During a press conference on the afternoon of June 17th, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan said: “After the loss to Malaysia, my hair turned gray, and I lost sleep for two nights because of all the thoughts. The story is not just about the defeat on the field, but about how we will develop in the future. We analyzed many models, many football nations that have strongly naturalized players, and what the consequences were.”
Mr. Tuan also shared that if Vietnamese football follows the trend of naturalizing players to quickly strengthen the national team, it will face the risk of losing its internal development momentum. "The national team may become stronger at a certain point, but the domestic system will weaken. When there is no longer competition for opportunities to join the national team, domestic players will no longer have the motivation to train. We are persistently pursuing a path of strong development from within, carefully planning, consolidating, and supplementing, but it must be appropriate and not create the negative consequences that other countries have experienced. We have plans, but we need patience," the VFF President analyzed.
Besides Mr. Tuan's concerns, it's also necessary to look at the reality that the supply of quality Vietnamese expatriate and naturalized players for Vietnamese football is scarce. Over the past decade, all the best Vietnamese-born players who have played for the Vietnamese national team have come from France, the US, and some Eastern European countries. These include Nguyen Filip, Mac Hong Quan (Czech Republic), Dang Van Robert, Patrik Le Giang (Slovakia), Cao Pendant Quang Vinh (France), and Lee Nguyen (USA)... According to experts who regularly monitor the movements of Vietnamese expatriate players, the four most likely candidates are Kenneth Schmidt - a central defender for Fortuna Dusseldorf; the Bung Meng and Bung Hua Freimann brothers currently playing for Luzern (Swiss national league); and Aymeric Faurand Tournaire - a promising young striker for Laval (Ligue 2, France).
Nguyen Xuan Son is currently the most successful naturalized player in history, even though he has only played in the ASEAN Cup 2024. Previously, the Vietnamese national team could have utilized naturalized stars who were not of Vietnamese descent, such as Hoang Vu Samson, Phan Van Santos, Huynh Kesley Alves… But all of them are now unable to play at the highest level or have retired.
According to FIFA regulations, any player with no connection to a national team who wishes to become a naturalized citizen must have lived in the country for five years to be eligible to play. Under this regulation, only Hendrio Araujo (Hanoi FC), Gordon Rimario, Gustavo Santos (Thanh Hoa), Jose Pinto (Binh Dinh), Janclesio ( Binh Duong ), and Geovane Magno (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) are currently eligible to become naturalized citizens and play for the Vietnamese national team. However, these players are all facing individual issues and are not in their best form.
According to VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan, persistently pursuing what is considered a more sustainable path—investing in youth training systems and building a strong foundation from the roots—is seen as the only long-term way to create a unique identity for Vietnamese football.
"There are First Division teams with groundbreaking projects and ideas that help make football sustainable, reflect the national team's colors, and have a mindset and direction stemming from a love for football and a desire to strengthen the national team in the future."
"Developing youth clubs is the foundation. The national team needs to become stronger, but it also needs domestic motivation. There must be more friendly tournaments, opportunities for practice, and more training camps abroad so that players can develop and improve. We will invest from the U15 level, sending players to train in Europe to prepare for future tournaments," Mr. Tuan said.
The issue of recruiting Vietnamese players from overseas and naturalizing them still requires a clear plan. However, for sustainable football development, youth training clearly needs to be prioritized. Balancing these two factors is something the VFF needs to carefully consider.
Vietnam U19 women's team is ready for the final.
The 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Women's Championship final between Vietnam U19 and Thailand U19 will take place at 6:30 PM on June 18th at Thong Nhat Stadium.
In the pre-match press conference, coach Okiyama Masahiko stated that he had been following the Thai U19 women's team but had not yet been able to analyze them in detail.
"I watched the previous matches and yesterday's semi-final, but the rainy weather prevented me from analyzing much. They have many good players. I haven't worked with the Vietnamese U19 team on the three previous occasions when they lost in the final, so I'm not familiar with their performance. Currently, our goal remains the same. We have one more match to achieve that goal. But the match against the Thai U19 women's team will certainly be a difficult one, and I want the players to give their all for the fans," coach Okiyama Masahiko shared.
"For tomorrow's match and all of Vietnam U19's matches, I want to emphasize that set pieces are crucial. Players must be proactive and practice these situations extensively. If they make good use of these opportunities, it will create chances and boost their teammates' confidence significantly," added coach Okiyama Masahiko.
Regarding the weather conditions in Ho Chi Minh City, coach Okiyama Masahiko assessed: "We were given the opportunity to train early and had practiced to get used to the rainy weather. The Vietnam U19 team had a strategy in place and they grasped it very quickly. Thailand didn't have just one or two strong players, but their attacking line had five or six outstanding players."
Finally, coach Okiyama Masahiko said that the Vietnam U19 women's team will try to keep a clean sheet against the Thailand U19 women's team.
"Actually, the group stage matches are different from the final and semi-final. Today's training session will focus on reviewing and reminding the goalkeeper to maintain composure against Thailand's attack. We have also practiced and become accustomed to Thailand's fast-paced style of play. Keeping a clean sheet in the final is very difficult, but we will try our best. Of course, having reached the final, we must be prepared for all eventualities," emphasized coach Okiyama Masahiko. (HH)
Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/tran-tro-chuyen-nhap-tich-cau-thu-i771898/
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