Thanh Hoa appoints coach who helped Vietnam win ASEAN Cup; Arsenal announces new recruit Norgaard to wear number 16

Vietnam team drops 4 places on FIFA rankings

On the afternoon of July 10, the International Football Federation (FIFA) updated the rankings of national teams after the international matches in June. The Vietnamese team dropped 4 places to 113th in the world.

In June, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team played only one match, losing 0-4 to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This defeat caused the Vietnamese team to lose heavily due to losing to a much lower-ranked opponent and the match had a high multiplier.

Meanwhile, Indonesia won against higher-ranked China (1-0) in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The archipelago team continued to advance and close in on the Vietnamese team.

Specifically, coach Patrick Kluivert and his team were awarded 11.63 points (while the Vietnam team was deducted 13.91 points). Indonesia rose 5 places to 118th in the world.

The movements of the Vietnamese and Indonesian teams on the FIFA rankings over the past two years have been opposite. The Vietnamese team has gradually drifted out of the world's top 100 since coach Park Hang-seo.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has become significantly stronger thanks to the policy of utilizing players from Europe. The team from the archipelago country, ranked outside the world's top 150, is approaching the Vietnam team. If coach Patrick Kluivert and his team continue to create surprises in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they can completely surpass the Vietnam team.

Arsenal announce new signing Norgaard will wear number 16 shirt

Arsenal's homepage has officially announced new signing Christian Norgaard and the Danish player will wear the number 16 shirt at The Gunners next season.

Accordingly, the 31-year-old midfielder from Brentford has signed a 2-year contract with an option to extend for a further year. That is, Norgaard will be at the Emirates Stadium until June 2027 and can be extended for a further year. Norgaard has made 196 appearances in all competitions for the Bees, including 122 Premier League matches, scoring 13 goals and assisting 18 times.

“We are delighted to announce that Danish international Christian Norgaard has joined the club. The Arsenal family welcomes Christian to the club,” Arsenal’s official website confirmed.

“We are delighted to welcome Christian Norgaard to the club. He is a consistent performer in the Premier League and brings a lot of quality to our midfield. Christian is a leader, has a great tactical mind and is versatile. Christian will have a very positive impact on the Arsenal squad,” said Arsenal’s communications director Andrea Berta.

For his part, coach Mikel Arteta could not hide his joy when Arsenal's midfield was strengthened by a quality player like Norgaard. He will wear the number 16 shirt and immediately join his new teammates in the pre-season.

FPT Play owns exclusive rights to the U23 Southeast Asian tournament in Vietnam

On July 10, FPT Play officially announced its exclusive ownership of the broadcasting rights to the 2025 Mandiri Cup™ Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship in Vietnam.

All matches will be broadcast in full on multiple platforms: terrestrial, cable, satellite, IPTV, Internet, mobile, social media and public screening.

The 2025 Mandiri Cup™ will take place from July 15 to 29 in Indonesia, bringing together 10 U23 teams from Southeast Asia. Vietnam - the defending champion for two consecutive years (2022, 2023) - is in Group B with Laos and Cambodia. The group stage matches of U23 Vietnam will be against Laos (July 19) and Cambodia (July 22). The three group winners and one second-placed team with the best results will advance to the semi-finals, held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta.

Ms. To Nam Phuong - Deputy General Director of FPT Play emphasized: "We are proud to continue accompanying young Vietnamese players, helping fans follow every step of the team from the region to the international level."

Mandiri Cup™ 2025 is considered an important stepping stone towards the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. With a favorable group and impressive performance in the past, U23 Vietnam aims to successfully defend the title.

Thanh Hoa appoints coach who helped Vietnam win ASEAN Cup

Having made a great contribution to the historic championship of the Vietnamese team at the ASEAN Cup 2024, Coach Choi Won-kwon will start a new journey at Dong A Thanh Hoa Club from the 2025/2026 V.League season. The contract is expected to bring a strategic boost, helping the Thanh team regain its identity and desire to conquer.

The Korean strategist will officially debut this week, embarking on a rebuilding project with the goal of helping the Thanh team break through in the 2025/2026 V.League season.

This is a step that clearly shows the determination of the team's leadership to innovate after a year of unstable performance.

The choice of coach Choi Won-kwon is considered a bold but potential move. Born in 1981, he is a familiar face in Asian football.

In Vietnam, Mr. Choi left a deep impression as an assistant to coach Kim Sang-sik of the Vietnam national team. In the 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, he was in charge of key tactical tasks, opponent analysis and personnel advice for the coaching staff.

Now, in Thanh Hoa, the Korean strategist is expected to continue to breathe new life into the team's playing style./.