The head coach of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), Vu Tien Thanh, has been found guilty of misconduct involving inappropriate statements and behavior that severely impacted the image of Vietnamese football. This decision follows HAGL’s defeat against Ho Chi Minh FC in the 21st round of the V.League 1-2023/2024 season.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced the penalty this morning, citing Article 66. The standard punishment for such violations includes a minimum fine of 10 million VND or a suspension from participating in matches for at least two games. However, given that the remarks targeted the VFF, the fine has been doubled.
Vu Xuan Thanh, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, emphasized that the punishment was carefully considered to avoid negatively impacting HAGL during this critical phase of the league. “We chose to impose a monetary fine, which is precise and appropriate for the current context,” he stated. “Should Mr. Thanh repeat this behavior, the penalties will escalate, potentially leading to a ban from directing the team.”
A day prior, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), which also serves as the organizer of the V.League, formally requested disciplinary action against Vu Tien Thanh. The VPF cited that coach Thanh used the post-match press conference, following HAGL’s 1-4 defeat to Ho Chi Minh FC on May 26, to make unrelated statements and conduct interviews that strayed from discussing the match.
During the press conference at Thong Nhat Stadium, coach Thanh remarked that HAGL had to “live with the flood” and criticized a referee’s offside call in the 60th minute, which he claimed cost his team a chance to equalize. He accused the VFF refereeing committee of deliberately assigning referees Ngo Duy Lan and Nguyen Dinh Thai to officiate matches between HAGL and either Hanoi FC or Ho Chi Minh FC.
Thành’s criticism extended beyond refereeing issues to attack the VPF’s management of the league. “The VPF is supposed to work for the clubs, yet we are treated as victims,” he said. “They schedule matches every four days and have numerous issues with referees, while the VFF remains uninvolved.”
Thành specifically criticized the current VPF leadership, including President Tran Anh Tu and Vice President Nguyen Quoc Hoi, accusing them of lacking the capability to manage football effectively. He asserted that as long as these leaders remain, the situation will not improve, and Vietnamese football will continue to decline.
Vu Tien Thanh, born in 1964, took charge of HAGL from the ninth round of V.League 1-2023/2024, replacing coach Kiatisuk, who moved to Hanoi Police FC. Thành led HAGL to five wins, five draws, and three losses, helping the team climb from the bottom of the table. HAGL now sits with 25 points, 15 points above bottom-placed Khanh Hoa, and one point clear of Ha Tinh, who occupy the 13th position and face the relegation play-off.
In the 2023 season, Thanh, then the coach of Ho Chi Minh FC, was fined 10 million VND for statements made in a press conference following a 1-3 loss to Hanoi FC in the fifth round. He claimed that “every time we face Hanoi FC, we lose because of the referees,” alleging that the presence of Hanoi FC’s executives in the stands influenced the referees’ decisions.
Leave a Reply