Football

South Korean coach Kim Sang Sik (righ, first row) and VFF General Secretary at the contract signing ceremony pn May 6 in Hà Nội. Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI -- Kim Sang Sik promised to build determined and loyal national squads of Việt Nam under his two-year reign during a contract signing ceremony on May 6 in Hà Nội.

Under the deal beginning from May 1 to March 31, 2026 with the Việt Nam Football Federation, he will take charge of both senior team and the U23 side.

"It is my honour to be introduced as head coach of the national teams to Vietnamese people, especially football lovers, today," Kim said.

"I am happy and can't wait to accompany with Việt Nam football, officials, staff and players. I hope we will well cooperate at work in the future."

Kim, 47, was picked among more than 10 potential candidates, VFF General Secretary Dương Nghiệp Khôi revealed, saying that Kim was young and had made relatively good achievements such as winning the K-League and AFC Champions League.

The new coach will have a team of 12 assistants who will take care of profession, fitness, language and other fields.

At the ceremony, Kim also shared with the media two key elements that were important to him.

"The first one is loyalty. It is the right word that describes about my football career. I contributed my whole life for one club as player and coach despite many ups and downs.

"As a coach, I managed many star players and tried to motivate them to have high performance and help the club earn best results. I wish Vietnamese players be loyal, compete healthily, and play with dedication.

"The second one is my philosophy. In football, a win is resulted from teams' determination. Winning all matches in football is miracle. If we are all determined and work hard we will create miracle and grab what we want. My players and I will follow the philosophy and give out good results.”

Kim played and worked whole life for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC. He was member of the national team playing in the 2006 World Cup and reaching third place at the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2007.

He was coach assistant and head coach of Hyundai Motors from 2013 to 2023. During this period, the club won seven K.League 1 titles, two National Cups and one AFC Champions League. He was best coach of the year in 2021.

No pressure

Taking charge of Việt Nam, Kim will be head coach of a national team for the first time. But he does not feel pressure but excitement.

Kim Sang Sik (centre) and his assistants talk during watching a V.League 1 match on May 5 in Hà Nội. Photo danviet.com.vn

“Despite my first time I am confident (in this seat) because I have experience of a national team player. I also have 15 years working as coach and coach assistant at the South Korea leagues. I understand players and believe that Korean and Vietnamese players share same determination.

"Of course, there is difference between club and national team. So I will work closely with VFF to overcome this challenge. I believe that I can guide Việt Nam teams to success.

“When I arrived in Việt Nam yesterday, I was warmly welcome and received strong support from people. I don't think it is pressure for me but motivation to help me do my job well."

Kim said he talked with former coach Park Hang-seo, who was the most successful head coach of Việt Nam in history, and received many useful advices. The valuable experience would be brought into play in combination with his own plan to ensure Việt Nam's success.

"I have kept my eyes on ASEAN football for 20 years. At the recent Asian U23 Cup, Việt Nam achieved pretty good result while the other teams made impressive performance. I hope to establish a highly competitive playing style for my teams and aim to the Asian arena," he said.

Kim's first two matches will be at the 2026 World Cup qualifier where chance to go on for Việt Nam is almost zero.

His next task is the AFF Cup 2024 in December when Việt Nam target a place in the final and further a championship title.

Meanwhile the U23s will compete at the Asian championship 2026 qualification in September and the 33rd SEA Games in December, 2025. VNS