A Woeful Reign of French Football Coach Philippe Troussier in Vietnam

The Vietnamese hosts suffered a humiliating 0-3 loss to Indonesia in their rematch in Hanoi on Tuesday evening, widening the gap with their Southeast Asian opponents to four points in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia. 

With only two matches left, the possibility of advancing becomes purely theoretical for Vietnam.

This was the second time in a week that Vietnam had been beaten by Indonesia, with the first leg ending 1-0 in the hosts’ favor in Jakarta on March 21.

Previously, Vietnam were ousted from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in January by Indonesia after another 0-1 defeat in the group stage.

In all three consecutive failures, the Golden Stars could not score any single goal.

In the last 11 games, Vietnam lost 10, with seven consecutive setbacks since the end of 2023, even against teams with lower rankings.

The nation dropped to 105th from 94th in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings, the lowest in years.

All of these events happened within one year since Troussier took the helm in February 2023.

In addition to the disappointing outcomes of losing in both the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Asian Cup, the Frenchman also fell short of establishing a cohesive style of play to elevate Vietnam’s standing in Asia to the promised top 10 and world-class level.

Many believe his failure can be attributed to his methods of player management, his favoritism toward certain individuals, his slow decision-making, and his reliance on ineffective tactics.

However, Troussier has seldom talked about his own missteps. 

Instead, he often shifts blame to his players. 

For instance, following the 0-1 defeat against Indonesia on March 21, he asserted that the players had to be held accountable as he could not play in their stead. 

Troussier also defended his player selection, despite his consistent neglect of key players, including midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai and right-back Ho Tan Tai.

Regarding the youth team, Troussier assisted Vietnam in qualifying for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup, but this achievement pales in comparison, as the junior squad had already reached the Asian finals four times consecutively, from 2016 to the present. 

At the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May 2023, Vietnam were eliminated in the semifinals, also at the hands of Indonesia, securing only the bronze medal — a downgrade from the previous two gold medals claimed in 2021 and 2019. 

In Vietnamese football history, no coach has faced widespread calls for resignation from fans like Troussier. 

When the final whistle was blown in the match against Indonesia at My Dinh National Stadium on Tuesday evening, chants of ‘Troussier out’ echoed throughout the stands.

Facing a calamitous reign, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) bid farewell to Troussier before matters worsened. 

An emergency meeting was convened with the French coach immediately after Tuesday’s match, resulting in a consensus to terminate his contract prematurely, without any compensation.

The contract between VFF and the Frenchman was originally meant to last for over three years, from March 1, 2023 to July 31, 2026.

Vietnam now rank third in the four-team Group F in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia, with three points from four games.

Iraq lead the table with 12 points, followed by Indonesia with seven points and the Philippines at the bottom with only one point.

Now, Vietnamese football confronts another challenging question: Who will succeed Troussier? 

Fans eagerly await the answer to this pressing inquiry.

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