Vietnam hires new coach for national football team

Calisto, 55, signed the two-year contract with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on Monday in Hanoi, replacing the longtime coach Alfred Riedl, who resigned in December last year, according to VFF General Secretary Tran Quoc Tuan.

 "I feel very proud to become the coach of the national football team of Vietnam," Calisto told the press after the signing ceremony. "Vietnamese football can gain greater results in the future."

   Calisto has been leading Dong Tam Long An, one of the top teams in the V-league, since 2000. He also served as the interim national coach in 2002.

 "After eight years living in Vietnam, I understand the great love that the fans here have for football and I realise that I must do something to respond to that," Calisto said.

 "Calisto has agreed to help Vietnam's national team enter the final matches of the AFF Cup in 2008 and the SEA Games in 2009," said VFF's Tran Quoc Tuan.

 Football is Vietnam's favourite sport. Millions of fans go to the stadium or watch the game on television when the national team plays. However, the Vietnamese team has never won a gold medal at the SEA Games, the largest sports event in Southeast Asia.

 "I think Calisto is a good choice for now and he has the ability to take the national team to the peak of the game, at least in the South-East Asian region," said football fan Le Cong Hoa.