Vietnam affected by 2 major football controversies cited in 2025 reviews

German news channel NTV this week revisited a disallowed goal by Vietnam forward Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy in the women's football final at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, describing it as a major officiating mistake. 

Television footage showed Thuy appearing to be onside when her second-half goal was ruled out for offside by the assistant referee.

Vietnam went on to lose the match on penalty shootout. 

Regional football outlets including Seasia Goal and SEAGF News also cited the incident in retrospective assessments of refereeing controversies during the year, while Singapore's Straits Times referred to it as one of the most notable officiating errors at the SEA Games.

A separate controversy referenced in international coverage involved Malaysia's use of ineligible naturalized players, a case that affected matches against Vietnam in regional competition. 

Malaysian media, including the New Straits Times, reported that Malaysia's football authorities were fined over the violations.

European outlets, including Germany's DW, described the case as highlighting weaknesses in the enforcement of player eligibility rules. 

Veteran football writer John Duerden said in a commentary piece that the incident could prompt closer scrutiny of nationality regulations in international football.

Other football controversies cited by international media in 2025 included a match-fixing scandal in Turkey and allegations of governance issues within Cameroon's football federation.