The Disciplinary Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) sanctioned coach Albadalejo for "actions and statements seriously affecting the image and reputation of the organizers of national professional football tournaments and Vietnamese football."

The Spanish coach will be unavailable for Ninh Binh's match against HAGL in matchday 13 of the V-League on 7/2. The schedule for the second match of his ban will be announced by the organizers after Tet Binh Ngo (Lunar New Year).

Ninh Binh Club coach Albadalejo (right) confronts referee Razlan Joffri after the 2-3 loss to Cong an Ha Noi in matchday 12 of V-League 2025-2026, at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on 1/2/2026. *Photo: Hoang Huynh*

Immediately after the match at Hang Day Stadium last night, coach Albadalejo reacted strongly to Malaysian referee Razlan Joffri. At the final whistle, he aggressively rushed onto the pitch to confront the referee. Ninh Binh Club's goalkeeper coach Dinh Xuan Viet had to restrain Albadalejo and escort him to the technical area.

The coach, born in 1983, also threw his coach's card onto the field during the match and onto the table during the post-match press conference. Additionally, he issued harsh criticisms, claiming referee Razlan ruined the game.

"The refereeing was shameful," coach Albadalejo said. "This referee should only officiate in his home country of Malaysia, and should not come to Vietnam again."

Ninh Binh Club coach Albadalejo expresses anger in the Hang Day Stadium press conference room. *Video: Hieu Luong*

This match was considered the "first leg final" of V-League 2025-2026. Before the game, Ninh Binh led the V-League with 27 points, one point ahead of Cong an Ha Noi (CAHN) and having played one more match. Given the importance of the fixture, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), also the V-League organizers, announced this was the first match of the season to use foreign referees. Consequently, two Malaysian referees, Razlan Joffri and Izzul Fikri, were invited to officiate.

"The turning point was the referee's management of the match. I cannot imagine why we were treated so unfairly," coach Albadalejo stated. "A high-quality match was ruined. The referee spoiled the efforts of the players and coaches for what should have been an exciting game."

The Ninh Binh Club head coach then suggested that the V-League should prioritize using domestic referees, as they are "competent enough and deserve to officiate top matches."

In this match, Ninh Binh opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. However, Dung Quang Nho's red card in the 41st minute and Alan Sebastiao's hat-trick shifted the momentum. In the second half, Tran Thanh Chung scored another goal for Ninh Binh, but it could not prevent the 2-3 loss, which was also the team's first defeat in the V-League this season.

Ninh Binh lost their top spot after the match. The team now has 27 points, two points behind CAHN, and has played one more match.

Hieu Luong