The Philippine Football Federation's Facebook page was hacked.

The Philippine goalkeeper reacts to the Vietnamese player. Photo: Anh Tiến .

On the evening of December 17th, the SEA Games 33 women's football final took place between Vietnam and the Philippines. Ultimately, the opposing team won the gold medal after a penalty shootout victory with a score of 6:5, following a goalless 120-minute match. Notably, Vietnamese fans have reason to be upset because a legitimate goal was disallowed by a referee's error.

With this sentiment, many accounts expressed their opinions on social media. Under the celebratory post of the Philippine Football Federation, hundreds of comments appeared from Vietnamese users, in both English and Vietnamese. The content mainly revolved around the fact that the opponent's victory was undeserved, winning the gold medal thanks to the referee's assistance.

Angry and critical comments take center stage on the post, receiving many replies and interactions.

Hundreds of comments from Vietnamese users attacked the Philippines' celebration.

Cyberattacks are a common phenomenon among football fans. Studies show that this group of users has a high level of "toxicity" when using online platforms. Players and clubs are also frequent targets of attacks due to conflicts over results or performance.

In Southeast Asia, Filipino fans are less prone to animosity compared to those from countries that frequently compete for titles. However, within their shared communities, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Thai fans often engage in heated arguments.

These incidents sometimes lead to negative consequences. For example, Van Hau had to disable comments on his personal Instagram account for an extended period after being attacked by Indonesian fans. Similarly, the Changseuk fan page of the Thai national team had to block users with IP addresses from Vietnam.

Even as the match between Vietnam and the Philippines at the 33rd SEA Games was underway, the referee's identity became the most searched information among Vietnamese users. The keyword saw a dramatic increase in usage from around the 30th minute of the first half. Domestic viewers faced difficulties as data platforms did not update the names and nationalities of the referees in charge of the women's football final.

Specifically, according to direct information on Google Trends, keywords such as "referee," "referee for the Vietnam-Philippines match," etc., saw a sharp increase in search volume across the country. The chart shows a surge in searches from around 8 PM on December 17th, about 30 minutes into the match. The platform indicates a dramatic increase in search volume for this keyword group, significantly higher than related groups such as the final or women's football.

This situation perfectly matched the course of the match. In a game where the Vietnamese women's team proactively pushed forward, dominated possession, and constantly applied pressure, the turning point came in the 29th minute. From an attack organized down the wing, the ball was crossed into the Philippines' penalty area. Bich Thuy made a clever run, chose the perfect spot, and powerfully headed the ball into the net from close range, leaving the opposing goalkeeper helpless.

Source: https://znews.vn/facebook-lien-doan-bong-da-philippines-bi-tan-cong-post1612294.html