Coach Calisto returns to Vietnam, bringing good news to VFF; Overseas Vietnamese players flock to V.League: Much joy but also much worry
Coach Calisto proposed to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese football; Dozens of new overseas Vietnamese players have chosen V.League as a testing ground... Those are the outstanding sports news in the past 24 hours.
Coach Calisto returns to Vietnam, bringing good news to VFF
Coach Calisto proposed to increase cooperation with Vietnamese football in areas where Portugal has strengths.
On the afternoon of August 7, Mr. Henrique Calisto - President of the Portuguese National Coaches Association, former head coach of the Vietnam National Team, and Mr. José Pedro De Sousa Vieira - President of the Portugal - Vietnam Friendship Association, visited and worked with VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan.
Mr. Calisto expressed his joy at returning to the land of memories, and at the same time, highly appreciated the strong development of Vietnamese football in recent years. The former captain of the Vietnamese team affirmed that, in his current role, he wishes to contribute to promoting the professional cooperation between the two football backgrounds of Vietnam and Portugal.
MU welcomes new player with price of 85 million Euro
The Athletic confirmed that MU reached an agreement to recruit striker Benjamin Sesko with a contract worth 85 million Euros, including 8.5 million Euros in additional fees.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano used the familiar phrase "Here we go" to confirm the deal was completed on the evening of August 7. The Slovenian player was allowed to undergo a medical examination before completing the sensational transfer deal.
Previously, Newcastle reached an agreement with Leipzig for 82.5 million Euros plus 2.5 million Euros in additional fees. However, Sesko preferred to choose MU. The "Red Devils" quickly closed the deal with a lower fee, but met Leipzig's expectations thanks to a smooth negotiation process and determination to quickly conclude the deal.
Overseas Vietnamese players flock to V.League: Lots of joy but also lots of worry
Dozens of new overseas Vietnamese players (in addition to the old groups that played for 7 clubs last season) have chosen V.League as a new challenge in their careers, most notably with the two names Chung Nguyen Do and Brandon Ly.
The appearance of overseas Vietnamese players, besides helping clubs become stronger, also helps promote the image of V.League and, even better, can wear the Vietnamese national team jersey when qualified.
However, along with the joy, there are also many worries. The integration of overseas Vietnamese players into the V.League environment is not always smooth.
The first barrier is the difference in culture and lifestyle. Overseas Vietnamese players have to face problems such as language, customs, habits, and even pressure from the media and fans.
Weather is also a big challenge for many overseas Vietnamese players who have had difficulty adapting to Vietnam's climate, leading to unstable performance.
Furthermore, the difference in playing style and tactics of V.League is also an obstacle. It is not uncommon for overseas Vietnamese players to be trained to play modern, high-speed football, but when they return to V.League, they may have difficulty adapting and gradually disappear.
U17 Vietnam and Malaysia in the 2026 AFC U17 qualifiers
On the afternoon of August 7, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held a draw ceremony for the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers. The results put the Vietnam U17 team in Group C with familiar opponents including U17 Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Northern Mariana Islands and Macau (China).
This is considered a moderate group, at the same time, creating a favorable opportunity for U17 Vietnam to nurture the hope of winning a ticket to the Final Round, thereby getting closer to the goal of participating in the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026.
The 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers will feature 38 teams, divided into 7 groups (including 3 groups of 6 teams and 4 groups of 5 teams). The teams will compete in a round robin to determine the top 7 teams from each group to enter the Final Round.
In addition, 9 teams with direct entry privileges include the host country of the final round, Saudi Arabia, the host of the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup, Qatar, and the teams that entered the quarterfinals of the 2025 U17 Asia: Uzbekistan, South Korea, North Korea, Tajikistan, Japan, UAE and Indonesia.
The qualifying round is scheduled to take place from November 22 to 30, 2025. The final round is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in May 2026, where the top 8 teams will qualify to represent Asia at the U17 World Cup.
