Vietnam Football Federation wants national women's coach to pause retirement

"We have acknowledged Chung's proposal to retire and respect that. However, we are not in a hurry to discuss his contract at the moment," a Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) official told VnExpress on Tuesday.

Chung and the national team made history after beating Thailand and Taiwan in the 2023 Women's World Cup playoffs, qualifying for the tournament for the first time ever. However, he announced his retirement plan one day after the historic feat, citing his current age (72) and pressure from big games as the main reasons. SEA Games 31 in May will be his last tournament as head coach of the national women's football team.

He said he might still be a consultant for the team at Women's World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand in July and August next year.

"Coach Chung will still lead the team in SEA Games 31, which will take place in Vietnam. His contract is still valid until the end of this year. We hope to continue with coach Chung, so after SEA Games, maybe we will sit down together and discuss things," the VFF official said.

With the historic feat, the national team were awarded a total sum of VND13.5 billion ($594,500) from VFF, the government, Hanoi authorities and private enterprises.