Coach Kim Sang Sik has revealed the reason he often wears a black shirt on the sidelines — and why he believes it brings good fortune to Vietnam’s national teams.

“In the past, I didn’t pay much attention to what I wore,” said the Korean coach.

“Coaches simply need to wear something that doesn’t match the two teams’ kits. Otherwise, we’d have to put on a bib. So I chose black to avoid any clashes.”

“But later, I noticed that whenever I wore this black shirt, my team often won. I started to believe it brought luck, so I kept wearing it. I’ll continue doing so in the upcoming matches — you’ll see me on the pitch in my usual black shirt,” he said, referring to the garment he now sees as a good-luck charm for himself and Vietnam’s national squads.

Aside from the shirt, Coach Kim also addressed for the first time the viral moment involving player Dinh Bac, who was seen eating an apple after Vietnam U23’s opening victory against Jordan in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

“Our match was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. local time, so the players had to eat early. Right after the match, they needed to replenish their energy with food provided by both our staff and the tournament organizers. I don’t know if Dinh Bac was just very hungry, but he seemed to fade a bit in the second half,” Kim explained.

“To be honest, Dinh Bac performed brilliantly as a striker. He stirred up the opposing defense, applied pressure, supported our backline — and I’m looking forward to even better performances from him in the matches ahead,” he added.

Looking back on the team’s win over Jordan, the coach — born in 1976 — noted: “Vietnam U23 arrived in Saudi Arabia with excitement and strong morale. The training environment here is excellent, which helped the players adapt quickly. Their spirit was high going into the first match.”

“In the game against Jordan, my players stayed extremely focused, avoided conceding unnecessary goals, and maintained control of the match. They capitalized on the chances we had and made them count. If I had to rate the performance, I’d give the highest marks to our defenders — they were rock solid,” he said.

Looking ahead to Vietnam U23’s next match against Kyrgyzstan, scheduled for 9 p.m. on January 9, Coach Kim emphasized:

“We’ve secured three points in the first match. Now we’re working hard to prepare thoroughly and aim for another three points, which would open the door to the next round. I hope the fans continue to follow and support us on this journey.”

Dai Nam