Vietnamese Media "Unfair to Criticize Park Hang-seo" Still Express Trust

On the afternoon of the 16th (local time), at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, during the final group stage match of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship between Vietnam and North Korea, Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo is singing the national anthem. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] Recently, despite being eliminated in the group stage of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 (U-23) Championship, Vietnamese national media expressed continued trust in Park Hang-seo, the head coach of the Vietnam national football team.

On the 20th, Vietnamnet, an online media outlet operated by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the Vietnamese state-run news agency, published an article titled "Vietnam Football Has No Good News at the Beginning of the Year: It Is Unfair to Criticize Coach Park Hang-seo."

Earlier, after the match against North Korea confirmed their elimination from the group stage, Coach Park stated in an interview, "All responsibility lies with the coach."

In response, Vietnamnet reported the press conference content and sided with Coach Park, saying, "That is not the case. We believe in him."

Vietnamnet argued, "It is inappropriate to criticize Coach Park, who has devoted himself to Vietnamese football so far," and added, "It is also difficult to find a replacement for Coach Park, which is another reason why he should not be criticized."

Furthermore, the article stated, "The U-23 Championship is just one match," and reported, "Coach Park and the Vietnam Football Federation have a bigger goal of qualifying the senior national football team for the World Cup and are looking forward to the opportunity to advance to the final round of World Cup qualifiers for the first time."

It also mentioned, "Coach Park has become well acquainted with the best football players in Vietnam over the past two years and therefore cannot be replaced."

The media referred to Coach Park as "the architect who is drawing the right roadmap for Vietnamese football," expressing their trust in him.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam national football team led by Coach Park is currently holding the first place in Group G of the second round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian qualifiers.