup, Khuat Van Khang and Le Pham Thanh Long had to pay a fine of 2,000 USD each to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). These two players received red cards in the matches against Iraq and Indonesia in the group stage. AFC warned that the punishment would be even heavier if the two Vietnamese players reoffended.
In addition to the fines, Van Khang and Thanh Long were also suspended for one match. Thanh Long was absent from the final group stage match of the 2023 Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Van Khang was not allowed to play in the match against Indonesia in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
Similarly, players of the U.23 Vietnam team such as Ngoc Thang and Manh Hung were also suspended from the 2024 U.23 Asian tournament. If he continues to be called up to the U.23 Vietnam team in the next training session, Manh Hung will have to miss 2 matches in the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers.
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