Coach Vu Tien Thanh: 'If you play against Hanoi, you will lose because of the referee'
"We approached the match well but I am not satisfied with this match," coach Vu Tien Thanh said after the match at Thong Nhat Stadium on the evening of April 8. "We lost the first goal due to the referee and the line referee. The players organized to catch the opponent's player offside, but the referee did not catch offside. I have a very clear image. The referee does business. We were determined to win a point in this match but all efforts were ruined by the referee."
Next to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City played defensively - counter-attack full of calculations. The turning point came in the 38th minute, when they conceded a somewhat unjust goal. From Nguyen Van Quyet's pass, Lucao escaped to defeat goalkeeper Nguyen Thanh Thang in the face-to-face position. The home player immediately reacted to the line referee, thinking that the Hanoi striker was offside. The slow motion phase on the video also clearly shows this. But the goal is still recognized for Hanoi.
At the beginning of the second half, Ho Chi Minh City equalized 1-1 thanks to Mansaray Vitor Nabay. But under pressure from Hanoi, they had to receive two more goals from Pham Tuan Hai's finish and Campbell's own goal. This result made HCM City continue to struggle in the last group with three points through five rounds.
"If we play against Hanoi, we will lose because of the referee," Thanh added. "I have criticized VPF many times about the leadership of the Hanoi club, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hoi, who is in the VPF, as if anyone can stand it. The referee did not dare to arrest him because Mr. Hoi was sitting in the stands, he glared. The referee's eyes were scared. Having played the ball must be righteous, but you can't just let your head and neck be pressed like that."
Not only complaining for the home team, Mr. Thanh was also angry... for Khanh Hoa Club - the team was penalized for the second half in a 1-1 draw on Nam Dinh's field. "I'm not Khanh Hoa's coach, but I'm also upset, the referee made a mistake like that, but the referee told me to get it right," Thanh said. "That's right, we're professionals, we know. Coach Vo Dinh Tan has analyzed it very well."
The coach of Ho Chi Minh City also recalled the 0-1 loss to Nam Dinh in the first round, where they also received a last-minute penalty.
A few days ago, coach Vu Tien Thanh was warned by VPF in a letter because he criticized the National Cup as a "ward prize". But Mr. Thanh said, reminding him is also worthless because what he said was to contribute to the development of Vietnamese football, but VPF did not listen and change. "I have said many times, football has to apply technology to innovate. But now you see the matches held like in the 1980s, the two teams taking each other to the soccer field is nothing new, except the music. background," he sarcastically.
"Why do the fans in Ho Chi Minh City still come to the stadium? That's because they come for the pure soul of Ho Chi Minh City. But VPF needs to innovate, football has to be emotional, like this, they'd rather stay at home to watch. TV is better. Going to the yard to lose money for parking and then crowding, but still witnessing the inadequacies, it is even more inhibiting," he continued. "If I give advice, I still give it, it's up to them whether they listen or not. Anyway, the game still has to go on and keep fighting."
