Toan, who topped the list with 469 points, took the honour due to his impressive behaviour during a match between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and FLC Thanh Hoa in the 12th round of matches on April 8, 2017.

He tried to persuade his teammates and manager to continue the game while they wanted to leave the field in objection to a decision by the referee, which, they said, caused a negative result for Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Apart from the trophy, Toan also received VND 40 million (US$ 1,800).

Coach Mai Duc Chung, who coached both the national women’s and men’s teams, took second prize, while national women’s team player Tran Thi Thuy Trang, who played football to save her mother who is suffering from cancer, came third.

Chung gained 414 points while Trang obtained 368 points.

The organising board also gave the fourth and fifth placed prizes to Futsal Thai Son Nam team with 315 points, and Nguyen Minh Phuong, coach of the Long An Club, with 276 points, respectively.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnam Football Federation’s (VFF) Tran Anh Tu said that the Fair Play Award has played a big role in the growth of national football. The VFF will try its best to create a healthy environment so that football can develop strongly and see many more fair play players and behaviour.

More than 150 sports people including reporters, coaches, experts and others were invited to vote for the award, which ran for the sixth edition this year.