Park Hang-seo almost quit Vietnam job to coach Malaysia

By Hieu Luong   January 5, 2024 | 03:14 am PT
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said Park Hang-seo once expressed his desire to coach Malaysia in early 2022 when he was still managing Vietnam.

Hamidin said that after the disappointing run in the 2020 AFF Cup, which took place at the end of 2021 and early 2022 due to Covid-19, Malaysia bid farewell to head coach Tan Cheng Hoe and were in search of a new coach.

At that time, coach Park also left open the possibility of leaving Vietnam national team, due to pressure after losing to arch-rival Thailand in the semifinals.

Park's crew later made contact with FAM leaders and affirmed their willingness to terminate the remaining year in the contract with Vietnam to coach Malaysia.

Park Hang-seo (R) as Vietnam head coach in the 2-1 win against Malaysia at the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Park Hang-seo (R) as Vietnam head coach in the 2-1 win against Malaysia at the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

"Coach Park expressed his desire in an interview with me," Datuk Hamidin said in an interview on Malaysian TV channel Astro Arena. "He realized that Malaysia have many players with potential, including naturalized players like Mohamadou Sumareh or La'Vere Corbin-Ong."

Eventually, coach Park still led Vietnam until the end of his contract, while FAM chose another South Korean coach, Kim Pan-gon, the former head coach of Hong Kong.

The two encountered in the 2022 AFF Cup group stage at My Dinh National Stadium, with Vietnam winning 3-0. In the final of this tournament, which was also Park's last with Vietnamese football, the team lost 3-2 to Thailand after two legs.

During the five years with coach Park, Vietnam did not lose a single game to Malaysia. In the 2018 AFF Cup, the team beat Malaysia 2-0 in the group stage, drew 2-2 in the first leg of the final and then won 1-0 in the second leg to claim the title.

In the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, Vietnam won 1-0 and 2-1 against Malaysia.

Hamidin's interview sparked debate among fans and media. Malaysian newspaper Makanbola said that the face of football in this country would have changed if FAM accepted the job offer from coach Park back then.

Park is running his youth football academy in Vietnam. There has been much speculation about his next team, with rumors of interest from Thailand, Singapore and China.

 
 
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