Vietnamese media vnexpress broke the news that French soccer godfather Troussier will soon take charge of the Vietnam national team coaching whip. When this news came out, it immediately set off a furor in the Vietnamese soccer community. It is reported that the Vietnam Football Association (VFA) has officially approved the decision and plans to make an official announcement at the end of February. The two sides will sign a two-year contract that includes a one-year automatic renewal clause. In addition, Troussier will also be the head coach of Vietnam's U23 team.
Multiplication of annual salaries for "white witches"
Troussier's annual salary will be significantly higher compared to his predecessor, South Korean coach Park Hang-su. Previously, Park Hang-su's annual salary was only US$600,000, while Troussier's will be upwards of US$2 million, making him the highest-paid coach in the history of Vietnam's national team. Troussier, 67, has coached a number of national teams, including Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Japan, Qatar, and Morocco, and has also served as coach of Shenzhen and Zhejiang teams in the Chinese Super League. It is worth mentioning that Troussier briefly coached Vietnam's U19 national youth team and has a deep understanding of Vietnamese soccer.
Troussier's connection to the national soccer team
After Troussier resigned from Japan, he was repeatedly rumored to be associated with the Chinese men's soccer coaching position. Although he was once the favorite to be the coach of the national football team, various reasons prevented him from taking the job in the end. South Korean coach Park Hang-su officially left after the Southeast Asian Football Championships, leading his team to a second-place finish. After his departure, Vietnam began to select a new coach. Last December, Troussier's name was linked to Vietnam.
Troussier's arrival will bring new energy to the Vietnamese team. His successful coaching in Japan, as well as the "small and fast" style of Vietnamese soccer, will complement Troussier's coaching philosophy. It is worth mentioning that Park Hang-su's assistant coach during his time in Vietnam, Lee Young-jin, gave up the opportunity to coach the club independently and will continue to work as an assistant coach of the Vietnam team to assist Troussier.
Reforms and challenges in Vietnamese soccer
It is worth mentioning that on February 1 last year, the first day of the Year of the Tiger, the Vietnam national soccer team suffered a crucial battle in the Round of 12 of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. In the end, they were defeated 1-3 and missed the Qatar World Cup finals two rounds early. The Chinese team's early exit did not exceed most people's expectations, but the team's performance further fueled concerns about the future of Chinese soccer.
The Vietnam Football Association's efficient replacement of coaches has also embarrassed the CFA. Earlier this month, the CFA began selecting national team coaches, including foreign coaches familiar with Asian soccer such as Queiroz, Ola Royo and Paulo, but no substantial progress has been made so far. Nearly a year, the Chinese men's soccer team has still not begun the preparation of the new World Cup cycle, the date of the 2023 Asian Cup is getting closer and closer, for the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, Chinese soccer is still facing serious challenges.
Vietnamese soccer underwent a major reform at the end of last year. After an 11-day meeting, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) decided to increase the quota of naturalized players in the Football League, Women's League and Futsal League, and expand the range of naturalized players. Previously, Vietnam had only players such as Dang Van Lam and Adriano Schmidt who had yet to play for the national soccer team in the world qualifiers. With the new regulations, players such as Phillip Nguyen, Jason Vinh, Jason Phuong Dang, and Martin Roe are expected to become Vietnamese internationals in the future.
