OFFICIAL: Vietnam Football Federation issues ruling on 0-3 forfeit

VFF has officially imposed a disciplinary penalty of a 0-3 forfeit and a fine of 15 million VND on Truong Giang Gia Dinh Club in the Second Division.

On March 28, 2026, the Disciplinary Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation issued Decision No. 300/QD-LDBDVN regarding disciplinary action against Truong Giang Gia Dinh team competing in the 2026 national Second Division. The content is as follows:

– Fine 15,000,000 VND (Fifteen million Vietnamese Dong) and impose a 0-3 forfeit on Truong Giang Gia Dinh team for the match between Truong Giang Gia Dinh and Tay Ninh on March 24, 2026, due to using a player who did not meet eligibility requirements for the 2026 national Second Division football competition.

The decision by the Vietnam Football Federation is similar to AFC recently imposing a 0-3 forfeit on Malaysia in two matches against Vietnam and Nepal due to using an illegal naturalized player. According to regulations, if any player of a team participates in a match without meeting eligibility conditions such as being suspended, having incorrect registration procedures, or incorrect nationality, the match result will be forfeited 0-3.

Last season, Truong Giang Gia Dinh became the first team to earn promotion to the Second Division this year following an impressive performance. This is a deserved achievement for the team's unbeaten streak.

Few know that this was the second time this year Gia Dinh secured promotion. Previously, they had the opportunity to move up to the First Division for the 2025/2026 season while competing with Lam Dong and Van Hien University. These three teams created a dramatic race as they all had the potential to finish the season with 29 points.

According to competition regulations, when three teams have equal points, direct head-to-head results are used to determine rankings. In that scenario, Van Hien University held the advantage with 7 points, Gia Dinh had 5 points, while Lam Dong only achieved 4 points. This meant Lam Dong would be eliminated if they lost in the final round.

This indeed happened when Lam Dong lost to Gia Dinh 0-2, and Van Hien University defeated Dak Lak 1-0. This result allowed Gia Dinh and Van Hien University to both be promoted. However, Gia Dinh subsequently did not participate in the First Division, giving their spot to Xuan Thien Phu Tho, then returned to compete in the Third Division and again earned promotion to the Second Division. Earlier, they had faced a similar situation in the 2020 season when they gave their spot to People's Public Security due to not meeting facility requirements.

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