VPF President grieves over sudden passing of referee Tran Dinh Thinh

VFF and VPF send their deepest condolences to the family of referee Tran Dinh Thinh.

VFF Vice President, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VPF Company Tran Anh Tu said: "I am truly shocked and heartbroken by the passing of referee Tran Dinh Thinh. He is an experienced referee, has many contributions and has been honored at prestigious professional awards of V-League.

We always appreciate the dedication and professionalism of referee Tran Dinh Thinh. This is a great loss for the Vietnamese referee team. VFF and VPF Company would like to send our deepest condolences to his family and will stand side by side with his relatives to take care of the funeral of referee Tran Dinh Thinh with all our sorrow and respect."

In a press release issued at 3:00 a.m. on August 4, VFF said: " Referee Tran Dinh Thinh was born in 1982 in Dong Nai , and began his refereeing journey in 2010. He is a familiar face in the V-League, having been awarded the title "Bronze Whistle" in the 2024 season and "Silver Whistle" in the following season - the highest achievement in his refereeing career.

During more than a decade of working in national football tournaments, referee Tran Dinh Thinh always showed composure, seriousness and courage in the assigned matches. His passing is a loss not only to his family and friends but also to a whole generation of referees striving for the development of Vietnamese football.

VFF and VPF Company would like to send our deepest condolences to the family of referee Tran Dinh Thinh, and will work with the family to take care of the funeral, as a gratitude and recognition of referee Tran Dinh Thinh's contributions to national football.

Regarding the physical fitness test of referees in the training program, this is a mandatory test according to FIFA regulations to assess the ability to perform duties in national professional football tournaments in the 2025-2026 season. Recently, medical work for football activities has been given special attention by VFF. Therefore, the physical fitness test plan has been carefully prepared by VFF and the Training Organizing Committee many weeks ago. Referees were also notified of the training schedule one month in advance to have time to prepare their physical fitness. The test time is arranged in the morning to avoid the hot weather in recent days, creating the most favorable conditions for referees. Medical work is deployed synchronously with 4 ambulances and medical teams on duty at the scene. In addition, all participating referees must complete a health check according to Circular 32/2023/TT-BYT.

This heartbreaking incident is an experience for all members participating in the tournament, including the referees, to pay close attention and always see that in physical activities there is always a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease even when there are no warning signs that we know in advance, so we need to always pay attention to the smallest changes in health to ensure safety during training.

VFF and VPF will continue to promote all activities in the health monitoring process, guide and strengthen medical work, and advise on physical preparation for referees in the preparation process for the new season."