Coach Velizar Popov of Thanh Hoa has expressed his desire to take legal action against the V-League organizers following his team’s 1-2 defeat to Binh Duong on September 14. The Bulgarian coach believes that the suspension of his player Gustavo, which stemmed from a red card received during the Super Cup against Nam Dinh on August 31, was unfair and should not have carried over into the V-League.
Popov argued that the Super Cup and the V-League are distinct competitions, and a card received in one should not affect a player’s availability in the other. “These are two completely different tournaments. Moreover, when Gustavo was sent off in the Super Cup, he had already been substituted. At that time, Thanh Hoa still had three foreign players on the field. I want the Thanh Hoa club management to consult FIFA or submit a document regarding this case. I am confident we would win the complaint,” Popov said.
The coach also referenced V-League regulations, which allow teams competing in regional and continental tournaments to register five foreign players and field three at a time. “If a foreign player receives a card, we should be allowed to replace him with another foreign player in that slot, but we weren’t permitted to do that,” he added.
In the match, Thanh Hoa took the lead in the first half through a goal by foreign striker Luiz Antonio. However, Binh Duong mounted a second-half comeback, with Nguyen Tien Linh scoring two headers to secure the win. Coach Popov admitted that personal errors from several players contributed to the loss and noted that the team was facing challenges with injured and suspended players, forcing him to rely on younger squad members.
“We have a squad with 10 young players, and that’s all we have. We tried our best,” Popov said, acknowledging that his team deserved to lose the match.
Popov, 48, joined Thanh Hoa in 2022 after previously coaching Myanmar’s U23 team. He led Thanh Hoa to win the National Cup in 2023 and 2024, as well as the Super Cup in 2024. Known for his fiery temperament, Popov often clashes with referees and has been fined multiple times by the V-League organizers.
This season, Thanh Hoa faces financial difficulties, with players even going on strike due to delayed payments of wages, bonuses, and signing fees. As a result, Popov has set modest expectations, stating that the team’s primary goal is to avoid relegation.
On the other hand, Binh Duong’s coach Hoang Anh Tuan was thrilled with his team’s come-from-behind victory in his return to V-League after a decade. “I’m very happy Binh Duong won,” Tuan said. “But this is just the beginning. It’s a small motivation for us, but we can’t draw any conclusions from one game. The team’s attitude has changed, and that’s one of the things I wanted to adjust.”
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