The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Chair Nguyen Trong Hy confirmed that the federation will reconsider recruitment of foreign players who are naturalized Vietnamese citizens for the national squad.

 

Goalkeeper Dinh Hoang La (green)

Hy’s statement was made after many nationalized players were admitted to the national football squads of Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.

 

Hy said that the national team may have from three to four nationalized footballers.

 

The national squad’s coach Henrique Calisto said that he would like to have striker Huynh Kesley, halfback Nguyen Rogierio or Nguyen Hoang Helio and goalkeeper Hoang La.

 

Many coaches and experts expressed their agreement with this policy.

 

“I back this policy because the presence of nationalized players will urge healthy competition in the national squad,” said coach Nguyen Van Dung.

 

He said that the team currently lack leading strikers like Cong Vinh or Van Quyen so it is very good to have striker Huynh Kesley or halfback Nguyen Rogierio in the team.

 

Doan Minh Xuong, former coach of the national U20 team, said that Vietnam is inferior than rivals in the region in terms of physical strength so the team needs nationalized players.

 

Coach Trieu Quang Ha of the national U19 team said if he was the chief coach of the national team, he would have called up goalkeeper Dinh Hoang La, striker Huynh Kesley and halfback Nguyen Rogierio.

 

Coach Duong Ngoc Hung, former coach of the national team, said: “I’m very worried for the attack line of the national squad. It is also worried when Vietnam has only two goalkeepers at the AFF Cup, which will take place for nearly a month. The team needs striker Huynh Kesley and goalkeeper Dinh Hoang La”.

 

Huynh Kesley is a Brazilian striker who married a Vietnamese woman and is a naturalized Vietnamese.

 

Nguyen Rogierio and Nguyen Hoang Helio are also Brazilian Vietnamese players.

 

Dinh Hoang La is a Ukraine goalkeeper who became a naturalized Vietnamese.

 

In related news, the ASEAN Football Cup (AFF Cup) 2010 will be broadcast live on the Vietnam Cable Television (VCTV) from December 1-29.

 

PV