Mr. Calisto was one of the founders of the Portuguese National Coaches Association (ANTF) in 1986. He became the first president of the association, before leaving his seat to pursue a coaching career in foreign football teams.
The chairman of the ANTF for the past 23 years is Mr. Jose Pereira. Recently, ANTF held a new presidential election in the 16th session. As a result, former coach Henrique Calisto won with an overwhelming number of 233 votes, 10 times as a candidate Andre Reis.
In response to this information, on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), President Tran Quoc Tuan sent a letter to coach Henrique Calisto to congratulate him.
The letter reads: "The fact that he took on the position of ANTF president after many years of dedication to Portuguese football and international football, especially his great contributions to Vietnamese football, is a testament to the respect and trust that the Portuguese coaching community has in him.
We cannot forget the deep impressions he has left in the history of Vietnamese football, especially the miracle of winning the 2008 AFF Cup championship. His dedication, professionalism and inspiring ability have contributed significantly to the development of Vietnamese football, not only at the national team level but also in coaching and youth football training in Vietnam.
We believe that, with his experience and dedication, he will lead ANTF to develop more strongly, contributing to enhancing the position of the Portuguese coach in the international arena".
Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan wished coach Calisto good health, happiness and success in his new position.
In his inauguration speech, Mr. Calisto emphasized: "This is not my own victory, but that of all those who believe that the Portuguese coach deserves to be respected and protected.
I take on this role to serve coaches at all levels, from professional to amateur, from male to female. We want ANTF to represent the best coaches in the world, from the world's leading coaching training school".
Mr. Calisto led the Vietnam national team in two periods (2002 and 2008-2011), helping the national team win the Southeast Asian championship for the first time in 2008.
This coach also led U23 Vietnam to win the silver medal at the 2009 SEA Games and the third place at the 2010 AFF Cup. He has twice held the position of head coach of Dong Tam Long An club, helping this team win two V.League championships in 2005 and 2006.
