Coach of the Thai national team accepted the invitation to lead the Hanoi Police Club

According to a source from MetaSports, Mr. Polking made an appointment with the President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) on April 20 to promote his desire to terminate the contract before the deadline. This military leader will have to pay compensation because he is still bound to FAT until the end of 2023.

In early 2021, Mr. Polking took office at the Ho Chi Minh City Club with the goal of helping this ambitious team race to win the V-League. However, before the tournament was canceled because of Covid-19, the HCM City club faced the risk of relegation. The two sides therefore agreed to break up ahead of time.

Polking was then invited by FAT to be the head coach of the Thai team under a four-month contract, replacing the recently fired predecessor Akira Nishino. This leader then helped Thailand defeat Vietnam in the semi-finals, beat Indonesia in the final, won the AFF Cup 2020 and got a contract extension.

Coach Polking failed at SEA Games 31 when Thailand U23 lost 0-1 to host Vietnam in the final in May 2022. However, after that, he and the Thai team successfully "collected debt", when they overcame Vietnam in the final to defend the AFF Cup 2022 championship.

Hanoi police are a rookie in the V-League 2023, but are highly appreciated when recruiting many good players such as Phan Van Duc, Ho Tan Tai, Doan Van Hau... However, after the first 7 rounds, they only stood. 5th with 11 points, and at the same time have not created a clear gameplay. Therefore, coach Paulo Foiani is under great pressure.