V-League Violence: 'Enforcing the Law' Must Start with the Whistle

I remember the colour of the grass that day, before I remember the scoreline. On the Dong Nai pitch, the ball had already gone out of play, striker Nguyen Dinh Bac stood with his back turned, and defender Le Van Son still swung his right arm into the face of the away player. Less than ten minutes later, centre-back Huynh Tan Sinh twice left the ball and kicked straight at Bac from behind. Referee Le Vu Linh only showed a yellow card. At first, I thought it was a decision made in a pressure-filled evening, but after reviewing the footage, I understood it was a lack of decisiveness. The match was in round 3 of V-League 2026-2027. Pitch violence had already shown signs of returning in round 2, when CAHN centre-back Doan Van Hau broke the leg of The Cong Viettel midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan, while Nam Dinh foreign player Ezeqiuel Santos Da Silva stamped on the stomach of SHB Da Nang player Vo Huu Viet Hoang. Those two dangerous actions had not been thoroughly resolved before Dong Nai produced two ugly situations. V-League organising committee, VPF and VFF had to meet directly with the VFF Referee Board to demand discipline. The key demand was that referees must enforce the law. That simple phrase has a very specific meaning: no missed fouls, no missed cards. The Dong Nai match against CAHN showed the opposite. Huynh Tan Sinh left the ball and kicked an opponent twice but received only one yellow card. Looking closely at the footage, his second kick had enough force and contact to cause a serious injury to Nguyen Dinh Bac. Speaking to Dân trí after the match, former VFF professional vice-president and former head of the VFF Referee Board Duong Vu Lam said: “Referee Le Vu Linh missed a card related to this situation. Huynh Tan Sinh left the ball and kicked an opponent too obviously, but no red card was shown.” He also pointed out the solution: “If Tan Sinh is banned after the fact for this foul, then referee Le Vu Linh must also be suspended.” In Mr Lam’s view, the issue is no longer a single yellow or red card, but the responsibility of the whole operational chain. Notably, Duong Vu Lam mentioned the VAR team including assistants Vo Hoai Thuong and Nguyen Thanh Son. If the VAR team advised the main referee but the main referee overruled them, the VAR team completed its mission. Conversely, if the VAR team did not advise the main referee to use a red card, the VAR referees must also be punished. This way of framing the problem shows the need to review coordination between the main referee and the VAR room, instead of blaming only one player. What concerns me most is the customary handling of referees. According to Duong Vu Lam, specific disciplinary sanctions for referees are often not publicly announced. But followers only need to check the referee list in the next rounds. If they are not assigned in the rounds immediately after, the likelihood is that they are being disciplined. The public does not need an official verdict; just looking at the next round referee list is enough. Amid the anger, one detail deserves attention. Referee Le Vu Linh is no stranger to tense matches. In recent seasons, he has officiated many decisive games. But in the Dong Nai – CAHN match, he stood close to the violation yet did not produce a red card. If an experienced referee handles it this way, what will younger referees learn? The referee board must answer that question itself, rather than simply explaining to the media. From my perspective, punishing only the player after the fact is not enough. Pitch violence does not come from a stiff leg on the field, but from the sense of permission created by the referees. A kick straight at an opponent's leg only exists when a referee turns it into a normal foul. A yellow card for violent conduct is the wrong signal. It tells players that violence is an acceptable cost in the physical battle. Based on my experience following V-League matches over many seasons, I have realised that the VAR room and the corridor outside the dressing room are where the true nature of a match is decided. To write a real story, I must stand where no one else stands. In football, that place is the VAR room and the conversations behind the referees' door. I have witnessed many generations of Vietnamese players compete fiercely while still respecting the line between aggression and violence. The image of a defender swinging an elbow after the ball has gone out of play damages a match and sets a bad precedent for young players watching on screens. What will children who learn football from V-League learn when they see a destructive action punished only by a yellow card? They will learn that rules can be negotiated. They will learn that if they are fast enough and painful enough, they can escape punishment. Looking at the four incidents since the start of the season, I understand this story is not limited to players. It is the story of people tasked with protecting the law but afraid of displeasing others. Former referee chief Duong Vu Lam put it bluntly: if a player is banned, a referee must also be suspended. That is the principle of fixing the root cause. A scoop is only the visible part; the invisible part is the midnight phone calls. In V-League, a disciplinary conclusion is only the visible part; the invisible part is the next round referee list. Who is removed from the schedule, who still holds the whistle, who sits in the VAR room? The answers do not require an official announcement, but everyone inside the game can read them. The rhythm of a season is not found in goals, but in every repeated Saturday. If every Saturday includes another off-the-ball kick, V-League will lose itself. The demand to enforce the law becomes a test for the Referee Board. Just compare the referee list in round 4, and the answer will be clear. Then the story of violence will be answered through the actions of those holding the whistle. Fans only need to wait.