VFF, VPF hold emergency meeting with referee committee after violent V-League incidents: 'Enforce the law' is an order, referee Le Vu Linh faces heavy criticism

Vietnamese football is facing a week to forget as the image of the competition is being covered by violent incidents. In the match between Dong Nai FC and Hanoi Police FC on September 20, home defender Le Van Son elbowed striker Nguyen Dinh Bac. Soon after, centre-back Huynh Tan Sinh repeatedly kicked Nguyen Dinh Bac from behind, in a clear attempt to hurt the man rather than play the ball. Television cameras captured both incidents, raising serious questions about the strictness of match officials. The match between Dong Nai FC and Hanoi Police FC is only the visible part of the problem. In round 2 of V-League 2026-2027, Hanoi Police centre-back Doan Van Hau broke the leg of The Cong Viettel midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan. In the same round, Nam Dinh foreign player Ezeqiuel Santos Da Silva stamped on the stomach of SHB Da Nang player Vo Huu Viet Hoang. Within a short period, at least four violent situations have appeared in consecutive rounds. Without strong measures, the risk of players deliberately injuring opponents will increase. Faced with this reality, representatives of the organising committee, VPF and VFF met directly with the VFF Referee Committee. The meeting took place amid strong public condemnation of a series of brutal challenges. During the meeting, leaders asked referees to enforce the law, maintain discipline and prevent violent behaviour on the pitch. The message was repeated several times to reach every referee. This move shows that VPF and VFF cannot stand by while the image of V-League is continuously damaged. The meeting came not long after the match on September 20, showing prompt action by football administrators. However, fans also noticed a detail: no referee was suspended immediately. VPF and VFF seem to prefer warnings over direct punishment. This is consistent with the traditional approach of Vietnamese football, but is it enough to deter future violence? The phrase “enforce the law” is not simply a reminder of the rules. For experts, it is an order for referees not to miss fouls or cards. A serious foul should be punished with a direct red card, instead of a yellow card followed by retrospective discipline. When referees act correctly, players will understand that violent conduct cannot go unpunished. On the other hand, lenient decisions create a sense of safety for players who are willing to play dirty. The match between Dong Nai FC and Hanoi Police FC is the clearest example. Referee Le Vu Linh missed an obvious red card. In the situation where Huynh Tan Sinh deliberately kicked twice without trying to play the ball, Le Vu Linh showed only a yellow card. The repeated kicks from behind, aimed at Nguyen Dinh Bac's leg, were serious unsporting conduct. Under the definition of serious foul play, the incident deserved an immediate send-off. Of course, the referee could argue that his view was blocked. But VAR was introduced to handle situations like this. If VAR did not intervene, or the referee ignored it, the match failed in protecting the players. Former VFF professional vice-president and former head of the VFF Referee Committee Duong Vu Lam did not hide his frustration. He told Dan Tri reporter: “Referee Le Vu Linh missed a card related to this incident. Huynh Tan Sinh's deliberate kick was too blatant, but he did not receive a red card.” Lam's comments show that the problem is not just the players. If a dangerous challenge goes unpunished on the pitch, other players will see it as a precedent. That explains why violence keeps recurring. Duong Vu Lam also questioned the responsibility of the VAR crew. The VAR team included referee Vo Hoai Thuong and referee Nguyen Thanh Son. He argued that if the VAR team advised the referee to show a red card but was overruled, the fault lies with Le Vu Linh. Conversely, if the VAR team stayed silent about Huynh Tan Sinh's deliberate kick, the VAR officials must also be disciplined. This approach creates two clear paths of investigation and prevents blame-shifting. On an operational level, the VAR crew cannot remain outside the game. A clear situation of kicking an opponent from behind, repeated twice, is ideal for VAR intervention. If the referee did not see it, VAR must advise. If the referee saw it but failed to punish, VAR must also remind him. The issue of VAR responsibility is not new, but in V-League it has become more sensitive. Since video technology has been introduced, fans expect wrong decisions to be corrected. However, if the consultation process is not publicly recorded, it is difficult to know who was actually wrong. Former referee chief Duong Vu Lam demanded that the duties of each VAR member be clarified. Only when responsibility is clearly assigned will such mistakes stop happening in important rounds. The issue of referee discipline was also revealed by Duong Vu Lam. According to him, disciplinary sanctions against referees are rarely announced publicly. The simplest way to know is to follow the referee assignment list in the next rounds. If Le Vu Linh or the related VAR referees are absent from the next round, they are likely being suspended. This is practical experience from someone who once led the Referee Committee, and it gives fans a way to monitor the process. The current approach also shows a lack of transparency. A professional league should publish disciplinary decisions against referees, at least for major controversial incidents. Hiding information may protect individuals, but it makes fans suspicious. As V-League continues its professionalisation process, transparency in refereeing is a lifeline. Fans need to know who was wrong and how they were punished. More broadly, football violence usually comes from weak punishment. When referees are lenient, players will keep testing the limits. The Dong Nai match against Hanoi Police FC showed that a team could commit dangerous fouls many times without being reduced to ten men. If the VFF Referee Committee does not learn the lesson, the coming rounds may bring more serious injuries. V-League wants to be attractive and sustainable, but first it must be safe. No tactic is beautiful when a player leaves the field on a stretcher. The message from VFF, VPF and the organising committee is clear. But a message only has value when it is turned into concrete punishments. Referees must be brave enough to use red cards for unsporting challenges, and VAR teams need to share the same standard. In addition, VFF and VPF may consider publishing the outcomes of referee disciplinary cases in key situations. Vietnamese football expects a successful season, but success cannot be built on violent kicks. It is time for the referee's whistle to become the final barrier protecting the players.