Vietnam’s Phu Tho Football Club.
In a statement sent to its member associations, FIFA said its disciplinary committee had sanctioned two clubs for manipulating match results, including Phu Tho FC, which had been competing in Vietnam's Second Division.
FIFA concluded that Phu Tho FC were involved in activities aimed at manipulating match outcomes.
The team, currently bottom of Group A in the third-tier league with three losses, no goals scored and a goal difference of -10, has been removed from the league.
FIFA has instructed the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to relegate the club to the fourth division starting from the next season.
The organization has also formally notified the VFF to implement preventive measures and improve detection of match-fixing in domestic competitions.
Phu Tho FC have 10 days to appeal the decision.
FIFA added that it has made a secure whistleblower platform available to report any suspected cases of match manipulation or corruption.
This marks the first time FIFA has directly intervened to relegate a Vietnamese football club without relying on a domestic ruling.
The 2025 Vietnamese Second Division, which began on April 11, features 15 teams divided into two groups.
Clubs play a single round-robin home-and-away format, with four teams earning promotion to the second-tier V.League 2.
