The Vietnamese national team is determined not to follow the trend of naturalizing people in droves: Lighting the flame of aspiration

The Vietnamese national team will not be swept up in the trend of mass naturalization like other Southeast Asian football teams, but will instead stand on its own two feet and with its own aspirations.

Coach Kim Sang-sik talks with Hai Long and his teammates during the match against Malaysia at Bukit Jalil

Ngoc Linh

Vietnam Team: Slow steps to preserve identity

In a press conference on the afternoon of June 17, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized: "VFF always wants to strengthen and supplement the strength of the Vietnamese team, but there must be an appropriate way to do it, not naturalizing like what Malaysia and Indonesia did. We must try to make the Vietnamese team stronger but not weaken the domestic tournament."

According to Mr. Tuan, VFF will increase investment in the U.17, U.20 and U.23 Vietnam youth teams, conducting training sessions in Japan and China with the goal of going far in the Asian championship.

Mr. Tuan's statement can be seen as an official confirmation from the head of VFF, showing the strategy of developing Vietnamese football with the highest level being the national team.

Quang Vinh has proven his ability and desire to play for the Vietnamese national team.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

At this time, Vietnamese football can naturalize some players with good professional qualifications who have played for many years in V-League such as Hendrio ( Hanoi Club), Rimario (Thanh Hoa Club), Geovane (Ha Tinh Club)... and overseas Vietnamese player Kevin Pham Ba.

But it is believed that VFF will not put all its hopes on the above names being granted Vietnamese citizenship. Instead, Vietnam will strive to improve the level of football and the desire to contribute of domestic players.

Fanning dreams and aspirations

After winning the AFF Cup and opening the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup with a 5-0 win over Laos, the Vietnamese team suffered a shocking 0-4 defeat at Bukit Jalil Stadium, causing many people to worry about their ability to compete with strong naturalized teams such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

However, frankly speaking, that score did not reflect the match as we played well, calmly and confidently with full strength for most of the first half.

Xuan Son will return to the field from September

Photo: Minh Tu

Unfortunately, the two injuries of Thanh Chung and Tien Dung caused the Vietnamese team's defense to fall apart, as Xuan Manh and young player Ly Duc could not maintain their ability to connect and cover as before.

Even less fortunate was that before that, coach Kim Sang-sik could not have the services of quality players such as Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Nguyen Thanh Binh in defense or Tan Tai, Vi Hao, Xuan Son, Van Toan... were also absent due to injury.

Admittedly, we will face a huge challenge when we welcome our opponents in the second leg in 9 months. That will be the time when the Malaysians have enough time for the newly naturalized players to get acquainted and get into the rhythm with each other.

But coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are not allowed to lose faith, because the journey to conquer the AFF Cup 2024 championship has shown that we still have a high-quality, cohesive squad and the desire to defeat Thailand twice in a row in the final.

Minh Khoa is making steady progress in the Vietnamese national team.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

The important thing is that the Vietnamese team will have to maintain the special aspiration and cohesion like the AFF Cup 2024, maintain the strength of a collective that is willing to lower its ego, knows how to sacrifice for each other, and join hands for the common victory.

It was that strong fire of desire that helped new players like Xuan Son, Hai Long, Ngoc Quang, Van Vi... quickly integrate and confidently flourish while famous players like Quang Hai, Duy Manh, Tien Linh... willingly entered the field from the bench.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has repeatedly affirmed that he is aiming for the spirit of "bundling chopsticks", similar to the way VFF has chosen to maintain its identity. Therefore, if it can maintain its current positive competitiveness and selectively add quality players, the Vietnamese team will ensure its competitiveness while still maintaining its identity.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-kien-quyet-khong-chay-theo-mot-nhap-tich-hang-ta-thap-sang-ngon-lua-khat-vong-185250617180859516.htm