Coach Kim Chi opposes the VFF's penalty.

Coach Doan Thi Kim Chi of the Ho Chi Minh City I women's football team has filed a complaint with the Vietnam Football Federation after being banned from coaching two matches in the 2023 National Championship.

In the fourth round of the 2023 Women's National Championship at the Vietnam Youth Training Center ( Hanoi ) on November 26th, Ho Chi Minh City I faced Than KSVN. In the 87th minute, with Ho Chi Minh City I leading 1-0, the referee awarded a penalty to Than KSVN. Due to the strong reaction from the Ho Chi Minh City players, coach Doan Thi Kim Chi called them back to the technical area to calm them down. Afterwards, the Ho Chi Minh City women's team returned to play, and goalkeeper Kim Thanh saved Duong Thi Van's penalty kick, helping her team secure the victory and move to the top of the bảng after four rounds.

The VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) believes that Kim Chi's actions disrupted the match, and therefore decided to fine her 2.5 million VND and suspend her for two matches.

Coach Kim lifts the 2022 National Women's Championship trophy. Photo: Duc Dong — Coach Kim lifts the 2022 National Women's Championship trophy. Photo: *Duc Dong*

This morning, November 28th, Coach Kim Chi submitted a complaint to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the National Championship Organizing Committee, requesting a review of the penalty. "I personally don't want a repeat of the conflict between players from the two teams like the one in 2018 at Thong Nhat Stadium. Therefore, I had to quickly intervene and rectify the situation," Coach Kim Chi told VnExpress . "I asked the players to go to the area in front of the Ho Chi Minh City I team's technical area to remind and encourage them to calm down, try to continue playing, and avoid any unpleasant incidents that could create a bad impression. After three minutes of discussion, the players calmed down, returned to the field, and the match concluded successfully."

TP HCM I team captain Tran Thi Kim Thanh also affirmed that coach Kim Chi did not intentionally disrupt the match or incite players to do anything wrong. "The match was tense from start to finish, so when our team conceded a penalty, the coach called us aside to talk to us mentally. The coach wouldn't be foolish enough to incite the team to abandon the match and get penalized. Moreover, we were leading, so even if we lost on penalties, we would still have points; we wouldn't have lost the match at all. Therefore, I think the supervisor made a wrong assessment in the report, which is why the VFF issued the penalty," Kim Thanh said.

Women's football teams from Ho Chi Minh City and Than KSVN are fierce rivals, frequently clashing in heated matches. The most intense conflict occurred during the 2018 National Championship semi-final at Thong Nhat Stadium, where players from both teams chased and fought each other. Following this, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) banned four Ho Chi Minh City players – Tran Nguyen Bao Chau, Nguyen Thi My Anh, Tran Thi Phuong Thao, and Tran Thi Thu – from all football activities for five months. Two Than KSVN players, Pham Hoang Quynh and Khong Thi Hang, received similar penalties. In addition, the six players were each fined 10 million VND. The coaching staffs of both clubs received a warning and were each fined 30 million VND.

Coach Doan Thi Kim Chi was born in 1979 in Ben Tre . She is a famous striker for the Ho Chi Minh City women's football team and the Vietnamese national team. Kim Chi holds four Vietnamese Golden Ball awards. She also won four SEA Games gold medals and three Southeast Asian championships. After retiring and becoming the coach of the Ho Chi Minh City women's national team, she led the team to seven national championships since 2015. In addition, Kim Chi was a valuable assistant to coach Mai Duc Chung in the women's national team, achieving many regional successes and qualifying for the 2023 World Cup.

Duc Dong

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