Thanh Hóa claims unfair defeat due to VAR, what is the actual situation?

The VAR decision denying Thanh Hóa a penalty in the 19th minute sparked major controversy in their 0-1 loss to Hà Tĩnh in Round 15 of V.League 2025/26.

The match between Thanh Hóa and Hong Linh Hà Tĩnh in Round 15 of V.League 2025/26 ended with a 1-0 victory for the away team. However, the focal point of the match came from a VAR incident that generated much debate, as Thanh Hóa was denied a penalty in the 19th minute.

The notable incident occurred when striker Rimario fell inside the penalty area following contact from behind by Tấn Tài. Initially, the main referee Hoàng Thanh Bình allowed play to continue. Subsequently, upon receiving a signal from the VAR room, he paused the match to personally review the footage to accurately assess the situation.

The review process lasted nearly 10 minutes before the referee team made the final decision. Accordingly, Rimario was determined to have been in an offside position before the collision occurred, so Thanh Hóa was not awarded the penalty. This decision prompted immediate reactions from the home team's players and coaching staff on the field.

After the match, Coach Mai Xuân Hợp stated that this incident significantly impacted the course of the game. He shared: "I don't understand why, not only in this match but in many previous ones, decisions seem to always disadvantage Thanh Hóa. In the penalty situation, when VAR checked, everything was very clear. Helerson was the last man standing, so how could there be offside?"

On the other side, Hà Tĩnh's coach Nguyễn Công Mạnh assessed that the referee team handled the procedure correctly. He said: "The referee clearly stated that Rimario received the ball in an offside position before the contact happened, so they had to address this offense first. From my perspective, that decision was reasonable."

Following the above incident, the match proceeded quite evenly as both teams struggled to create a decisive difference. Only in the 90+3rd minute did Helerson leap high to head in from a cross from a free kick on the flank, scoring the sole goal that secured Hà Tĩnh the full three points. Although the result was settled, the VAR incident in the first half remained a detail heavily discussed by fans after the match.