Elite Vietnamese referee resuspended for league error

With three minutes left until the final whistle of the Saturday match, Saigon got a freekick outside the box. Nguyen Huu Son’s shot hit the body of Nguyen Trong Hung, then his arms. Referee Lan immediately gave Saigon a penalty.

The referee board of Vietnam Football Federation said that was not a correct decision, as the ball hit the body before hitting Hung’s arm while he was jumping up, so it was not on purpose and not a penalty for Saigon.

Fortunately, Matheus Vieira could not convert the penalty so it did not affect the score. Overall, Thanh Hoa came out on top with the 1-0 win. But Lan will not be allowed on duty in the next round of V. League.

This is the second time that Lan got suspended this season. Previously, in the game between Hanoi FC and Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), he saw Do Duy Manh stepping on the foot of Bruno Henrique inside the box but did not give HAGL a penalty, which affected the result of the game as Hanoi won 2-1.

Lan is the only FIFA referee in Vietnam to reach the Elite level, the highest in the hierarchy.