The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially admitted to a significant technical error by the match referee and linesman during the women’s football final at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Thailand. This crucial officiating mistake denied the Vietnamese women’s team a leading goal, a decision that ultimately contributed to their loss of the gold medal to the Philippines.
According to reports from the Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress, representatives from the AFC convened a meeting with Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), in Thailand on December 18. The purpose of this high-level discussion was to address the controversial incidents that occurred during the women’s football final between Vietnam and the Philippines. The AFC explicitly stated that the decision to disallow Vietnam’s potential leading goal was indeed a direct error on the part of the match officials.
Specifically, the AFC acknowledged that the header scored in the 29th minute by Vietnamese player Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy was a legitimate goal. Despite the linesman raising their flag for an offside position, replays and subsequent review confirmed the goal should have stood. However, despite this admission of error, the outcome of the match, which saw the Philippines secure the victory and the gold medal, remains unchanged. In response to the incident, the AFC has pledged to thoroughly review the circumstances and implement measures to prevent similar technical officiating errors from occurring in future competitions.
As of now, no disciplinary action has been taken against the Laotian referee, Chanthavong Phutsavan, who was at the center of the controversy. The AFC is currently awaiting the official evaluation report from the referee observer, Ms. Yongmei Cui, in accordance with established procedural guidelines before considering any further steps.
It is important to note that the women’s football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand did not utilize the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Consequently, match outcomes were almost entirely determined by the on-field decisions of the referees, without the benefit of a clear and definitive technological review system to ensure accuracy.
The highly contentious decision sparked widespread outrage among Vietnamese football fans and the broader public. Criticism was intensely directed at the Laotian referee, Chanthavong, with some individuals resorting to mocking imagery and strong condemnations across social media platforms.
The severity of the backlash even led to personal repercussions for the female linesman involved in the contentious call. Faced with overwhelming public criticism, she reportedly changed her name on her Facebook account and restricted access to her profile to avoid further scrutiny and harassment.
Meanwhile, fans from the Philippines celebrated their nation’s historic achievement – securing their first-ever gold medal in women’s football. Despite their jubilation, many Filipino supporters also openly acknowledged that the controversial refereeing error played a role in their team’s victory, underscoring the divided sentiment surrounding the final result.
