Coach Kim Sang-sik takes on more responsibility; Florian Wirtz officially joins Liverpool for record fee

Coach Kim Sang-sik takes on more responsibility

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced that Mr. Kim Sang-sik (head coach of the national and U23 Vietnam teams) was appointed as Honorary Ambassador by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). This is a title given to influential international figures in Korea to promote the brand and competitiveness of Korean tourism in the markets.

"The honor of coach Kim Sang-sik is not only a recognition of his contributions to Vietnamese football but also a meaningful bridge in the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Korea," commented VFF.

Previously, KTO had given this honor to former coach of the Indonesian national team, Mr. Shin Tae-yong. Former head coach of the Vietnamese national team, Mr. Park Hang Seo, was also honored and appointed to a number of important positions in promoting diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is preparing with U23 Vietnam to focus on the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 finals. The Korean coach announced a list of 35 players and will start joining the team after the 2024-2025 V.League and First Division seasons end this weekend.

Unlike the previous two Southeast Asian championships, U23 Vietnam this time participated in the tournament with the strongest force. Except for Bui Vi Hao who has not recovered from injury, the best factors of U23 Vietnam - including many players who used to play for the national team such as Nguyen Thai Son, Khuat Van Khang... - were all present.

Coach Kim Sang-sik directly led the U23 Vietnam team to the tournament with the goal of defending the championship. In previous training sessions, due to being busy with work at the Vietnam national team, Mr. Kim assigned assistant Dinh Hong Vinh to take charge of the U23 team. At the U23 Southeast Asian tournaments in 2019, 2022 and 2023, the person leading the U23 Vietnam team was not the head coach of the national team.

Cong Phuong's team won the play-off ticket

A 3-0 victory over Long An in round 22 of the 2024/25 First Division helped Binh Phuoc officially win a play-off ticket to compete for a place in the 205/26 V.League.

On the afternoon of June 21, Binh Phuoc had an impressive 3-0 victory over Long An in the final round of the 2024/25 First Division. The Southeast team ended the season as runner-up and won the right to play in the promotion play-off.

Binh Phuoc’s three goals were scored by Phi Son and a double by young striker Tu Nhan. The victory helped coach Huynh Quoc Anh’s team finish with 44 points, surpassing their direct competitor PVF-CAND (who beat Dong Nai 3-0 but only had 43 points).

In this match, Cong Phuong returned to the starting lineup after a period of treatment for a foot injury. Although he could not make a mark on any goals, the presence of the striker wearing the number 70 shirt still brought a certain connection and confidence to Binh Phuoc's playing style.

As runners-up, Binh Phuoc will face the second-to-last team in the V.League in the play-off match to compete for promotion. Their opponents will be determined after the 26th round of the V.League, which will take place simultaneously at 5 p.m. on June 22.

As planned, the play-off match between the representative of the First Division and the team ranked second to last in the V.League will take place at 6:00 p.m. on June 27 at Thong Nhat Stadium (HCMC). This will be the match that decides the last ticket to participate in the V.League 2025/26 season.

Florian Wirtz officially joins Liverpool for record price

Liverpool FC has completed a sensational deal when successfully recruiting midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen with an initial transfer fee of up to 100 million pounds, Leverkusen with an initial transfer fee of up to 100 million pounds, becoming the most expensive contract in the history of the Merseyside team.

The 21-year-old German has passed a medical, signed a five-year contract and agreed personal terms with the Reds. Wirtz's transfer fee could rise to a British record £116m if he maintains his success in his first five years at Anfield, surpassing Chelsea's £115m fee for Moises Caicedo in 2023.

Despite being pursued by many "big names" such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid, Wirtz chose Liverpool after being convinced by the team's plan and vision, especially from conversations with the coaching staff.

Speaking after officially becoming Liverpool's new player, Wirtz shared emotionally: "I feel very happy and very proud. Finally everything is done, I have waited for a long time. This is a big turning point for me - leaving the Bundesliga and starting a new journey in the Premier League.

I'm really excited to be playing in a top league in the world, and I've spoken to some of the players who have played here. They said I'd fit in and that it's a great place to develop. I can't wait to get my first game on the pitch."

Wirtz is the second signing to arrive at Anfield from Leverkusen this summer, following defender Jeremie Frimpong for £29.4m. Liverpool are also in talks to complete the signing of defender Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.

Wirtz arrives at Liverpool after two brilliant seasons at Leverkusen, where he scored a total of 34 goals and helped the club win their first ever Bundesliga title with an unbeaten record. He was also named Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2023-24.

The deal marks Liverpool's most ambitious move in the summer transfer window, demonstrating their determination to rebuild a title-contending squad under the new Klopp regime.

Real players dissatisfied with Alonso

Midfielder Dani Ceballos felt disappointed when coach Xabi Alonso did not give him a chance to play in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Al Hilal at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on June 19.

Despite being on the match list and warming up on the sidelines, Ceballos was the only player in the first team who was completely healthy but did not get a single minute. According to SPORT, Ceballos was extremely disappointed when he was "forgotten" by Alonso.

Ceballos hopes the match against Al Hilal will be an opportunity to impress. In the context of Real playing a rather disjointed first half and lacking ideas in midfield, Ceballos's omission from the field surprised fans.

Under Carlo Ancelotti, Ceballos gradually broke into the starting lineup in the final stages of the season, bringing softness and creativity in midfield - something Real often lacked when Modric or Kroos were not on the pitch.

However, it seems that Alonso has no plans to use Ceballos. Instead, he prefers Arda Guler to take on a creative role, alongside Modric, despite the Croatian midfielder's imminent departure. In addition, Alonso is urging the club to recruit a new midfielder. The move shows that Ceballos is not in the Spaniard's long-term plans.

Given the current situation, Ceballos is ready to consider leaving. This is not the first time he has intended to leave the Bernabeu, but in the past, interested clubs have been unable to meet Real Madrid's asking price.

Real Betis want to bring him back, but the problem is finances. Real value the midfielder at 20 million euros, while his actual market value is only around 10 million euros.

Antony rejects Serie A move

Serie A side Como are considering a move for Antony but the Brazilian striker is not interested.

Como's ambitions are likely to collapse as the Brazilian striker only wants to join Real Betis, according to information from the Daily Mail. Antony is waiting for Betis to send an offer to Manchester United to complete this deal soon.

British media reported that Antony is willing to take a 30% pay cut to leave MU this summer. He currently earns £150,000 a week at Old Trafford, a figure beyond Betis' ability to pay.

Spanish media reported that Betis' leadership team flew to England to work directly with MU last week. At this meeting, Betis offered 20 million euros to buy back Antony's percentage of ownership from the "Red Devils".

The La Liga club expressed their desire to borrow Antony for another season before deciding to buy him outright in 2026. If MU does not accept, Betis will pay to buy Antony's joint ownership with the "Red Devils". This percentage can increase each year, depending on the fee agreement between the two clubs.

Currently, MU requires a fee of 50 million euros for any club wanting Antony. This is also the biggest obstacle that causes the deal to be delayed.

Antony has failed to live up to the £86m deal the Red Devils paid Ajax in 2022. Since joining, he has only scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 96 appearances for United.