The Vietnam Football Federation has invited coach Mai Duc Chung, recently fired by Binh Duong club, to lead the national women’s football squad.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has invited coach Mai Duc Chung, recently fired by Binh Duong club, to lead the national women’s football squad. Chung states that he wants to relax a while before accepting a new job.

Coach Mai Duc Chung.

Chung is the chief of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training’s Football Department. He was also coach for the national women’s squad at the Southeast Asian Games 2003 and 2005, when the team won two gold medals. After that, he worked with the men’s U23 team and brought the team to the third qualifying round at the Olympics in 2008.

In mid-2009, Binh Duong recruited Chung as its chief coach. Thanks to Chung’s leadership, the team ranked the second at V-League 2009 and entered the semi-final round of the AFC Cup (C2 Cup of Asia), the best performance for a Vietnamese team at AFC Cup.

“I managed to step down several matches ago when the team didn’t play very well, so I’m not sad. My time with Binh Duong was an interesting experience. I would like to thank Binh Duong’s leaders, players and fans. They enthusiastically helped me during my time with the team,” Chung commented.

Chung didn’t agree that he was fired due to the poor performance of Binh Duong. “The team currently ranks the fourth at V-League and will surely enter the second round of AFC Cup. That’s not a bad result for Binh Duong. Objectively, the club has many old players and they have to join different tournaments, so the current result is good. But I don’t think much about this. I previously defined that I’m a hired employee at Binh Duong and I can lose my job anytime. I don’t feel like a loser when I left Binh Duong, but I’m proud that I devoted my entire ability to the team,” he added.

VFF immediately invited him to return to the women’s squad to prepare for the Asian Cup, but he remains undecided. “I feel tired at this moment. I’ve lived far from my family for a long time. I want to rest before making a decision about my future. I’m currently the chief of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training’s Football Department and a member of the National Coaching Council as well, so I have a lot of work to do,” Chung explained.

PV