Last night, Saigon’s football fans witnessed one of the most violent tackles in contemporary history, one that will likely put both involved parties out of commission for a long time.
On the evening of March 23, Hanoi FC faced Ho Chi Minh City FC in a V. League 1 match at Thong Nhat Stadium in Saigon, reports Tuoi Tre. Nearly half an hour into the game, Hanoi FC midfielder Đỗ Hùng Dũng took a heavy pass before HCMC FC midfielder Ngô Hoàng Thịnh slammed both his legs into Dũng’s right ankle.
The Hanoi player collapsed to the ground immediately, wailing in pain. Field medics provided first aid for 10 minutes before Dũng had to be hospitalized for his severe injury. Thịnh was given a red card shortly after and exited the field. Eventually, Hanoi FC won the game 3-0 with goals from Nguyễn Văn Quyết, Geovane Magno and Đỗ Duy Mạnh.
The tackle inspired passionate protest from sports fans, who flooded social media channels and Thịnh’s Facebook account to condemn his display of unsportsmanlike behavior. Many called for a permanent ban, ending his career in sports.
As Phu Nu reports, Đỗ Hùng Dũng was taken to Van Hanh General Hospital for treatment. He was stable at admission, albeit suffering from intense pain. X-ray scans showed that the tackle broke both his right fibula and tibia — two bones that make up the calf — which would require surgery to repair.
The operation was completed successfully this morning by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Phạm Quốc Hùng, who had treated other players like Trần Đình Trọng, Đỗ Duy Mạnh and Đỗ Văn Thuận. According to Dr. Hùng, Dũng can resume some light movements two days after the surgery and physiotherapy could commence in six months. However, the broken bones might take as long as a year to recover well enough for him to return to football.
The hospital also announced that it would waive all Dũng’s treatment fees, including hospitalization and future therapies.
Still, the breaks have all but killed Dũng’s chance as a national team member to participate in Vietnam’s World Cup qualifiers, due to take place this June against Indonesia, the UAE and Malaysia.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) called an emergency meeting this morning to discuss disciplinary measures towards Ngô Hoàng Thịnh. Head of the Disciplinary Committee Vũ Xuân Thành told Zing that the VFF is suspending Thịnh until the end of 2021 and has fined him VND40 million. He’s also required to shoulder any treatment fees incurred.
[Photo via Nguoi Lao Dong]
