Coach Park Hang-seo denies applying for Malaysian job

"There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Coach Park applied for the position to lead the Malaysian national team," Lee Dong-jun, Park's representative, told VnExpress on Sunday.

"Such statements harm Coach Park's reputation. As a representative of many coaches and players, I've had conversations with football association presidents around the world, including Datuk Hamidin Amin, the President of the Malaysian Football Association. However, our discussions covered various topics, and at no point did we discuss applying for the head coach position in Malaysia."

In mid-July, Malaysia unexpectedly found itself in need of a new head coach after Kim Pan-gon resigned for "personal reasons," despite having a year and a half left on his contract. Following his early departure, the South Korean coach, born in 1969, returned to his home country to take charge of Ulsan Hyundai FC, a move that angered Malaysian fans. Malaysia then appointed Paul Marti Vicente as interim coach while actively searching for a permanent replacement.

During a press conference on Aug. 29, Amin surprised many by claiming that Coach Park was among the candidates for the position, asserting that the South Korean coach had applied for the role.

"If Malaysia is interested in Park, they need to make an offer to me first. Only then would I discuss it with Park for consideration. I want to reiterate that there is absolutely no truth to the claim that Park expressed a desire to go to Malaysia or applied for the position," Lee said.

Coach Park Hang-seo, 66, is widely regarded as a "hero" of Vietnamese football. He arrived in Vietnam at the end of 2017 and immediately revitalized a football scene. Under his leadership, Vietnam achieved numerous successes, including a silver medal at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, victory in the 2018 AFF Cup, gold medals at the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games, and advancement to the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Vietnam also maintained its position in FIFA’s top 100 and led Southeast Asia throughout his tenure.

Since his contract ended in January 2023, Park has not taken on a new team, despite being linked to positions in India, other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnamese clubs, and even as an interim coach for his home country’s national team. So far, he has only accepted a role in Vietnam’s second division, opened a training academy, and participated in commercial activities.

According to sources close to Park, he intends to lead another team before retiring, and he is carefully considering his potentially final position to ensure it is a meaningful one.