After Hai Phong was trounced 0-2 by Nam Dinh in its home stadium, Lach Tray in Hai Phong city on February 28, the club decided to dismiss Austrian coach Alfred Riedl.

Coach Alfred Riedl (first from the left) has to leave Hai Phong very early.

Riedl had directed the team in three matches in V-League 2009 and one at the National Cup. The team lost two matches against Nam Dinh in its stadium and Da Nang on the road. It also barely defeated The Cong in the second match of V-League.

It is said that Riedl made some mistakes in the match on Saturday and Hai Phong managers had lost their patience.

Hai Phong doesn’t have the best players but it is ranked among the strongest teams of V-League with Ngoc Thanh, Khanh Hung, Minh Chau, Leandro, De Jesus, and Trindade. To nurture its ambition of winning V-league, the team decided to fire Riedl. The two sides signed a one-year contract last October. Under this contract, Riedl will receive compensation.

Hai Phong is now considering new coaching candidates; among the names mentioned, coach Le Thuy Hai is the most prominent.

Temporarily, assistant coach Hoang Gia will replace Riedl. The club’s manager will choose a new coach before the next match in Pleiku against Hoang Anh Gia Lai on March 8.

VietNamNet/DT