Ninh Bình's coach slammed the table to criticize the Malaysian referee after losing to CAHN.

After a 2-3 defeat to CAHN at Hàng Đẫy Stadium, coach Gerard Albadalejo angrily slammed the table, accusing the Malaysian referee of bias and claiming that Ninh Bình was unfairly treated in this crucial match.

Following the 2-3 loss against Công An Hà Nội in round 12 of the 2025/26 V-League,Ninh Bình’s head coach Gerard Albadalejo could not hide his frustration and made harsh remarks directly targeting the refereeing, blaming it as the main reason for his team’s ended unbeaten streak.

At the post-match press conference at Hàng Đẫy Stadium on the evening of February 1st, the Spanish coach even slammed his hand on the table when mentioning the main referee Razlan Joffri Bin Ali (Malaysia). He believed the presence of this "man in black" foreshadowed an unfair scenario for Ninh Bình. “When I learned that the Malaysian referee was assigned to officiate, I already knew something bad would happen,”Albadalejo started tensely.

According to Ninh Bình’s strategist, the referee team’s decisions completely destroyed the game plan and the hard work the team had invested. “This is just an excuse for an unfair match. The referee ruined the game, destroying the efforts and investments of so many people,”he emphasized.

Not stopping there, coach Albadalejo continued with harsh words to criticize the match management. “It’s a disgrace. A Vietnamese referee deserved to officiate this match more. He should only work in Malaysia, not in a top V-League game,”he stated.

The Spanish coach was particularly unhappy with decisions related to the penalty that allowed CAHN to take the lead and the red card shown to Dụng Quang Nho. He felt the referee’s handling was inconsistent. “In similar situations, our players were booked, but CAHN’s players were not. That is unacceptable,”Albadalejo expressed his frustration.

Additionally, he claimed the home team showed signs of time-wasting in the final minutes but were not penalized.“CAHN players stayed on the ground for a long time at the end, but the referee took no action. We were continuously disadvantaged,”he added.

Concluding the press conference, Gerard Albadalejo affirmed that Ninh Bình’s loss was not due to lack of skill. “We lost, but not because we played poorly. We lost because of things beyond football,”he concluded.