Last Saturday, the Disciplinary Board of the Viet Nam Football Federation decided to impose a fine of 20 million VND on the Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) defender Tran Dinh Dong for his violent kick at An Giang’s defender Nguyen Anh Hung.  As a result, Anh Hung had his left leg broken and he has been ruled out for the rest of the 2014 V-League season.  Dinh Dong was also required to cover all Anh Hung’s treatment costs.

Previously, in the 5^th round of the season, Ninh Binh’s naturalised player Dinh Van Ta was given a red card in second-half stoppage time for delivering a karate kick to the chest of Dong Tam Long An’s Danny David which rendered him unconscious.

Dangerous play

In another incident, a horror collision between Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s Vu Anh Tuan and Quang Ninh’s Brazilian striker Alan Bruno occurred in a match on 21 February at the Cam Pha Stadium.  Bruno’s doctor reported that he had turned his ankle and that his fibula was broken.  This will rule him out for the rest of the season, and might even force his retirement from football altogether.

After only 2 weeks, football fans nationwide have seen horrific collisions, causing major consequences for players.  This is a disappointing record for this year’s V-League season.

However, violence between football players has been seen in Viet Nam for a number of years.  In particular, in a V-League match in 1998, SLNA’s midfielder Ngo Quang Truong got a red card for throwing a punch to the face of The Cong’s defender Hai Bien.  In the 2012 V-League season, SLNA’s midfielder Huy Hoang and Ha Noi T&T’s striker Samson were suspended as a punishment for their violent conduct.

According to football experts, the significant increase in the number of football-related violence incidents can be mainly attributed to the large bonuses for goals, the ineffective punishments given by referees and the VFF, and the poor acceptance of sporting spirit among young players.