10 Vietnamese referees fail in the physical fitness test

118 referees and assistants, part of a training program for organizing national professional football competitions in 2020, took part in the physical test at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi.

This is a mandatory test for arbitration and assistant referees registered to participate in the 2020 season. The test content follows FIFA standards. Specifically, the referees participated in 2 tests: Test 1: Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA), measures the referee’s ability to perform repeated sprints over 40m. Test 2, Interval Test, evaluates the referee’s capacity to perform a series of high-speed runs over 75m interspersed with 25m walking intervals. Assistant referees will take 1 more test Coda.

In the unfavorable weather conditions with prolonged drizzle and high humidity, the majority of the referees and assistant judges completed successfully thank to their good preparation. However, there are still a total of 10 people, including 6 referees (Nguyen Trong Thu, Nguyen Trung Kien, Hoang Pham Cong Khanh, Nguyen Phuong Nam, Ta Cong Chau Hoa, Le Luu Quang) and 4 assistant referees (Le Xuan Vu, Nguyen Trung Nam, Nguyen Thanh Trung and Ha Thi Phuong) failed to pass the test.

Mr. Duong Van Hien, Head of the VFF Arbitration Board said: "The weather in Hanoi is too bad. Moreover, some of referees are not well prepared. Another objective reason is that the Corona disease may be impact on the psychology of some referees and assistants.”

Among the unsatisfactory referees, the most unfortunate case of Ha Thi Phuong has missed the opportunity to become the first female assistant referee in the history of participating in operating at professional tournaments.

Ha Thi Phuong and Truong Thi Le Trinh are two FIFA assistant referees of Vietnam, who were promoted to duty in the First Division in 2020. However, Truong Thi Le Trinh could not attend the training for persional reason, while Ha Thi Phuong failed in the physical fitness test.