VFF to pay coach Troussier more than his predecessor

Coach Park ended his five and a half year stint with Vietnamese football as he decided not to renew his contract, which expires on Tuesday.

Park received a salary of $50,000 a month as the head coach of Vietnam’s national men's football team, and he was allowed to keep full payment from advertisements.

VFF has chosen to replace him with Troussier, who will lead the national and the U23 squads. The two sides have reached an initial agreement on a two-year contract, with a possible one-year extension.

An official contract is expected to be announced next week, before Troussier prepares Vietnam for SEA Games 32 in Cambodia in May.

The 67-year-old French coach acted as strategic adviser and then technical director at the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talent Academy Football Talent (PVF) in 2018.

One year later, he was appointed head coach of U19, who he helped qualify for the U19 AFC Championship 2020, which was later canceled due to Covid-19. Troussier left after his contract with VFF expired in June 2021 and the two sides could not agree on his new salary.

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 time in Japan (1998 - 2002) when his team won the AFC Asian Cup 2000.

Two years later, he led Japan to the final 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2002, the country's best-ever run in the competition up until that time.

In 2020, the Asian Football Confederation named him one of the greatest coaches in Asian Cup history.