The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on Tuesday night announced the termination of the contract between VFF and French coach Philippe Troussier following an emphatic defeat against Indonesia in Hanoi in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia.

The Vietnamese hosts suffered a humiliating 0-3 loss to Indonesia in front of their home supporters at My Dinh National Stadium, the straw that broke the camel's back.

This the second time in less than a week that Vietnam were beaten by Indonesia, with the first leg ending 1-0 in the hosts’ favor in Jakarta on March 21.

Immediately after the match in Hanoi, VFF convened an emergency meeting where the federation and Troussier agreed to terminate their contract from March 26, the federation said in a press release the same day.

The French coach expressed his gratitude for the support from players, clubs, VFF, and fans, while also apologizing to Vietnamese supporters for the team's underperformance.

VFF acknowledged his contributions, professionalism, and sense of responsibility, while wishing him and his family well.

The federation apologized to domestic football fans for the national team's recent poor performance and expressed hope for their continued support.

At the end of 2022, South Korean coach Park Hang Seo stepped down as head coach of the Vietnamese national team, leading VFF to search for a replacement.

Philippe Troussier, former head coach of the Japanese national team, was selected for the position.

Before his appointment, Troussier was involved in youth training at the PVF Football Academy, located in northern Hung Yen Province, and had previous experience with VFF as head coach of Vietnam U19s.

The contract between VFF and the Frenchman was originally meant to last for over three years, from March 1, 2023 to July 31, 2026, with the primary objective of helping Vietnam qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals for the first time ever.

Troussier's monthly salary exceeded US$50,000 (after tax), along with other benefits.

In his first year, Troussier failed to lead Vietnam U22s to the final of men’s football at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia as committed.

In 2024, the contract required him to guide Vietnam through the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and win a medal at the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, goals that have become almost unattainable after consecutive defeats against Indonesia.

Vietnam now rank third in the four-team Group F, with three points from four games.

Iraq lead the table with 12 points, followed by Indonesia with seven points and the Philippines at the bottom with only one point.

During his tenure of over a year, Troussier oversaw 14 matches, with 10 losses and four wins, leading to a drop in Vietnam's FIFA ranking to 105th from 94th in the world, the lowest in years.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!