Domestic coaches still have a chance to lead the Vietnam National Team
In the effort to find a new "captain" for the Vietnam National Team, foreign candidates are receiving special priority, but VFF leaders also spoke up to affirm that the opportunity for a domestic coach to sit in the "hot seat" is still open...
This information was given by VFF President Nguyen Trong Hy in a discussion related to the plan to find a new "captain" for the Vietnam National Team. According to the head of VFF, after VFF and the National Coaching Council narrowed the list of foreign candidates down to 5 people, the professional department quickly got involved in verifying and assessing the professional capacity of each person.
Up to this point, 4/5 names have been verified to have CVs that match reality: Franz Goetz (Germany), Sampson (USA) and Viganda (Portugal), Pierre Lechantre (France). Only coach Juergen Gede (Germany) is being questioned about his coaching ability. He has not achieved outstanding results and has continuously changed working environments.
Coach Phan Thanh Hung is the brightest domestic coach today - Photo: Quang Thang
Among the 4 candidates that have been evaluated, Sampson (USA) and Pierre Lechantre (France) are the 2 most convincing names. However, to have the services of these candidates, VFF will face a big barrier in terms of salary, as Pierre Lechantre - Sampson have both led strong teams.
After the professional department completed the assessment, the VFF leadership - National Coaching Council continued to sit down and select about 2 most suitable candidates, before entering the direct negotiation phase. According to a member of the National Coaching Council, the negotiation plan will most likely be postponed until early April.
Up to this point, VFF and the National Coaching Council are both leaning towards the option of using foreign coaches to solve many problems at the same time. However, in the discussion yesterday afternoon, Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy still declared that the opportunity to lead the Vietnam National Team is still intact for domestic coaches.
According to the head of VFF: Currently, VFF is still considering the option of using domestic coaches. To facilitate the selected person to fully develop his/her capacity, VFF will apply a new regime suitable to the actual situation and give full authority to make professional decisions. Specifically, VFF can pay a monthly salary of up to 10,000 USD for domestic coaches.
The face that VFF is aiming for in case of using a domestic coach will be Coach Phan Thanh Hung (Hanoi T&T). Mr. Hung is also the person supported by the National Coaching Council to lead the Vietnam Olympic team to participate in the 26th SEA Games held in Indonesia in November.
The reason why Coach Phan Thanh Hung received trust is because of the long time he spent as "deputy" to Mr. Calisto, his thorough understanding of the national team - Olympic team competition system, and his successful leadership of the Vietnam Olympic team in the Ho Chi Minh City International Tournament, as well as the first matches at the 16th ASIAD.
Currently, coach Phan Thanh Hung still has a contract with Hanoi T&T, but the VFF president confidently affirmed that he had successfully convinced former "deputy general" Phan Thanh Hung to take on the responsibility of leading the national team, in case the VFF cannot find a foreign coach that meets the given criteria.
To create a favorable working mechanism, VFF will discuss with Hanoi T&T about appointing Mr. Hung as the "captain" of the Vietnam National Team. In the approved reconstruction plan, since 2011, the team has shifted its focus from long-term to short-term. It is possible that Mr. Phan Thanh Hung will enjoy the mechanism of working in parallel at the club and the national team.
The plan to give power to domestic coaches has been considered, but it is not easy to make this plan come true. The actions of VFF clearly show that the favor is leaning towards foreign coaches, domestic coaches will only have a real chance if VFF cannot find a suitable foreign coach.
There are not many opportunities to sit in the "hot seat" of the Vietnam National Team, but perhaps Coach Phan Thanh Hung will be the most suitable option for the task of leading the Vietnam Olympic team at the 26th SEA Games.
According to Dan Tri