Coaches Kiatisuk and Popov speak out about their ability to lead the Vietnamese team

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Following the Thanh Hoa - Hanoi Police FC match in Round 14 of the V-League 2023-24, both coaches Kiatisuk and Popov responded to questions about being invited to coach the Vietnamese national team in the future.

Coach Kiatisuk's Hanoi Police FC defeated Thanh Hoa 2-0 away from home in Round 14 of the V-League 2023-24 on the evening of March 31st. This match was crucial to the V-League championship race this year. After the match, when asked about the possibility of coaching the Vietnamese national team to replace Coach Philippe Troussier, Coach Kiatisuk (from Thailand) said: "I am very happy to be working in Vietnam. For now, I am focusing on my duties at Hanoi Police FC." "As for the opportunity to coach the Vietnamese national team, that is the dream of all coaches. For any professional, when leading the Vietnamese national team, they want to take your team to a new level, aiming for continental and World Cup competitions," Coach Kiatisuk added.

Coach Kiatisuk leaves open the possibility of leading the Vietnamese national team (Photo: Manh Quan).

This statement shows that coach Kiatisuk is ready to accept a new challenge with the Vietnamese national team, if conditions allow and if he receives a suitable offer. Previously, "Thai Zico" coached the Thai national team from 2014 to early 2017. During this period, under Kiatisuk's leadership, the Thai team won the AFF Cup twice in 2014 and 2016, and reached the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region. Meanwhile, Kiatisuk's counterpart in the match at Thanh Hoa Stadium, coach Velizar Popov of the Thanh Hoa team, commented on the possibility of coaching the Vietnamese national team: "I've only heard the information, but no one has mentioned to me about me becoming the coach of the Vietnamese national team."

Coach Popov of Thanh Hoa team nominated Coach Le Huynh Duc to lead the Vietnamese national team (Photo: Manh Quan).

"I believe that the players from Thanh Hoa team would be better than me if called up to the national team. Currently, I think Vietnamese football has many high-quality domestic coaches. For example, the coaches of Hai Phong (Chu Dinh Nghiem), Nam Dinh (Vu Hong Viet), The Cong Viettel (Nguyen Duc Thang), Binh Duong (Le Huynh Duc), and even the coach of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (Vu Tien Thanh). I believe they deserve to lead the Vietnamese national team," affirmed Thanh Hoa coach Popov. Previously, there were reports that foreign coaches Kiatisuk, Popov, and Mano Polking were candidates for the head coach position of the Vietnamese national team, succeeding Philippe Troussier.

V-League 2023-24 standings after round 14 (Photo: VPF).

Dantri.com.vn

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