Korean medical officer to join Vietnamese squad

A former chief medical officer for the Korean men’s football team will be reunited with a familiar coach on the upstart Vietnamese national team.

Sports management firm DJ Management said Thursday that Choi Ju-young will work with the Vietnamese national team players out of a rehabilitation hospital in Hanoi. He will travel with the team when Vietnam plays international matches at home or abroad.

Vietnam is coached by Korean Park Hang-seo, who was an assistant for the Taeguk Warriors at the 2002 FIFA World Cup when Choi was the chief team doctor.

Choi served in that capacity for Korea from 1994 to 2012.

Choi has already worked with Park’s Vietnamese team at recent competitions. During the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia last August, Choi was with Vietnam for two weeks as it marched into the semifinals.

Choi also served as Vietnam’s temporary team doctor during the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup last December and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January.

Park has become a national icon in Vietnam for taking both the senior and the under-23 national teams to unprecedented heights since his appointment in September 2017.

In January 2018, Vietnam reached the final of the AFC U-23 Championship for the first time and took second place.

At the Asian Games later that year, Vietnam lost to Park’s native Korea 3-1 in the semifinals. Vietnam had never made it past the round of 16 at their four previous Asian Games appearances.

Vietnam won the Suzuki Cup title over Malaysia for its first regional championship in 10 years.

Yonhap