Vietnamese Football: Changing Coaches, Yet Not Altering Fate

The new General Director of PVF-CAND Club, Tran Tien Dai, made his first appearance upon returning to Thong Nhat Stadium to reunite with the team where he had contributed modestly in the past.

Previously, another "unique figure" from Ho Chi Minh City football history, Coach Vu Tien Thanh, also led Ninh Binh to host CAHN at home in round 15 (lost 1-2). Quickly after the pivotal match, Mr. Thanh shared that fitness was Ninh Binh's issue.

As Sports & Culture had mentioned, the nearly simultaneous reappearance of these two personalities makes the V-League more anticipated. Mr. Dai and Mr. Thanh are not merely coaches who obtained training certificates and qualifications very early, at least compared to peers of their generation, but also "specialists" in their respective domains.

Heading back North, the task for both figures is to address the shortcomings of the two clubs: Ninh Binh and PVF-CAND. PVF-CAND needs to secure a firm relegation survival spot, while Ninh Binh must return to the championship race as soon as possible. The problems are equally challenging in theory, but in practice...

Vietnamese club-level football exhibits profound regional disparities. Northern clubs are certainly not as straightforward as Southern clubs. At a club like Ninh Binh, demanding national team players like Dang Van Lam, Hoang Duc, or Duc Chien... to perform tasks akin to young players at HAGL is nearly impossible. They are major brands invited by the Chairman, akin to expensive jewelry. They communicate and work directly with the owner.

Ninh Binh differs slightly from PVF-CAND, which focuses mostly on young players, some of whom have worn national youth team jerseys. Behind them is a wall with no retreat. So, just escaping the "restricted zone," where Thanh Hoa has essentially "reserved" a spot, is sufficient.

Ninh Binh lost, PVF-CAND also lost; the ranking order for these two clubs remained unchanged after changing coaches and adjusting roles in the coaching staff cabin.

For Vietnamese club-level football or even national teams, domestic coaches seem to have very little room left. Simply because they always must accept commands from the supreme owners. Personnel revolutions in the coaching staff cabin, therefore, are merely "old wine in new bottles."

The era of coaches like Le Thuy Hai (B.Binh Duong) or Le Huynh Duc at SHB Da Nang... has passed over ten years ago. In the current V-League, foreign coaches like Polking, Popov, or Kewell truly hold value. Besides genuine talent, they are not entangled or dependent on club owners, at least professionally.

Domestic coaches face difficulties. Even if they are "unique figures," it remains the same.