Coach Troussier gets two French assistants for Vietnam's national team

By Lam Thoa February 22, 2023 | 05:06 pm PT

Philippe Troussier as the head coach of Vietnam's U19 squad. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

Philippe Troussier, the new head coach of Vietnam's national football team, has recruited two French assistants for his team.

Troussier will come to Hanoi on Feb. 26, one day after signing with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), where he will talk to the media. The French coach will bring along physical coach Cedric Roger and Moulay Azzeggouarh. Roger used to work at the PVF Football Academy and worked with the previous head coach, Park Hang-seo, in many tournaments.

In the near future, Troussier will add another foreign assistant to the coaching team, as he will be managing both the national team and the U23 team.

Troussier has sent the VFF a recommendation list for his Vietnamese assistants. VFF will work with them to see if they are capable of working for the teams.

The U23 team will have their first training period with Troussier from March 1 to 7. This is one of the four training periods of the team in preparation for SEA Games 32 in May.

The contract between Troussier and the VFF will run for 3.5 years. The 67-year-old coach is expected to help Vietnam defend the SEA Games gold medal, win the 2024 AFF Cup and help Vietnam succeed at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, at which FIFA has increased the number of participating teams to 48.

Dubbed the "White Witch Doctor" for his successful stint in Africa, Troussier has managed Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, and Burkina Faso.

His international career peaked during his stint in Japan (1998 - 2002), when he won the 2000 AFC Asian Cup.

Two years later, he led Japan to the final 16 at the 2002 World Cup, the country's best-ever run in the competition at the time. In 2020, the Asian Football Confederation named him one of the greatest coaches in Asian Cup history.

Troussier acted as a strategic adviser and then technical director of the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) Academy in 2018.

One year later, he was appointed head coach of Vietnam's U19 squad, who he helped qualify for the 2020 U19 AFC Championship, which was later canceled due to Covid-19. He left after his contract with VFF expired in June 2021.