A bitter lesson for Vietnamese football: To be professional, you must pay attention to even the smallest details.

The penalty imposed on CAHN Club serves as a valuable lesson for Vietnamese football, highlighting the importance of meticulousness and professionalism required to comply with the rules of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

A warning for Vietnamese football.

The 0-3 forfeit loss for Hanoi Police FC against Tampines Rovers in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 (held on February 11th at Hang Day Stadium) marks an unhappy start for Vietnamese football in Asian club competitions.

CAHN Club became one of the rare Vietnamese representatives to be handed a loss in an Asian Cup due to using a player in violation of regulations.

Specifically, both Rogerio Alves and Stefan Mauk are ineligible to play in the first leg against Tampines, having accumulated three yellow cards in the group stage. Their third yellow card was in the final group stage match, meaning both players will miss the next game, which is against Tampines.

Stefan Mauk (in red shirt) during the match against Tampines

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, the CAHN club's coaching staff was unaware of this information. Coach Alexandre Polking still fielded Mauk and Alves in the starting lineup against Tampines. Alves played 64 minutes and scored a goal to make it 3-0. Mauk played the full 90 minutes. Both contributed significantly to CAHN's emphatic 4-0 victory. This is the basis for the AFC considering it an aggravating circumstance. After receiving information about the potential penalty, Coach Polking frankly shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper : "It wasn't bad luck, but a problem arising from a lack of competence."

The "ability" that Mr. Polking referred to doesn't seem to be purely professional skill, but also encompasses adherence to tournament rules and regulations, closely following developments to make appropriate moves.

Typically, clubs have a team that keeps records, especially of yellow and red cards. They may use handwritten notes or rely on AFC announcements to list players at risk of suspension or currently serving a ban, so the head coach can make appropriate decisions regarding player selection.

Before the final group stage match against Tai Po, Mauk and Alves had both received two yellow cards. Ideally, their suspensions would have been cleared if they hadn't received any more. However, in a match where the result was irrelevant, CAHN FC fielded both Mauk and Alves. As a result, each player received a yellow card, creating an awkward situation.

Rogerio Alves received three yellow cards in the group stage.

PHOTO: MINH TU

If they had been warned adequately and at the right time, coach Polking Mauk and Alves would not have played in the match against Tai Po to avoid the risk of receiving another yellow card. Then perhaps, there would not have been the painful penalty of a forfeit loss on New Year's Day.

Play by the rules.

Before CAHN FC, there were teams that struggled to comply with AFC regulations, such as HAGL FC, which arrived 20 minutes late to a press conference in the AFC Champions League Elite 2022 because they had to use tape to cover up the sponsor's logo to meet the tournament's standards.

This is a small example, but it shows that when competing internationally, teams need to be professional and meticulous down to the last millimeter.

Any lack of professionalism or carelessness will result in penalties, burying the hard work of the entire team. In international competitions, there will be no exceptions or leniency.

Even strong teams like Sanfreece Hiroshima (Japan) made mistakes by using players against the rules (leading to a 0-3 forfeit loss against Lion City Sailors despite winning 6-1 in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-finals two seasons ago). This shows that every team can make mistakes due to a moment of carelessness.

As coach Polking told Thanh Nien newspaper , the only path CAHN club can take now is to "fight and defeat Tampines once again".

From being almost certain to reach the quarter-finals, Polking's team now faces an impossible task: beating Tampines by at least three goals away from home. CAHN Club has learned a valuable lesson. There is no other way now but to fight and hope.

CAHN FC was handed a 0-3 defeat in the first leg against Tampines Rovers and fined $2,000 for using two players illegally. In addition, their $80,000 bonus was reduced to $40,000. Therefore, the total loss for the V-League representative is $42,000, or over 1 billion VND.

In the return match, CAHN Club may field Stefan Mauk and Rogerio Alves, as both have served their suspensions.

CAHN Club will face Tampines at Jalan Besar Stadium at 7:15 PM tomorrow (February 18).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bai-hoc-dang-cho-bong-da-viet-nam-muon-chuyen-nghiep-phai-chin-chu-tu-chi-tiet-tuong-la-nho-nhat-185260217144311874.htm