Vietnamese-Czech goalie to join V. League club

By Lam Thoa   June 26, 2023 | 08:54 pm PT
Vietnamese-Czech goalie to join V. League club
Filip Nguyen makes a save for Slova Liberec in the Europa League game against Gent on October 22, 2020. Photo by Slova Liberec
Vietnamese-Czech goalkeeper Filip Nguyen is set to sign for V. League club Cong An Ha Noi (CAHN) on a three-year deal.

He will join CAHN as a free agent and has the option of extending the contract for another year.

The contract will be signed in Hanoi on Thursday, and he will be registered in the second leg of this year's V. League, which CAHN are currently leading.

The 30-year-old has indicated he is ready to play for the club until retirement. His wife and child will also move to Vietnam with him.

CAHN will hire a Vietnamese teacher for Filip.

Playing for the club means Filip will move closer to getting Vietnamese citizenship. In the past, he has tried to do this so he could play for Vietnam but did not live long enough in the country to obtain citizenship.

He was once called up for the Czech Republic national team, but did not get a chance to play, and so remains eligible to play for Vietnam.

Born to a Vietnamese father and a Czech mother, he graduated from Sparta Prague’s youth football academy and played for the club before moving to other domestic clubs like Bydzov, Vlasim, Slova Liberec, and Slovacko.

He was voted the best keeper in the Czech First League in the 2018-19 season.

Nguyen Minh, his father, said staying back in Europe would be better for his son's career, but said Filip has always wanted to play football in Vietnam.

Another V. League club, Binh Dinh Topenland, had planned to sign Nguyen last year but did not since he was a foreign national and each team can only have a maximum of three foreign players in the squad.

Starting this season the V. League allows teams to use one Vietnamese-origin player without requiring Vietnamese citizenship.

Saves by Filip Nguyen for Slovacko against Nice at the UEFA Youth League.

 
 
go to top