Philippe Troussier, new head coach of Việt Nam national teams. Photo of VFF

Peter Cowan

The Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) rightly takes a lot of stick in this column, but it’s time to give credit where credit is due.

Philippe Troussier was officially unveiled as the new men’s national and U23 head coach on Monday and for all the VFF’s mistakes over the years, I think they’ve got this decision right.

The Frenchman takes over from South Korean Park Hang-seo who, in case you’ve been living under a rock in recent years, is undoubtedly Việt Nam’s greatest ever coach.

Park’s trophy and record laden reign meant picking his replacement was always going to a massively important decision for the VFF.

Choosing the wrong man could undo all Park’s good work over the last five years or so and while there are no certainties in life or football, I think hiring Troussier was the most sensible decision.

He ticks all the right boxes. Top level coaching experience? He’s managed at a World Cup and won an Asian Cup. Adaptability? He’s worked across three continents. Does he understand Vietnamese football? He previously coached the U19 team and was the technical director of a top academy here.

Perhaps most importantly for me though, Troussier has ambition.

In his opening remarks after being unveiled as coach the Frenchman made it clear he wants to take Việt Nam to the 2026 World Cup.

While he admitted it would be no easy task, setting his sights high bodes well for me.

With the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams coinciding with the maturation of Việt Nam’s golden generation of players, there likely won’t be a better opportunity to make history.

It also shows me the perhaps Troussier won’t be cowed by internal pressures to focus on success in lesser tournaments.

It’s sad to say but the truth is a less experienced Vietnamese candidate may have felt it prudent to talk up the importance of sub-regional success.

So kudos to the VFF for getting the hiring right, but the hard part comes next.

Troussier has to be given the necessary resources and leeway to do what he feels is right for the national team.

It was always easy for the federation to back Park as he enjoyed immediate success, so controversial calls like leaving Nguyễn Văn Quyết out of his side went largely unremarked upon.

If the medium-term goal is World Cup qualification, Troussier will need the same backing, whether he does well in underage tournaments or not. VNS