Should a foreign coach be chosen for the national team?

(Baonghean)While the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is grappling with the decision of whether to choose a domestic or foreign coach to lead the Vietnamese national team, a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper interviewed veteran coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, who previously served as the head coach of the Vietnamese national team, about this issue.



PV: As someone knowledgeable about Vietnamese football, in your opinion, at this time, should the VFF choose a domestic or foreign coach to lead the Vietnamese national team?

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh:In the current state of Vietnamese football, if a domestic coach is chosen for the national team, it must be a full-time coach. But who would be suitable for that role? Those who have coached the national team and major clubs are now quite old, their dynamism has significantly decreased, making them unsuitable for the current situation. Young, capable coaches are currently tied to clubs and are unwilling to take on a full-time role with the national team. Furthermore, the current context isn't ideal for using a domestic coach. It's unsuitable because, as the saying goes, "a prophet is not honored in his own country" – the voice of a domestic coach often carries little weight with the VFF, and their salaries and benefits are still significantly different from those of foreign coaches.

I once coached the Vietnamese national team, but when traveling from Nhon to my accommodation, I had to take a taxi or a motorbike taxi, while foreign coaches had their own cars. These seemingly small things diminish the value of domestic coaches. Furthermore, due to various delicate relationships, domestic coaches still lack decisiveness in training and coaching the national team. Foreign coaches, besides having more authority with the VFF, also update their professional knowledge faster than domestic coaches, so their voices are more supported by the VFF. For example, when they raise issues regarding food, accommodation, and training allowances for the team and coach, the VFF immediately supports them.

Ultimately, in countries with advanced football systems, such as in Europe, like England for example, they still use foreign coaches. Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, China… or Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia… although they have many talented domestic coaches, they still use foreign coaches and achieve many successes. Currently, we are at a crossroads choosing between a domestic or foreign coach, but in my opinion, we should choose a foreign coach. Hiring a foreign coach may be expensive, but it is necessary for the development of Vietnamese football.

PV: So, in your opinion, if we were to choose a foreign coach, what kind of person should we select?

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh:If we're choosing a coach for the Vietnamese national team, we shouldn't choose a European coach, but rather an Asian coach from countries like South Korea, Japan, or North Korea… because the national teams of these countries are quite successful, and their football clubs are also developing strongly. Choosing a coach from these Asian countries with developed football industries would mean they would have a better understanding of Vietnamese football and the Vietnamese people, making the coaching more relevant.

PV: With the current generation of players in the national team and U23 team, can a good coach help them replicate the achievement of winning the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2008?

Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh:With the current players, we shouldn't rush into achieving results, but rather focus on long-term training strategies for the national team. Frankly, the current squad isn't as strong as previous generations. This can be considered a period of talent crisis, so we need skilled coaches to systematically scout and train young talents.

Interviewer: Thank you, sir!

Duc Chuyen (Executor)