Philippe Troussier named as head coach of Vietnam national team
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Philippe Troussier have reached an agreement for a contract, with the Frenchman taking on the role of head coach of the Vietnam national men’s football team.
Philippe Troussier named as head coach of Vietnam national team
The contract will be valid from March to July 31, 2026.
Troussier is due to fly to Vietnam on February 26 for the official signing ceremony. It will be held one month before the Vietnamese squad meet up for a training camp and friendly matches in line with FIFA Days in March.
According to local media, Troussier will receive a salary of about US$60,000 per month, slightly higher than former coach Park Hang-seo. The Frenchman who has a lot of affection for Vietnam was said not to have salary requirements during negotiations. His goals for the future also correspond with the ambitions of the Vietnamese men’s football team.
Troussier, 68, is most known for having a long spell in African football, during which he managed the national teams of the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, and Burkina Faso. During this period, he led South Africa to compete at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
He also served as the head coach of the Japanese national team between 1998 and 2000, helping the Blue Samurais to win the 2000 AFC Asian Cup before leading them at the 2002 FIFA World Cup where they made it to the last-16 as one of the co-hosts of the tournament.
In 2000, Troussier was selected by the Asian Football Federation (AFC) as one of the greatest coaches in Asian Cup history.
The French coach went on to act as a strategic adviser and then technical director at the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) Academy in Vietnam in 2018.
One year later, he was appointed head coach of Vietnam’s U19s and helped the Vietnamese U19 team to qualify for the 2020 AFC U19 Championship qualifiers which was later canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. He left after his contract with the VFF expired in June 2021.
This year the Frenchman will be in charge of both Vietnam’s U23s and the senior team, with the aim of defending their gold medal in the men’s football event at SEA Games 32 which will be held in Cambodia this May, as well as competing in the 2023 Asian Cup.
Troussier has set the ambitious goal of taking Vietnam to the FIFA World Cup in 2026, when the global biggest men’s football tournament plans to increase the number of participating teams to 48 instead of 32 at present.
Leave your comment on this story