Philippe Troussier remains in hot seat despite Vietnam’s Asian Cup poor showing
VOV.VN - A leader of the Vietnam Football Federation has affirmed that chief coach Philippe Troussier will still be in the hot seat despite the Vietnamese side’s poor performance at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar.
Vietnam were knocked out of the tournament after all three losses during group clashes, including their 0-1 loss to Indonesia.
Troussier came under fire in the public following the team’s poor showing, but VFF said it still puts trust in the French coach.
“The Vietnamese team are not the private property of the VFF or coach Troussier. They are the common property of the country,” said Nguyen Xuan Vu, VFF vice president in charge of communications.
“We will work with clubs to help the Vietnamese team have the best lineup before entering the World Cup qualifying matches in March,” the coach added.
Vietnam are scheduled to play Indonesia in an away match on March 21, and the two teams will meet again in Hanoi in five days later as part of the second qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup 2026. They will also take on the Philippines and Iraq in June.
VFF’s goal for coach Troussier is to reap success in the coming World Cup qualifiers, especially in the two matches in March, said the VFF official.
“In case the team are not successful, VFF will sit down and work with coach Troussier, but the contract does not have a clause that will immediately fire the French coach,” affirmed Vu.
Troussier took the helm in early 2023 to succeed Korean coach Park Hang-seo, and his contract with VFF will last till the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
