Vietnam kept players under watch at AFF Suzuki Cup

Sunday 23rd of November 2014

Amid rising fears over corruption in local football, Vietnam's police and the Vietnam Football Federation kept a close watch to prevent match-fixing and gambling at the ASEAN Football Federation’s Suzuki Cup match between Vietnam and Singapore (November 22).

The latest moves come against a backdrop of episodes including when a Vietnam footballer received a 30 month jail sentence for match-fixing and gambling, as Vietnam police have been expanding probes against other corrupt V-League footballers.

“We have agreed on a detailed plan to avoid these problems at the tournament,” said Major General Ho Si Tien, director of the Crime Branch Police under the Ministry of Public Security told local media.

Under the police plan officers were assigned to follow the national team during the tournament and “closely monitor any changes to avoid possible problems.”

Local police departments were also called on to assign units to prevent gambling. The local police were to strictly monitor public places where the matches were broadcast, especially cafés, to detect gambling.

Vietnamese authorities also coordinated with international agencies such as Interpol and police in related countries to assign teams to the event.

The head of Vietnam Football Team’s delegation, Mai Duc Chung, said he had supplied the players' personal phone numbers to the police. “This move is designed to protect the players," Mai said. "It will also help the police monitor the team better," he told Vietnam media.

Police were to keep players under strict supervision while plain clothes police would monitor contact between Vietnamese players and strangers.

A Vietnamese player, who asked not to be identified, said he was unconcerned by the measures. “The measures make us feel safe and allow us to focus more on the matches. The most frightening thing is the idea that we might play our best only to have the results spoiled by one person,” he said.

He said the recent criminal cases against players had proved a valuable lesson to other players.

The Asian Football Confederation recently announced the suspension of six Dong Nai FC players on the conference level, after sanctions issued by the Vietnamese Football Federation (VFF) Disciplinary Committee following a national investigation in July into match fixing.

In August, Tran Manh Dung, "a famed defender on its provincial football team", was sentenced to 30 months in jail for match fixing.