Two Japanese referees assigned to high-stakes matches at round 25 LP Bank V.League 1 – 2024/25

Hanoi, 13 June, 2025 – As the LPBank V.League 2024/25 season nears its dramatic conclusion, the penultimate round (Round 25) will feature two high-profile Japanese referees officiating matches that could significantly impact both the title race and the relegation battle. Both referees are familiar faces in Vietnamese football, having previously handled major regional fixtures.

Referee Nagamine Koki, born in 1991, will take charge of the highly anticipated Hanoi FC vs The Cong Viettel derby. With previous experience officiating in England, Koki is well-acquainted with Southeast Asian football. Notably, he refereed the group-stage clash between Svey Rieng and PSM Makassar in the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship, as well as Vietnam’s match against Myanmar at the AFF Cup 2024. He also officiated two matches in the Premier League 2 (England’s U21 competition) in 2022.

Meanwhile, Iida Jumpei, one of the most recognizable foreign referees to Vietnamese fans, will oversee the key match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Police FC. Jumpei, now 43, has a long history with Vietnamese football. He was the referee for the second leg of the AFF Cup 2022 final between Thailand and Vietnam, and also officiated the 2019 King’s Cup semifinal between these two regional rivals. His resume includes Vietnam’s famous 1-0 win over UAE during the second round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers. He has also worked in the V.League, notably managing the Thanh Hoa vs Hanoi clash in Round 21 of the 2017 season and Hanoi’s AFC Champions League 2017 match against Kitchee SC (Hong Kong).

However, VAR will not be applied in these two critical matches due to operational limitations. In the final two rounds of the V.League season, all matches are scheduled to kick off simultaneously, but VAR can only be deployed at 4 out of 7 fixtures per round.

For Round 25, the matches with VAR are:

• Ho Chi Minh City FC vs Quy Nhon Binh Dinh

• Hong Linh Ha Tinh vs SHB Da Nang

• Song Lam Nghe An vs Hoang Anh Gia Lai

• Quang Nam vs Thep Xanh Nam Dinh

The fixture between Hai Phong and Becamex Binh Duong, which holds no relevance to either relegation or the top-three race, will be officiated by Vietnamese referees and will not feature VAR.

With the stakes incredibly high in Round 25, the presence of experienced international referees is expected to ensure fairness and control in what promises to be a tense and decisive stage of the season.