The awards ceremony had initially been scheduled for early 2020, but was then postponed twice due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kieu surpassed four other candidates to claim the top honour with 695 points. This was a well-deserved reward for the resilient fighting spirit of the 25-year-old player.
In the gold medal match between Vietnam and Thailand at the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, Kieu suffered a serious thigh injury that caused heavy bleeding. However, the Khmer ethnic girl overcame the pain to continue fighting alongside her teammates throughout over 120 minutes en route to their overall triumph.
Referee Ngo Duy Lan won the second prize with a score of 574. He prevented a player from unconsciously biting his tongue during a match between Becamex Binh Duong and Hanoi FC on V.League Matchday 8 in 2019.
Third prize went to two mobile policemen who gave first aid to a child among a large crowd at Thien Truong Stadium in the northern province of Nam Dinh in V.League 2019.
Vietnam’s U22 team spirit at the 30th SEA Games received fourth place, followed by the noble act of two female fans Vu Thanh Thuy and Bui Thi Hong Hanh, who travelled a long distance to bring 60kg of food to supply Vietnam’s men’s and women’s football squads at the 30th SEA Games.
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Centre back Chuong Thi Kieu and coach Mai Duc Chung are honoured at the Fair Play Award 2019 gala. (Photo: Vnexpress)
At the ceremony, the organising committee also presented the Fair Play Honour Award to Mai Duc Chung, head coach of the women’s national football team, for his significant contributions to Vietnamese football in 2019.
Inaugurated in 2012, the annual Fair Play Award aims to honour fair and noble playing styles, as well as positive images of Vietnamese football, both inside and outside the stadium.
