CHAMP HOA PHAT OUT OF VIETNAM CUP

Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) will join Nam Dinh in the semi-finals of the championship this year following their 3-0 thrashing of Hue.

Binh Dinh on the other hand eliminated Dong Thap 4-2 while Khanh Hoa completed the list of semi-finalists when they denied Dong Tam Long An with a solitary 1-0 win.

For the semi-finals clash, SLNA will take on Nam Dinh while Binh Dinh will entertain Khanh Hoa at home.

IN THE MEANTIME according to the Thanh Nien Daily, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) have advised referees to be at their level best so to make sure that they avoid controversies during matches.

Following an assessment of the first round of the V-League Nguyen Van Mui, the chairman of the VFF referee’s unit, said that for the most part fan rioting during matches, violence on the pitch and excessive arguing between coaches and officials had been caused by poor refereeing.

He said that towards ensuring that these problems are eradicated from the game in Vietnam, referees have been told to focus on five major aspects to bring their level of professionalism to a higher level.

The first is that referees should watch out for play acting and provocative behaviour from players and sternly punish it before it gets out of hand while secondly, referees should make sure that a proper defensive wall is maintained at the right distant during free kicks.

The third factor is that referees should not find it hard to consult with the linesmen in cases of off sides and fouls where it is felt that the 16 red cards and 323 yellow cards in the first 13 match days of the V-League were not enough.

Referees have also been advised to explain their decisions to violators to make sure that they understand why such and such an action were taken so as to relieve tension with players while finally, referees have been told to be at their best and avoid making threats against players and officials as had been the complain previously.