Player Huỳnh Văn Tiến of Đồng Tháp. — Photo zing.vn

HÀ NỘI — FIFA has banned 11 Vietnamese footballers for betting offences relating to the 2019 National U21 Football Championship’s qualifying round when they played for Đồng Tháp.

Huỳnh Văn Tiến was banned from participating in football activities worldwide from May 11, 2020 to May 11, 2025. Previously, Tiến was banned from participating in football activities managed by the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) for five years and fined VNĐ5 million (US$217).

The remaining 10 players have been banned from football activities organised by FIFA for six months globally, from May 11, 2020, to November 10, 2020. Previously, the 10 players were banned for six months by the VFF’s Discipline Committee and fined VNĐ2.5 million ($108) per person.

“We have received a FIFA notification. FIFA's decision is to increase the scope of discipline to the world after the VFF Discipline Committee only banned those players to compete in tournaments organised by the VFF,” said general secretary of the VFF, Lê Hoài Anh.

Tiến received the heaviest penalty for being the leader and enticing the other players. The remaining 10 players include Nguyễn Nhật Trường, Nguyễn Anh Phát, Võ Minh Trọng, Lê Nhựt Huy, Giang Sô Ny, Trần Hữu Nghĩa, Cao Tấn Hoài, Dương Vũ Linh, Kha Tấn Tài and Trần Công Minh.

Earlier, the violation was committed during Đồng Tháp’s match against Vĩnh Long on June 19, 2019, in the Group C qualification for the national U21 tournament.

The violation involved nine out of 11 first-team players and two reserve-team ones, who bet VNĐ150 million (US$6,448) that the game would end with two goals or less.

As the game ended in a 1-1 draw, the Đồng Tháp players won back their bet money and an extra VNĐ133 million ($5,718), which they split among themselves. — VNS