VietNamNet Bridge – The 52-year-old coach of the Vietnamese national football squad resigned after the meeting of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to analyze the failure of Vietnam at the AFF Cup 2012 in Hanoi yesterday, December 5.

VFF still believes in domestic coach after AFF Cup failure



    
Mr. Phan Thanh Hung is the first domestic coach of the national team in the history of the AFF Cup. He received the support of the VFF, fans and professionals and admitted to be very confident before going to Thailand for the AFF Cup. The bitter failure in the tournament has made a lot of pressure for him.
 
The meeting that took place from 9am until 5pm yesterday had the participation of VFF’s senior officials, including Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy, Deputy Chairman Le Hung Dung, Deputy Chairman Nguyen Lan Trung, Secretary-General Ngo Le Bang and Chairman of the National Coaching Council Nguyen Sy Hien.

All members of the coaching staff at the AFF Cup, including coach Phan Thanh Hung, his assistants Hoang Anh Tuan, Nguyen Van Sy and Dylan Kerr also attended the meeting. The focus of the meeting was a five-page report by Hung.
 
"The main cause of failure is professional factor and the coaching staff. Poor capability and quality of the coaches and the players resulted in unsuccessful games," Hung said.
 
The coach did not forget to make an apology: "I was very confident in the task and received the very good attention of the VFF in preparation. The players were cooperative and they showed the spirit of determination. However, the weakness appeared during the tournament. I took responsibility to the VFF. The coaching board also has proposals and has learnt from experience for the upcoming tournaments. I would like to offer an apology to the VFF and fans and resign from the coach position. This is a positive factor in preparation for the team in the near future. I hope people to see this as a better contribution to the team. I think it is my right decision."
 
In Thailand, the head of the Vietnamese delegation to AFF Cup, Mr. Ngo Le Bang confirmed the VFF’s supports to Phan Thanh Hung. However, after the strategic decision made by Hung yesterday, VFF had a different response.

VFF Vice President Le Hung Dung said: "Having considered Mr. Hung’s report, VFF agrees with his resignation. I welcome Hung’s spirit. After the failure, he has come forward to take responsibility."

The Vietnamese team will convene again in early January 2013 to prepare for the Asian Cup qualifiers. The team, according to VFF Chairman Nguyen Trong Hy, will be led by an interim coach.

The team will experience a revolutionary change when its core will be the U22 team plus some of the best players of the national team.

Compiled by Nam Nguyen