Coach Park Hang Seo received bad news when he came to Japan

Language assistant Le Huy Khoa tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while taking a test at Tokyo airport, Japan. This means that Mr. Le Huy Khoa will have to undergo medical isolation for the whole time Vietnam team in Japan.

With the loss of the language assistant, Coach Park Hang Seo will face many difficulties in communicating with the players, especially in communicating the requirements when the team practices and plays.

Assistant Le Huy Khoa is the only Vietnamese-Korean interpreter in the team, so VFF is contacting to find a replacement in Japan. Sending an interpreter from Vietnam is not possible because it takes a long time to complete visa procedures.

Team Vietnam team arrived in Japan at about 7:30 am on March 26 local time on flight VN300. The journey of the team lasted about 12 hours, but it still took 3 more hours to check in at the airport in Tokyo. Japan has strict requirements on entry procedures and Covid-19 disease control screening at the airport.

The Vietnamese team brought only 19 players to Japan, while goalkeeper Dang Van Lam was already in Tokyo to join the army.

Before leaving, Tien Linh and Van Xuan were injured. Tien Linh was determined to tear the adductor muscle in the match against Oman on the evening of March 25. Meanwhile, Van Xuan flipped his ankle during the training session before the departure of the Vietnamese team.

In addition, young goalkeeper Tuyen Quang had to stay at home and yield to Dang Van Lam, while Thanh Chung was suspended for receiving 2 yellow cards.

In Tokyo, coach Park Hang Seo’s teachers and students had 3 practice sessions, before entering the final match in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup against host Japan. In the first leg at My Dinh Stadium, the Vietnamese team lost 0-1 to Japan.