FIFA referee from Thailand arrives in Vietnam to officiate the highly anticipated capital city 'derby' match

The capital derby clash between Thể Công Viettel and Hà Nội FC in the 14th round will be managed by Thai FIFA referees.

Round 14 of the V-League is regarded as the “derby highlight” with several regional matchups, most notably the face-off between the two capital football representatives: Hà Nội FC and Thể Công Viettel.

To ensure fairness and improve the quality of match officiating, the organizers have invited two Thai referees, Songkran Bunmeekiart and Mongkolchai Pechsri, to serve. According to assignments, one will act as the main referee on the field, while the other will handle VAR duties.

Referee Songkran Bunmeekiart is well-known in Vietnamese football. This "man in black" previously officiated the match between SHB Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam FC in round 23 of the 2024–2025 V-League season. Earlier, he also served in the 2022 season during the TP.HCM FC vs SHB Đà Nẵng game, as well as the capital derby between Công an Hà Nội FC and Hà Nội in 2023.

Meanwhile, Mongkolchai Pechsri is a familiar name across multiple V-League seasons. In the 2024–2025 season, he was the VAR referee for the Đông Á Thanh Hóa vs Thể Công Viettel match in round 19. He also officiated the TP.HCM vs SHB Đà Nẵng game in round 10 of the 2023 V-League, along with many other matches in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The invitation of foreign referees is expected to ensure transparency in the capital derby, reduce controversies, and enhance the appeal of what is considered the hottest round in the second half of the season.

Currently on the leaderboard, Thể Công Viettel is temporarily positioned third with 25 points. Hà Nội FC closely follows in fourth place with 21 points. The match between the two teams will take place at 19:15 on March 1st at Hàng Đẫy Stadium.