Vietnamese naturalized player suspended from playing

In the 3rd round of the V-League, Becamex TPHCM will not have naturalized player Trần Trung Hiếu available.

At the 40th minute in the match between Becamex TPHCM and CAHN at Gò Đậu stadium, naturalized midfielder Trần Trung Hiếu blatantly elbowed Lê Phạm Thành Long. The referee issued a yellow card to the home team player, which resulted in a red card because the player born in 1993 had already received one yellow card earlier.

Playing with one less player for more than 45 minutes, Becamex TPHCM was powerless against CAHN’s strong attack. In the second half, the police team scored two more goals through Quang Hải and Leo Artur, securing a final 3-0 victory.

Not only did Becamex TPHCM lose the match, but they also face the absence of Trung Hiếu in the next V-League round due to suspension. Trung Hiếu’s absence will surely cause coach Nguyễn Anh Đức to struggle with personnel decisions, especially as their next opponent is Thể Công Viettel, one of the title contenders this season.

Trung Hiếu’s original name is Geoffrey Kizito; he began playing in the V-League in 2012 at just 19 years old. In 2017, he successfully naturalized and took the Vietnamese name Trần Trung Hiếu. Throughout his career in Vietnam, Trung Hiếu has played for several clubs such as Sài Gòn, Quảng Ninh, and Nam Định.

Another player who will miss the 3rd round is Joseph Mpande (PVF-CAND) due to a red card received in the match against Hải Phòng. According to the organizers' statistics, the 2nd round saw 22 yellow cards and 2 red cards issued. The V-League is showing real intensity despite only two rounds completed.

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