FOOTBALL

VFF will talk with former national U23 manager Hoàng Anh Tuấn this week about taking over the U23 squad which is empty after Philippe Troussier’s sacking. — Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) will work to find new coaches for the national teams after terminating the contract with French Philippe Troussier on the night of March 26.

According to local media, official procedures with Troussier will be completed on March 28 and at the same time VFF will talk with former national U23 manager Hoàng Anh Tuấn this week about taking over the U23 squad and even being temporarily in charge of the senior side.

Previously, Tuấn was the scout and head coach of the U20 team which included talented Nguyễn Quang Hải and Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, winning a slot at 2017 U20 World Cup.

He was also the first one coaching the U23 team that won the historic silver medal at the Asian Championship in 2018.

In recent years, Tuấn has been working with youth teams. He took the U20s to compete at the Asian championship and the Asian Games in 2023.

If their negotiation is successful, Tuấn will take the U23s to a training camp early next month and compete at the Qatar Asian championship from April 15 to May 3.

For the national team, the new head coach might be announced during June's FIFA Days.

Other candidates for the hot seat are South Korean Lee Young Jin, former assistant coach of Việt Nam. He worked with former head coach Park Hang Seo and teams for five years from 2018-2022, the most successful time of Việt Nam football in history.

Lee is now an assistant for South Korean team head coach Hwang Sun-hong.

Thai legend Kiatisuk Senamuang is the second one. He is a familiar face among local people as he played and now worked as coach in Việt Nam. He just signed a contract to lead national champions Hà Nội Police.

Former Việt Nam U23 coach Gong Oh Kyun is also named. He led the team to the quarter-finals of the Asian championship in 2022.

He is available after ending his contract with the Police due to poor performance earlier this season.

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm who is now managing Hải Phòng FC is also on the list.

Nghiêm was one of most successful coaches as he won three V.League 1 titles and two National Cups when he was with Hà Nội FC. He has not worked as a national coach before.

Việt Nam sink in ranking

Back to the national team, Việt Nam received minus points after the humiliating loss to Indonesia at the 2026 World Cup's second qualifier on Tuesday and dropped out of world top 110.

Two months ago, Việt Nam were No 94. Now at No 115, they sit at their worst position in eight years.

Philippe Troussier leaves the hot seat after the poor performance of Việt Nam in his one-year reign. — Photo of VFF

The defeat also nearly closes the door to the third qualification, the team's target when signing a 3.5-year deal with 'White Wizard' Troussier.

VFF said Troussier was a good coach but he seemed not suitable with Vietnamese football. Under his one-year reign, Việt Nam played 10 matches, losing nine and the loss to Indonesia was the seventh in a row, ending VFF's patience with him.

Although VFF decided to end Troussier's reign, the national football body only paid him VNĐ4.5 billion, around three-month salary (about US$60,000 per month) instead of more than VNĐ40 billion for the remaining two years in the contract.

Troussier thanked VFF, supporters, clubs and players for accompanying and supporting him during his time in Việt Nam. He apologised for the poor results of the national team.

Vietnamese players were also sad about the loss, especially as they had not lost to Indonesia at the Mỹ Đình Stadium in the past 20 years.

"We are all sad. As a captain, I am really disappointed. We tried our best but we were not good enough," said captain Đỗ Hùng Dũng.

"After such defeats, we receive many criticisms. However, we were touched by the love of our fans, coming here to support us. I want to apologise fans.

"We have to make more efforts and practise harder because our rivals are stronger day by day."

Talking about Troussier's departure, Dũng said: "Nobody wanted such bad results. The head coach may come and go, the players on the team may change, but the Vietnamese team is top priority forever. I hope that no matter what happens in the future, Vietnamese football will become better."

Striker Nguyễn Văn Toàn shared the idea, saying: "Sometimes we play well and sometimes not. The love of the fans today will bring motivation for the whole team to play better in the future." — VNS