From the death of referee Tran Dinh Thinh: To prevent further losses

The Vietnamese football and refereeing world was shocked to hear that referee Tran Dinh Thinh passed away in the early morning of August 4 after fainting during a physical test to prepare for the 2025-2026 season in Hanoi.

Referee Tran Dinh Thinh when officiating at V-League 2024 - 2025 - Photo: NGOC LE

Despite being immediately given first aid by the medical team at the stadium and given intensive resuscitation measures before being transferred to the hospital, the 43-year-old referee did not survive.

Pain and suffering

Referee Tran Dinh Thinh was born in 1982 in Dong Nai , and started his refereeing journey in 2010. He was awarded the FIFA referee title for the 2019-2020 period and is often trusted by the referee board to referee many important matches of the V-League. The last two seasons have witnessed the great efforts of referee Tran Dinh Thinh when he won the "Bronze Whistle" for the 2023-2024 season and the "Silver Whistle" for the 2024-2025 season.

It's a pity that this referee, who was loved by many colleagues, did not have the opportunity to continue his passion. "On the last lap, Mr. Thinh's legs were still able to run the entire distance but he looked very tired. At that time, he ran with will and desire to do the job. Right after completing the test, Mr. Thinh was helped by his fellow referees. The medical team arranged by VFF quickly brought oxygen tanks to support Mr. Thinh, but he did not survive," a referee recounted.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), referees, and fans mourned the passing of the referee. Referee Tran Dinh Thinh's relatives were even more heartbroken. His wife immediately flew from Dong Nai to Hanoi to be with him in his final moments.

The procedure to transport referee Tran Dinh Thinh's body from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by plane was quite complicated. Everything had to be handled in a short time, so in the end he was taken to Dong Nai by ambulance and was expected to be in his hometown Dinh Quan at 5-6am this morning (August 5) to begin funeral procedures.

What to do to avoid tragedies?

This is not the first time Vietnamese football has witnessed a referee suddenly passing away after a physical examination. In April 2018, assistant referee Duong Ngoc Tan (Yen Bai) also passed away in the hospital, to the regret of his family and colleagues. He died at the age of 37, also fainting after a pre-season physical examination in Hanoi.

After the departure of assistant referee Duong Ngoc Tan, the physical fitness test for referees has been given more attention by VFF and VPF. Referees are informed of the training schedule 1 month in advance to have time to prepare their physical fitness. The test time is arranged in the early morning (5am) to avoid hot weather.

Medical work was deployed synchronously with 4 ambulances and 4 medical teams on duty at the inspection point. In addition, all referees participating in the inspection must complete a health check according to Circular 32 of the Ministry of Health.

But sadly, Vietnamese football still lost another referee. Referee Tran Dinh Thinh's health certificate submitted showed that his indicators were normal. However, he still fainted after the physical examination and did not survive. This shows that VFF and VPF need to conduct more thorough examinations to avoid unfortunate incidents in the future.

Because in reality, the health check-up papers do not always fully and accurately reflect the health condition of the examinee. Instead of letting the referees go to the hospital for a check-up, VFF and VPF should take the referees to a major hospital for a medical check-up before the training session.

More in-depth medical tests are needed for the referee team - Photo: XUAN THUY

Suggestions to listen to

A former referee and now referee supervisor shared: "Referee Tran Dinh Thinh suffers from insomnia. He sleeps very little, only 3-4 hours a night. I also told him to go see a doctor because it's not good to continue like this, because normal people need to sleep 6-8 hours. So I don't know if he had insomnia before the physical test?

Meanwhile, the re-examination started early in the morning. The hot weather was only a small part, because the early morning was not too hot. Maybe his body was not in good condition that day. If he did not sleep, he would not be healthy, affecting his cardiovascular system. In the last lap, because he tried to finish, Thinh had an accident and passed away."

This former referee suggested that it would be more reasonable to check physical fitness in the afternoon. "Firstly, it is the biological rhythm, right on time for the V-League or First Division matches. Secondly, if the referees have eaten, slept and rested enough at noon, then it will be good for them to be refreshed in the afternoon for the check-up. The check-up starts from 4:30 pm to 5 pm, and it is okay in the evening because the weather is getting cooler. If the check-up is early in the morning like now, the referees do not dare to eat, if they do not eat, they can easily get hypoglycemia. They also have to wake up early, and if they cannot sleep at night, they will be affected. Even though the check-up is early, the sun is starting to rise in the last few sessions," he said.

Regarding the health check to submit to VFF and VPF, he said that a more in-depth check is needed. He said: "We need to do an exercise electrocardiogram to hopefully find out the referee's cardiovascular health problems. But if the referee goes for a check-up himself, the cost is quite high."

More tools and attention are needed to protect the health and improve the professional qualifications of referees - Photo: MINH ANH

A cardiologist shared with Tuoi Tre after referee Tran Dinh Thinh's departure: "I think there should be more small, less challenging health tests and only after passing them can the referee enter the official physical test according to FIFA regulations. We need to reconsider the time of the physical test, maybe in the evening when the temperature is lower. We need to train the medical team on first aid, heat stroke treatment, and cardiopulmonary arrest."

ORIGINAL

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-vu-trong-tai-tran-dinh-thinh-qua-doi-de-khong-xay-ra-them-mat-mat-20250804224431077.htm