Wrong penalty call, a V-League referee suspended

On the morning of May 27, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) officially issued Document No. 1233/LĐBĐVN-ĐHTT to The Cong Viettel Club in response to the controversial incident in their match against PVF-CAND in Round 24 of the V.League 2025/26 season.

The VFF concluded that referee Tran Ngoc Nho's decision to award a penalty was incorrect.

Following a professional evaluation, the VFF determined that the penalty awarded to PVF-CAND by referee Tran Ngoc Nho was wrong and also issued specific disciplinary measures.

The VFF clarified the incident as follows: In the 20th minute, PVF-CAND's number 11 player dribbled into The Cong Viettel's penalty area near the end line by the assistant referee before passing back to his teammate number 79, who was inside the box.

After controlling the ball and preparing to shoot, PVF-CAND's number 79 player fell inside The Cong Viettel's penalty area.

In this situation, referee Tran Ngoc Nho judged that a The Cong Viettel defender committed a foul and awarded a penalty to PVF-CAND. However, after a professional review, the VFF concluded that this was an incorrect decision by the referee.

The Vietnam Football Federation stated that it would temporarily suspend assigning duties to referee Tran Ngoc Nho in accordance with regulations and guidelines from international football organizations, as well as current VFF rules.

The VFF also emphasized that it will continue to closely monitor refereeing to ensure the integrity, objectivity, and professional quality of the tournament.

On the evening of May 21, immediately after the match against PVF-CAND in Round 24 of the LPBank V.League 2025/26, The Cong Viettel Club submitted a complaint to the VFF and the tournament organizers.

The team coached by Velizar Popov requested the organizers to review the penalty decision by referee Tran Ngoc Nho, as well as the incident leading to Kyle Colonna's yellow card.

The draw against The Cong Viettel helped PVF-CAND move up to 13th place with 18 points, one point ahead of SHB Da Nang. The relegation battle in the LPBank V.League is very intense, with PVF-CAND and SHB Da Nang facing the greatest risk of relegation.