Football

Việt Nam U23 players have been training in Hà Nội since July in preparation for the AFF Championship which will be held in Thailand next week. — Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn wants to see competitive and beautiful football by Việt Nam at the AFF U23 Football Championship.

His message comes after he was officially assigned to be head coach of the team on August 8 in Hà Nội.

The U23 team will play three large events including the important AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers from August to October.

The tight timeframe made VFF decide to establish two U23 teams. One with the best players will be under national head coach Philippe Troussier. They will take part in the continental tournament from September 4-12. Việt Nam are host of Group C with Singapore, Yemen and Guam.

The second team under Tuấn, which mainly consist of U20 players and will compete at the AFF event in Thailand from August 14-27 and the Asian Games in late September in China

VFF said these two U23 squads would be an important step in the federation's strategy to build up and develop the next generation of stars, creating a richer source for the national team in the future.

The national football governing body did not set any target for the coach who has earned remarkable achievements when he took charge of many junior squads in the past.

"It is my honour and huge responsibilities," said Tuấn.

"I have always been determined that my task is to train young players to serve the national team. With all my enthusiasm and efforts, I hope that, after each tournament, the quality of young players will improve step by step and they will make positive transformations in their careers.

“Although I am not assigned a specific duty at the AFF event, it is not a reason for us to play without determination.

"In my team, there are players of different age groups, ranging from U16 to U23. We promise to do our best to popularise beautiful images and the 'trademark' of Việt Nam football. At the same time, we run the team following the playing style of the national squad so that players, if picked, would quickly get along well with their senior teammates."

Coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn (centre) was announced Việt Nam U23's manager on August 8 in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of VFF

Speaking at the ceremony, VFF General Secretary Dương Nghiệp Khôi said Tuấn was the suitable coach to take charge of the U23s. Most of the team players were trained by Tuấn at younger age groups. Many of them just took part in the recent Asian U17 and U20 championships under his reign.

Khôi said: “Coach Tuấn has contributed greatly to our youth football training activities. Many players from his classes have grown up and played key role at their clubs and the national teams. Tuấn has made national history when leading his team to compete in the FIFA U20 finals in 2017 as we all know.

"The AFF championship will be an opportunity for our young players to sharpen their skills, strengthen their competitiveness and earn international experience."

The regional tournament will be held from August 17-26 in Rayong and Chonburi, Thailand.

Việt Nam are in Group C with the Philippines and Laos.

The team will leave for Thailand on August 14 and will have a friendly match against Bahrain a day later before beginning their defence of the title. — VNS