VietNamNet Bridge – Referee Nguyen Ngoc Chau of Binh Duong won the 2016 Golden Whistle Award, the Viet Nam Football Federation announced on September 27.

Golden whistle: Referee Nguyen Ngoc Chau. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

Chau overcame two candidates Ngo Duy Lan of Long An and Nguyen Van Kien of Thanh Hoa to take the award.

Chau, 37, officiated at 24 of the 26 rounds in the V.League 1, where he was the main referee in 13 matches.

“The prize recorded my efforts during the national premier league. Many referees didn’t supervise well in this tournament so I tried my best to avoid mistakes,” said Chau.

The Golden Flag title for best assistant referee belonged to Pham Truong Xuan of Hai Phong.

The winning referee will get a VND30million (US$1,300) bonus, while the most-voted assistant referee will receive VND20million ($900).

VNS