~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Desperate Vietnam football seeks to entice nationals playing abroad

HANOI - Vietnam's football authorities are seeking to attract talented players of Vietnamese origin living abroad for inclusion in the struggling national team, its coach Alfred Riedl told AFP. The Austrian, who was picked in April to help pull Vietnamese football from its morass, said the door was open for members of the diaspora. "We're trying to improve the team and find better players and there are some players overseas," Riedl said Wednesday.

However, only competent candidates need apply. "We need people to help us, we're not here to help people," Riedl said. "If (the player) is not in at least the third of fourth division in Europe, I am not interested in him. "Until now, I haven't heard of any one playing in the first division somewhere. But we're searching," he said.

Despite public enthusiasm of a level that would do big footballing nations proud, Vietnam's team have been wallowing in misery. Last year, the red and gold jerseys finished equal last with the Maldives in their qualifying group for the 2006 World Cup, behind South Korea and Lebanon. In December they failed to qualify on home ground for the last eight of the Tiger Cup, the first such humiliation since the regional competition was launched in 1996.

All this has led to drastic measures to clear the Augean stables. The choice of Riedl and consideration of foreign-based players is part of the plan. Vietnamese media has of late been touting the candidacy of Toni le Hoang, 19, who plays for the Polish club Legia and spent some time in Hanoi. "If he can fulfill the criteria of the Vietnam Football Federation and can arrange with his club, he can be picked," said Nguyen Trong Giap, a deputy to Riedl. "Our consistent policy is to look for talented players both within and outside the country," Giap said.

A Vietnamese delegation is expected to visit Europe in October. The next big test will be in December during the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines. Riedl remains cautions about the prospects for attracting real talent. "The problem is if they are really good, they won't be able to come here to do the three months preparations with us because they would be in the middle of their own league," he said.

Agence France Presse - July 13, 2005.