Coach Le Quang Trai during HAGL's 1-3 loss to Hai Phong in round two of V-League 2026-2027, on the afternoon of 13/9 at Pleiku Stadium, Gia Lai. Photo: Duc Dong

At Pleiku Stadium on the afternoon of 13/9, HAGL took an early lead against Hai Phong in the 10th minute. However, the home side later conceded three goals and faced several unfavorable referee decisions.

Specifically, HAGL players fell inside Hai Phong's penalty area on multiple occasions without VAR intervention. In the 82nd minute, HAGL scored, but VAR disallowed the goal for offside. Two minutes later, in the 84th minute, head referee Vo Hoai Linh awarded HAGL a penalty. However, VAR again intervened, leading to the penalty being overturned, citing an offside offense by the HAGL player prior to the foul.

Expressing frustration after the 1-3 defeat, coach Le Quang Trai criticized the VAR team. "I have suspicions about VAR, not just in today's match, but also in previous games," Trai stated during the post-match press conference. "If there's nothing to hide, why aren't clear camera angles shown to everyone? Why was the penalty not given? There needs to be an explanation. They claimed offside, but why wasn't the replay shown? The fans and I want to see these incidents on television. I am very upset with VAR, and it's not just because we lost today; the same issues occurred in our previous match against Nam Dinh."

VAR intervenes to check for offside in HAGL's 1-3 loss to Hai Phong in round two of V-League 2026-2027, on the afternoon of 13/9 at Pleiku Stadium, Gia Lai. Photo: Duc Dong

Referee Le Vu Linh and assistant Phan Van Tuan were in charge of the VAR room for the match. Trai suggested that the television broadcast did not show all relevant angles. "Television broadcasts are limited in replaying sensitive angles," the HAGL coach remarked. "I don't know if the organizing committee restricts it or why they don't show everything. Previously, more accurate angles were broadcast, but now, I wonder if there's something being hidden by not showing those angles."

Beyond coach Quang Trai's comments, Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh and Chief Executive Officer Nguyen Tan Anh also expressed their frustration to match supervisor Hoang Ngoc Tuan and Vietnam Professional Football (VPF) officials after the game. HAGL plans to submit a formal complaint to the league's organizing committee tomorrow.

The defeat leaves HAGL at the bottom of the league table after two rounds, with zero points and a goal difference of negative 6.

Duc Dong