Vietnam football hot news today March 7: Australian referee officiates Vietnam women's team match; Thanh Hoa coach says referee lacks fairness

Vietnam football hot news today March 7: Australian referee officiates Vietnam women's team match; Thanh Hoa coach says referee lacks fairness.

Australian referee officiates Vietnam women's team match

Referee Lara Christie Lee (Australia) has been assigned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to officiate the main match between the Vietnam women's national football team and Chinese Taipei at 12:00 today.

Referee Lara Christie Lee was born in 1987, starting her whistle career in domestic football competitions, including the Australian women's national league. In 2019, she became a FIFA referee and began officiating international matches under the AFC and FIFA systems.

Supporting referee Lara Christie Lee are two assistant referees from Australia, Emma Kocbek and Madelaine Ruth Allum. Both are FIFA international assistant referees.

The fourth referee is Casey Reibelt, also from the host country of the 2026 Asian Cup. The VAR referee also holds Australian nationality, that is Katherine Margaret Jacewicz.

Thanh Hoa coach says referee lacks fairness

Coach Mai Xuân Hợp evaluated the officiating team as unfair, with many controversial decisions that ruined the game in the 0-1 defeat of Thanh Hoa against Ha Tinh on March 6 afternoon.

“There were many situations where Thanh Hoa players were penalized even for slight touches. Meanwhile, when Ha Tinh players collided with us, there was no reaction from the referee. That caused the match to be choppy and the rhythm disrupted.

I don't understand why not only this match, but many previous matches the decisions seem always unfavorable to Thanh Hoa. In the penalty situation, when checking VAR they saw it very clearly. Helerson was the last person standing, so how could there be offside .

After reviewing VAR, I also could not accept the referee's explanation. Honestly, I don't understand what they were doing on the field. With officiating like this, it is difficult for Vietnamese football to elevate its level”, Coach Mai Xuân Hợp said at the post-match press conference.

Coach Park Hang Seo attends the opening ceremony of the Student Football Championship

Coach Park Hang Seo has arrived in Nha Trang and this afternoon March 7 will interact with students of Nha Trang University, and also attend the opening ceremony and encourage teams participating in the Finals of the THACO Cup 2026 Student Football Championship.

Coach Park Hang Seo will watch the opening matches of the tournament with two fixtures:Ton Duc Thang University (hosted three Finals previously) – Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry.Nha Trang University – FPT Polytechnic College

At the THACO Cup 2026 Student Football Championship Finals, 12 football teams including: Nha Trang University, Thuy Loi University, Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports, Ton Duc Thang University, Dong Nai University of Technology, Quy Nhon University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, FPT Polytechnic College, and Dong Thap University will create an exciting championship race.

Foreign referee officiates the Capital derby

Two FIFA referees from Malaysia will perform duties at the Capital derby between Hanoi FC and Cong An Hanoi in Round 15 of V.League 2025/26. This is the only match of the round officiated by a foreign referee.

The main referee is Muhammad Nazmi Bin Nasaruddin, one of the topblack shirt kings” in Malaysia today. Supporting him in the VAR room is a fellow countryman referee Muhammah Izzul Fikri Bin Kamaruzaman.

This is the second time this season Mr. Bin Kamaruzaman has been invited to perform duties in V.League. Previously, this referee officiated the match CAHN vs Ninh Binh FC in Round 12.

After 14 rounds in V.League 2025/26, Hanoi FC temporarily stands 4th with 21 points, while Cong An Hanoi solidly holds the top spot on the table, despite playing one match less than The Cong Viettel.