Former player Le Sy Manh assaulted the referee. — Photo: Cut from video

HCM CITY — Former Vietnamese national football player Lê Sỹ Mạnh, 41, has been arrested by Tân Bình District Police on charges of disturbing public order following an incident at an amateur football match.

The incident happened during a match in a Thanh Hoá amateur tournament taking place in HCM City.

After Lê Sỹ Mạnh collided with an opposing player inside the penalty area, referee Phạm Văn Nguyên gave Sỹ Mạnh a yellow card when he determined that he had elbowed the opposing player. Before the collision, the referee had reminded the player to let go of his hands when fighting.

After being booked, Mạnh walked away and swung his arm at the referee's face, resulting in a second yellow card. After this yellow card, Mạnh immediately rushed forward, kicked the referee in the hip and punched him in the face.

Authorities stated that the arrest reflects the HCM City Police Department's commitment to strictly handle acts that disregard the law, including small conflicts during sports competitions, festivals and traffic.

Mạnh, born in 1984, played seven matches for the national team under coach Henrique Calisto from 2009 to 2010. During his career, he played for several clubs, including Hà Nội FC, Ninh Bình FC, Thanh Hóa FC, Quảng Nam FC, Sài Gòn Xuân Thanh and Hải Phòng FC.

After retiring, he briefly worked as an assistant coach for Hải Phòng but was dismissed in 2017 after a physical altercation with goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm, 31. At the time, Mạnh alleged that Lam was repeatedly disrespectful to senior players. — OVN