HÀ NỘI — Referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên will be not on duty during the sixth round of the national V.League tournament following his mistake on Sunday.

Kiên awarded a controversial goal to Quảng Nam in a match against Sông Lam Nghệ An, which according to the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) strongly affected the final result of the match.

It was in the 72nd minute that defender Thiago of Quảng Nam jumped to manage a ball, but in doing so pushed goalkeeper Trần Nguyên Mạnh to the ground. His action prevented Mạnh from defending the net.

All the Sông Lam Nghệ An defenders stopped playing as they thought it was a mistake and waited for a whistle from referee Kiên, who, however, let the match go on. Dos Reis Claudecir of Quảng Nam took advantage of the moment and netted the ball, making the score 3-2 for his team. Quảng Nam then went on to score another goal to win 4-2.

Sông Lam Nghệ An decided to officially complain to the VFF, with club president Nguyễn Hồng Thanh saying: “Thiago wrestled Mạnh down. It was in front of referee Kiên’s eyes, but he allowed the goal to stand. His decision affected the result of the match.”

Thanh said referee Kiên called him and coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng to apologise to the players for his mistake.

VFF is waiting for the official video of the game and will make a final decision on the fine later, but Kiên will not be allowed to referee this weekend.

Quảng Namm, which are currently in second place, will face Khánh Hòa on Saturday, while Sông Lam Nghệ An, in ninth place, will compete against Quảng Ninh Coal. — VNS