The online community is in an uproar over the referee's controversial loss to Ly Hoang Nam.

(Dan Tri) - Many fans in the Vietnamese pickleball community have spoken out after the controversial situation in the match between Ly Hoang Nam and Truong Vinh Hien at the PPA Tour Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 on the morning of October 3.

The men's singles semi-final match between Ly Hoang Nam and Truong Vinh Hien at the PPA Tour Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 tournament on the morning of October 3 witnessed a heated debate.

The climax was in the third set, when the score was 8-6 in Vinh Hien's favor. Hoang Nam hit a forehand volley and celebrated because he thought the ball was in the court. However, the referee caught the ball out, causing him to fall to the ground in disappointment. At this point, Hoang Nam could not contain his anger. He complained, causing the match to be paused for more than 1 minute. However, in the end, the referee still determined that the ball was out of the court.

It is worth mentioning that the slow motion shows that the ball is still in the field. This is a situation where Hoang Nam was wrongly penalized.

Hoang Nam's ball was still in the field but the referee determined that the ball went out (Screenshot).

The above situation has caused a stir in the Vietnamese pickleball community, with many different opinions. Among them, many have criticized the referee for this mistake that caused Hoang Nam to lose.

One person commented: "The referee stood in that corner and couldn't determine whether the ball was in or out of the field?"

Another person added: “I don’t understand why the referee made the wrong decision in that situation. The ball was still in the field.”

The third person wrote: “Both the referee and Vinh Hien agreed. The ball was in the field but they still argued.”

A fourth person commented: “Winning this way leaves no professional mark, only disappoints the viewers.”

The next person criticized: “Refereeing is always a sore point in pickleball matches.”

It is worth mentioning that the Organizing Committee of PPA Tour Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 did not apply VAR. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine right or wrong because many situations happened very quickly.

Another person had a different opinion: “It’s sports . Why are people so extreme? There are too many mistakes in the PPA system tournament. The referee was not only wrong in that situation, but many times when Hoang Nam hit the ball out of the field, the referee still counted it as inside the field. Don’t blame Vinh Hien.”

Another opinion emphasized: "Vinh Hien played very well today. That one situation does not take away his value."

“The situation happened so quickly. Everyone has their own perspective. I just ask why there is no VAR in the Asian tournament?”, one person emphasized.

The final match of PPA Tour Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 between Vinh Hien and Phuc Huynh takes place tomorrow (October 4).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/cong-dong-mang-day-song-vi-trong-tai-o-tran-thua-tranh-cai-cua-ly-hoang-nam-20251003220551767.htm