Be careful, he's the king of red cards…

The identity of the referee officiating the match involving the Vietnamese national team has been revealed.

The Vietnamese national team will play their opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at Binh Duong Stadium at 7:30 PM on March 25th, against Laos. The match will be officiated by referee Yahya Ali Almulla from the UAE.

Referee Yahya Ali Almulla has officiated a total of 149 matches at both club and national team levels, including UAE national leagues, the U.20 Asian Championship finals, World Cup qualifiers, the AFC Champions League, and the U.23 Asian Championship finals.

Referee Yahya Ali Almulla

In 149 matches officiated, Yahya Almulla issued 623 yellow cards, 18 indirect red cards, 20 direct red cards, and awarded 64 penalties. On average, the UAE referee issued 5 yellow cards per match. He is considered a very strict referee, not afraid to use cards to "cool down" heated tempers. This is a detail the Vietnamese team needs to pay attention to in the match against Laos.

Yahya Ali Almulla previously officiated two matches at the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam. These were the U23 Malaysia vs. U23 Laos match, where U23 Malaysia won 3-1, and the U23 Thailand vs. U23 Indonesia match, which ended 1-0 after extra time (the semi-final saw 11 yellow cards, 3 indirect red cards, and 1 direct red card).

Besides referee Yahya Al Mulla, the assistant referees (linesmen, fourth official) are all from the UAE.

The Vietnamese team is ready.

The Vietnamese national team will begin training in preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers starting tomorrow (March 11).

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will return to the South for their first official tournament after an 8-year wait. The last time the Southern stadiums (Thong Nhat Stadium or Binh Duong Stadium) lit up to welcome the Vietnamese national team in an official tournament was in 2017, when the team faced Jordan in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers (the match ended in a 0-0 draw).

Coach Kim Sang-sik continues to be accompanied by his compatriots Yoon Dong-hun and goalkeeping coach Lee Woon-jae. In addition, the VFF also signed a contract with another Korean assistant coach, Lee Jung-soo, replacing assistant coach Choi Won-kwon, who is no longer part of the national team's coaching staff due to a transfer.

On March 19th, the national team will play an international friendly match against Cambodia during FIFA Days. This match also serves as a warm-up for the opening match against Laos in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, which will take place on March 25th. Both matches will be held at Binh Duong Provincial Stadium.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/danh-tinh-trong-tai-bat-tran-viet-nam-gap-lao-phai-can-than-vua-the-do-day-1852503101549272.htm