HANOI (3 March 2014) – A whopping 28 match ban has been imposed on Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) defender Tran Dinh Dong following his challenge which resulted in a broken leg to Hung Vuong An Giang midfielder Nguyen Anh Hung last week.
On top of the 28 match suspension which will see Dinh Dong returning only in 2015, he was also given a fine of VND20 million (USD 950) by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
“The punishment is meant to be a warning to players throughout the nation, where violent behaviour on the field has gradually become more popular,” stated the VFF in a statement.
Countered SLNA coach Nguyen Huu Thang: “I do not take sides with my player. I, myself, will fine him if he does wrong. We will appeal because his absence would strongly affect our name and V-League results.”
In the meantime, the Vietnam national team drew 0-0 with a Republic of Korean (RoK) students team in a friendly match in Hanoi.
Vietnam are using the game to fine tune their squad for their last 2015 Asian Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong in Hanoi in two days.
