Saying goodbye to the Thai team, Coach Polking refused to return to V.League

" Working for Ho Chi Minh City is a good idea. I see the appeal of Coach Polking to the Vietnamese public. But that is a story of the future, not now. He is not coming to Vietnam ," a source from Thailand told VTC News.

The negotiation process between Ho Chi Minh City FC and coach Alexandre Polking did not come to any results. The German coach decided to take a break and not return to work for his old team Ho Chi Minh City.

The exact reason why Mr. Polking refused the Southern team is still unclear. However, financial difficulties are one of the barriers that prevent Ho Chi Minh City Club from spending a lot of money.

On November 21, Ho Chi Minh City Club decided to fire coach Vu Tien Thanh and 5 assistants. There have been conflicts between the two sides in the past time. Everything has gradually reached its final limit in the past few days. The new decision was made by Chairman Nguyen Van Hung when V.League had played 3 rounds.

Coach Polking has emerged as the top choice for Ho Chi Minh City FC. He was recently fired by the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) after a poor performance in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Despite beating Singapore 3-1, the Thai team lost 1-2 to the Chinese team at home.

This result makes it almost impossible for the Thai team to enter the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. They are in the same group with South Korea, China and Singapore. The match with China is decisive for the second ticket to the next round in this group.

Thailand national team leader Nualphan Lamsam decided to change the head coach to create a difference for the Golden Temple team. According to Thai press, coach Polking should have been fired right after the friendly matches in September 2023.

However, he still decided to stay when he received the trust of the players and assistants. It was also this move of Mr. Polking that made the Hanoi Police Club unable to wait any longer. The reigning V.League champion decided to sign a contract with coach Gong Oh-kyun in early November.

Mai Phuong

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