FIVB's announcement on the evening of 12/8. Photo: Screenshot

In an announcement on the evening of 12/8, the FIVB stated it received a complaint regarding a Vietnamese player competing in the U21 World Championship in Indonesia. Following an investigation, the FIVB concluded that a Vietnamese player was ineligible under Article 12.2 of the FIVB Disciplinary Regulations. Consequently, the player was disqualified, Vietnam's results involving the player were voided, and a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs (approximately 980 million VND) was imposed. The player, team, and related officials could face suspension from professional activities for up to two years.

The FIVB Disciplinary Panel issued the decision. This panel will report to the FIVB within 24 hours of the tournament's conclusion, allowing the main Disciplinary Commission to impose additional sanctions if necessary. According to Article 14.4, the Panel's decision is final, eliminating Vietnam's chance to return to the championship bracket.

The FIVB didn't specify why the Vietnamese player was ineligible. However, under Article 16.6.4, they are obligated to provide specific reasons at an appropriate time, along with deadlines and appeal procedures for the involved parties, in this case, the player and the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam (VFV). This detailed announcement wasn't published on the FIVB website.

Similar situations have occurred. On 16/3/2022, the FIVB reported on its website the ineligibility of four Rwandan women's national volleyball team players at the 2021 African Championship. The four named players received 10-month bans. However, the FIVB did not disclose the reason for their ineligibility.

According to InsideTheGames, the four players were Brazilian citizens who had not completed Rwanda's naturalization process. Nigeria filed a complaint during the tournament, resulting in Rwanda's disqualification by the FIVB despite being the host nation.

Not only the FIVB, but other international sports federations also often refrain from publicly disclosing reasons for player ineligibility. FIFA also avoids providing specific reasons in public announcements. For example, when Bolivia fielded an ineligible player during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, South American media reported the reason as player Nelson Cabrera having previously played for Paraguay and residing in Bolivia for only 4 years, while the requirement was 5 years.

Both Article 34 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 16 of the FIVB Disciplinary Regulations include a clause stating "decisions may be published on the website". This implies no obligation to disclose full information and reasons.

According to the sports law website Sportlegis, FIFA and FIVB, both headquartered in Switzerland, possess "semi-judicial" autonomy, meaning they have internal court systems to resolve disputes and rule violations. To maintain trust and ensure legal protection, they often issue brief public announcements, avoiding legal complications. Shared information is selective, released only when safe and necessary.

According to FIVB Sports Regulations, player ineligibility can stem from various reasons: lack of citizenship, incomplete citizenship change procedures, age violations in age-restricted tournaments, gender violations, competing during a suspension, or failing identity document checks.

Player Dang Thi Hong during Vietnam's 3-0 victory over Indonesia in Pool A of the 2025 U21 Women's World Volleyball Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia on 7/8/2025. Photo: *World Volleyball*

In an interview with VnExpress on the afternoon of 13/8, General Secretary Le Tri Truong asserted that the VFV followed all regulations when participating in the U21 World Volleyball Championship. "I affirm that the athlete and the Federation submitted all required documents, without any fraud or falsification of personal records," he said.

According to this year's tournament regulations, players' biographical information must be verified with birth certificates. This process should be completed before the tournament begins and is reviewed during the technical meeting one day before the first match.

On the evening of 11/8, just one day before the final round of group stage matches, the Vietnamese team's coaching staff received a notification from the VFV that the Organizing Committee requested verification of three players' personal records, including original birth certificates, along with blood and urine samples.

The VFV collaborated with families and the players' clubs to translate documents and send them to the FIVB. All personal information, including full names, dates of birth, hometowns, genders, and parental information, matched. However, one athlete's birth certificate was issued a year later than their actual birth date, while another's was issued two years later.

This discrepancy prevented both players from participating in the match against Puerto Rico on 12/8. In the victory against Egypt on 13/8, outside hitter Dang Thi Hong was ineligible to play and had to sit in the stands.

"We explained that the delay was due to the athletes being from rural areas, and this was common in Vietnam at that time," Mr. Truong explained. "The FIVB accepted this explanation. However, on the night of 12/8, they still concluded that one athlete was ineligible and issued the penalty."

Regarding gender, Mr. Truong stated that FIVB regulations rely solely on birth certificates. "Testing can be conducted if there is a complaint from the opponent," he added. "The problem is that the tournament regulations don't clearly define the threshold for exceeding the standard or what constitutes a violation."

The VFV has sought advice from authorities and lawyers to submit an official complaint to the FIVB. They also requested further clarification on the violated clauses to protect the athlete's rights and the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball.

After forfeiting four matches, Vietnam did not advance to the round of 16, instead competing for positions 17 to 24. Yesterday, the team defeated Egypt 3-1 and will face either Chile or Mexico on 15/8. If victorious, coach Nguyen Trong Linh's team will play for 17th place against the winner of the Canada – Dominican Republic match.

Compiled by Xuan Binh