After Vietnam U20 missed out on the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals and were relegated for the next edition, the future of head coach Yutaka Ikeuchi has drawn particular attention.

In the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam U20 enjoyed home advantage at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho but lost all three matches, falling 0-3 to North Korea U20, 1-2 to Palestine U20 and 1-3 to Iran U20. Ikeuchi’s role came under scrutiny following the disappointing campaign.

HLV Yutaka Ikeuchi .jpeg
Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi endured a disappointing campaign with Vietnam U20.

Ikeuchi acknowledged that Vietnam U20 had encountered several problems during the tournament and apologized to supporters after the team failed to achieve its target.

“We considered different options to achieve the best possible results, but unfortunately we were unable to accomplish our goal. I deeply regret the outcome and would like to apologize to everyone,” he said.

According to VietNamNet’s information, Ikeuchi’s assignment with Vietnam U20 officially ended after the tournament. The Japanese coach, however, remains an adviser to the Vietnam Football Federation’s technical director and will be given a specific new assignment by VFF in the coming period.

Ikeuchi signed a contract with VFF in February 2025, initially serving as a technical supervision adviser for Vietnam U17 under head coach Cristiano Roland.

Before moving to Vietnam, Ikeuchi coached Japan U15 in 2007, U16 in 2008 and U17 in 2009. He later held several positions within Japan’s youth development system, serving as deputy youth development director from 2014 to 2017 and youth development director from 2018 to 2021.

Dai Nam