OFFICIAL: VFF issues ruling on referee who denied Xuân Son's penalty

Referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên B will not be assigned duties for round 19 following his mistake in the match between Nam Định and HAGL.

Referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên will not be assigned duties for round 19 of V.League 2025/26 after the VFF Referee Board reviewed footage and reassessed controversial incidents. The focus of the incident stems from the match between Nam Định and HAGL in round 18 on April 11 evening, where the "black-clad king's" decision was determined to be incorrect.

Specifically, the key incident occurred in the 75th minute when forward Nguyễn Xuân Son made a run to intercept a cross inside the opponent's penalty area. While attempting to finish, he fell down after being impacted from behind by HAGL defender Đinh Quang Kiệt, causing the Nam Định player to lose a clear opportunity.

Slow-motion replays showed Quang Kiệt making contact from behind, even using his hand to hold Xuân Son. This detail is crucial as it directly affected the home team forward's ability to contest the ball, raising suspicion of a clear foul inside the penalty area.

Despite having VAR support, referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên still decided not to award Nam Định a penalty. This decision immediately sparked major controversy, especially in the context of the score being 1-1 and the match being very balanced.

Just minutes after the controversial turning point, HAGL capitalized on the opportunity to score, raising the score to 2-1 in the 82nd minute. This goal helped the Mountain Town team complete a comeback right at Thiên Trường Stadium, but also cast doubt on the fairness of the match result.

According to post-match professional analysis, the aforementioned collision had sufficient grounds for awarding a penalty to Nam Định. Referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên's error is considered to have directly influenced the match's outcome, and he is likely to face disciplinary action. The incident once again raises concerns about the quality of refereeing in V.League recently.

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