Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm receives a record signing bonus at Ninh Bình, and other Vietnamese football news on April 23rd.
Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm is set to lead Ninh Bình with a salary of 2 billion VND per year. Vietnam U17 defeated Australia to reach the final, while Malaysia faces a potential penalty from FIFA.
Vietnamese football witnessed a major turning point when coach Chu Đình Nghiêm reached a historic agreement with Ninh Bình, coinciding with the achievement of coach Cristiano Roland's team reaching the U17 Southeast Asian Championship final after a dramatic comeback victory against Australia.
Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm sets a new financial record at Ninh Bình.
Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm will officially bid farewell to Hải Phòng to take over as head coach of Ninh Bình after the 2025/26 season concludes. This transfer is becoming the focus of attention among experts, not only because of the reputation of the former Hanoi FC coach but also because of the unprecedented financial figures involved.
Specifically, Mr. Chu Dinh Nghiem will sign a three-year contract with the team from the ancient capital city. The most notable point is the signing bonus of up to 2 billion VND per year, the highest amount ever recorded for a domestic coach in Vietnamese professional football.
Vietnam U17 team stages a comeback to reach the final of the Southeast Asian U17 Championship.
In other news, the Vietnam U17 team caused a major upset by coming from behind to defeat Australia U17 2-1. This thrilling victory secured their place in the final of the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship.
Explaining this success, coach Roland emphasized: "We maintained composure and patience in our gameplay. That was the key to turning the tide against a strong opponent like Australia." In the final match, taking place at 8:30 PM on April 24th, Vietnam will face U17 Malaysia, who just defeated U17 Laos 3-0.
Naturalization trends and ambitions in the region
The Vietnamese national team's attack is causing concern among regional media with the presence of three naturalized forwards. Asian Football News has described this as an "atomic" attack that could change the status of Vietnamese football on the regional map.
Under pressure from Vietnam's preparations, Thailand's coach Anthony Hudson admitted they were forced to add foreign players. This move shows a significant shift in the thinking of FAT President Madam Pang, who previously held a preference for players of Thai origin.
Malaysian football faces the risk of being suspended by FIFA.
While the youth teams are achieving good results, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is facing a serious legal crisis. FIFA, the world's most powerful football governing body, is considering investigating and imposing sanctions on the organization.
The controversy stems from revelations by Datuk Yusoff Mahadi, former Acting President of FAM, regarding third-party interference in high-level personnel decisions. According to FIFA regulations, any political or non-sporting interference in a member federation can result in immediate international suspension.
