Ex-Vietnam football manager Park Hang-seo piques Southeast Asia's interest again

Football

Published: 30 Nov. 2023, 13:42 Updated: 30 Nov. 2023, 16:57

Ex-Vietnam football manager Park Hang-seo piques Southeast Asia's interest again

Former Vietnamese national team manager Park Hang-seo, right, encourages Vietnamese players before a friendly between Korea and Vietnam at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

Former Vietnamese national team manager Park Hang-seo may soon return to the football management game. Multiple Southeast Asian countries’ football associations have shown interest in recruiting the veteran coach to lead their national teams.

Park Hang-seo returns to Vietnam to open football academy

Korean broadcaster KBS reported Tuesday that Singapore is especially keen to sign Park as its national team manager.

Singapore’s interest in Park comes as the country has struggled in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Singapore have suffered two losses, including a 5-0 loss to Korea on Nov. 16 to sit at the bottom of Group C.

Park previously said in October that he would return to a managerial role if certain conditions are met, although he does not plan to do so in Korea.

The 66-year-old former manager left the Vietnamese national team and its U-23 team after five years at the helm, during which he saw unprecedented success.

He won the AFF Suzuki Cup with the national team and two South Asian Games with the U-23 team. In his last year in charge, he took the national team to the 2023 AFF Championship final and finished as runners-up.

Over five successful years with Vietnam, Park elevated Vietnamese football to a significantly higher level, bringing up the country’s FIFA ranking from around 130 to the low 90s.

He received a number of honors thanks to his accomplishments, including being conferred as a member of the Vietnamese Friendship Order and receiving both third and second-class Vietnamese Labor Order honors. He also got a lifetime ticket to fly on Vietnam Airlines' Korea-Vietnam routes.

Even after his resignation, Park has worked to develop Vietnam’s football system, opening a youth football academy in the country in August.

If Park does take charge of the Singaporean national team this year, he will have some work to do in the World Cup qualifiers that run through June next year.

A total of 18 teams — nine group winners and nine runners-up — from the second round of the World Cup qualifiers advance to the third round, and Singapore will have to bounce back in the remaining four World Cup qualifier matches to be within a chance of reaching the next stage.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]