V-League 2026-27 Violence: When Referees Miss Cards and VAR Goes Silent

At the 62nd minute of the match between Dong Nai and Hanoi Police FC, Nguyen Dinh Bac received the ball in the middle of the pitch. Huynh Tan Sinh charged from behind. The ball was already gone, but the striker's heel could not escape the tackle. Referee Le Vu Linh, standing close by, showed a yellow card instead of a red one. Earlier in the same match, Le Van Son had elbowed Dinh Bac in the face. Two violent fouls, two light punishments. After the game, the public did not talk about the score, but about discipline in V-League. The 2026-2027 V-League has only played three rounds, yet violence has appeared repeatedly. In round two, Doan Van Hau of Hanoi Police broke the leg of Doan Ngoc Tan, a midfielder of The Cong Viettel. In the same round, foreign striker Ezeqiuel Santos Da Silva of Nam Dinh stamped on the stomach of Vo Huu Viet Hoang of SHB Da Nang. Before those two incidents settled, Dong Nai – Hanoi Police on September 20 saw Dinh Bac become the target of unsporting fouls. Facing this situation, VFF, VPF and the league organizing committee met with the Referee Board. The request was simple: referees must apply the laws, not miss fouls, not miss cards. But 'apply the laws' was not followed in the match after the meeting. Huynh Tan Sinh twice deliberately kicked Dinh Bac from behind. Both were dangerous, with no intention of playing the ball. Under football rules, this is a direct red card. Referee Le Vu Linh stopped at a yellow card. Duong Vu Lam, former VFF vice-president and former head of the Referee Board, told Dan Tri: 'Referee Le Vu Linh missed the card. Huynh Tan Sinh's challenge was too obvious but he was not sent off. If Tan Sinh is banned for this foul, the referee should also be suspended.' What makes this case even more complicated is the responsibility of the VAR team. The VAR team included Vo Hoai Thuong and Nguyen Thanh Son. In a situation where the referee makes a clear error, VAR must intervene. If they advised Le Vu Linh to show a red card and he refused, VAR had done their job and the main referee takes responsibility. If they stayed silent, they are also at fault. Duong Vu Lam raised both possibilities. This shows that even a former head of the Referee Board could not confirm the VAR protocol in that match. Such a lack of transparency creates room for distrust. The issue goes beyond punishing an individual. Referee discipline is usually handled internally and not widely announced. Therefore the public can only guess who was suspended by checking the referee list in the next round. If a referee suddenly disappears from the list, the chance is high that he was punished. However, this silent approach makes people feel that the organizers are protecting referees. Players' bans are announced publicly, but referees are protected by secrecy. That inconsistency is a serious flaw. Looking at these cases one by one, they look like individual mistakes. But across three consecutive rounds, violence is clearly becoming a culture among certain players. They think that a malicious foul will only bring a yellow card, or even nothing. If referees lack courage, VAR lacks boldness and discipline lacks deterrence, all appeals for sportsmanship are just words. Victims such as Doan Ngoc Tan, Vo Huu Viet Hoang and Nguyen Dinh Bac may suffer longer consequences from their injuries, not just pain in one game. The responsibility of clubs cannot be ignored. Huynh Tan Sinh and Le Van Son are players of Dong Nai, a team fighting to survive relegation. Pressure over points pushes players to use dirty tricks. However, modern football does not accept that excuse. Clubs should educate their players and handle violations before the league gets involved. If not, they create a culture of anti-football. VFF could also sanction clubs with many repeated violations, such as a fair-play fine or point deduction. If we look at top European leagues, referees are protected but also severely punished when making major errors. A referee who makes a serious mistake can be demoted to a lower division the following week. VAR protocols are followed with proper records. In V-League, referee discipline is a mystery. This does not fit the transparency demanded by modern fans. VPF should publish referee bans, just like player bans, to restore trust. For Nguyen Dinh Bac specifically, being targeted by two opponents in the same match is a warning. The more dangerous a player is on the pitch, the more likely he becomes a victim of bad fouls. Without full protection from referees, Vietnam's star players risk their careers. The national team will also suffer. This story is no longer about a result; it is about the future of talented players. Vietnamese football is craving maturity. To achieve that, the league needs discipline, where talented players are protected and destructive fouls are eliminated. The referee is the first gatekeeper. If the gatekeeper closes his eyes, violence will find its way in. The question remains open after all the meetings and statements: in round four of the V-League, will referees dare to show the red card?