Hà Nội FC have questioned the officiating in their 1-0 defeat at Đà Nẵng in round 5 of the V.League 2026/27 on 25 October, objecting both to the way time-wasting was counted down and to the red card shown to head coach Harry Kewell after the final whistle. The match, refereed by Nguyễn Văn Phúc, also produced several rough incidents on both sides, including one involving a Hà Nội FC striker that went unpunished, according to Dân trí.
Assistant coach Trần Trọng Bình said the club were unhappy with how some situations were handled, especially the counting of seconds when Đà Nẵng players or their goalkeeper stayed down in what looked like time-wasting. He said the club wanted to know the exact procedure and whether the count had been applied consistently and fairly to both teams. His comments were reported by Thể thao & Văn hóa and cited by Bongda24h.
From the 2026/27 season the V.League has brought in new rules to curb time-wasting and increase playing time. Among them, a goalkeeper may control the ball for no more than eight seconds while it is in play; if he goes over the limit, the opponents are awarded a corner.
The club also disputed Kewell's dismissal. According to Bình, Kewell went over to the officials to discuss some decisions and was then shown a red card, and Kewell told him afterwards that he had not used any excessive words or behaviour.
The flashpoints
| Time | Incident | Decision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18th minute | Hà Nội FC centre-back Nguyễn Anh Tiệp fouls Võ Nguyên Hoàng | Straight red card | Bongda24h, Dân trí |
| 50th minute | Hà Nội FC's Văn Tùng strikes Võ Hữu Việt Hoàng in the face before a corner | No action; VAR did not flag it | Dân trí |
| Second half | Đà Nẵng's Võ Huy Toàn lunges at Phạm Xuân Mạnh from behind | Straight red downgraded to yellow after VAR review | Bongda24h, Dân trí |
| After the match | Hà Nội FC coach Harry Kewell speaks to the officials | Red card | Bongda24h |
Dân trí counted one red card and five yellows, but argued that if referee Phúc, VAR official Trương Hồng Vũ and assistant VAR Lê Trần Nghĩa had followed the play closely, there could have been more red cards. The paper singled out the 50th-minute incident, which the referee did not see and the VAR team did not report to him. It also called Huy Toàn's challenge dangerous, saying national team player Xuân Mạnh would probably have been badly injured had it connected.
In another incident, Phúc went to VAR to check a possible foul on Nguyễn Văn Tùng in the penalty area but did not give Hà Nội FC a spot kick. Ivan Saponjic scored the only goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, ending Đà Nẵng's run of two straight defeats.
Where it leaves the two teams
The result leaves both clubs on six points with a goal difference of -4, with Đà Nẵng ahead on tie-breakers. KBVN+ data shows how differently their last three rounds have gone:
| Team | Pos | Pts | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Đà Nẵng | 9 | 6 | Lost 0-3 to HAGL | Lost 1-5 to Hải Phòng | Beat Hà Nội FC 1-0 |
| Hà Nội FC | 10 | 6 | Beat Bắc Ninh 1-0 | Beat Công an Hà Nội 2-1 | Lost 0-1 to Đà Nẵng |
After five rounds, Hà Nội FC are five points behind leaders Sông Lam Nghệ An.
What's next
Hà Nội FC host Ninh Bình at Hàng Đẫy at 19:15 on 30 October in round 6. Ninh Bình are fourth on 10 points after a 0-1 home defeat by Công an TP.HCM. Đà Nẵng travel to Công an TP.HCM for an 18:00 kick-off on 1 November.
See the full V.League fixtures and the V.League table. Our match report is here: Đà Nẵng 1-0 Hà Nội FC.