On the afternoon of August 10, coach Alexandre Polking attended a press conference before the Hanoi Police vs Adelaide United match in Australia, within the framework of the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-2027 play-off round.
The personnel problem is a noteworthy issue for Hanoi Police when the team does not have the services of 6 players who are on duty with the Vietnamese national team, including Quang Hai, Thanh Long, Van Do, Viet Anh, Van Hau and Dinh Bac. These are all important factors in the squad of the Police sector team.
Coach Polking admitted that the absence of this group of players significantly affected the preparation process, but said that national duties were still put first.
Of course, the absence of such quality players affects the preparation for the match. However, we understand that national duty is put first, and I am also happy that my students are playing for the national team. I and the coaching staff must think, find solutions. Currently, the force I have is completely capable of competing to play a good match," coach Polking shared.
The fact that the AFC Champions League Elite play-off match takes place at the same time as the Vietnamese national team gathers to prepare for the ASEAN Cup 2026 makes it difficult for Hanoi Police in terms of force. Coach Polking believes that the schedule needs to be calculated more appropriately so that clubs have the best conditions to prepare for international matches.
If the league organizers can arrange a more suitable schedule, then our club will also benefit a lot," the Brazilian strategist said.
Despite lacking many key players, coach Polking affirmed that Hanoi Police still aims to win the right to participate in the highest-level club playground in Asia. This coach sees the match against Adelaide United as an opportunity for the Vietnamese team to test their strength against an experienced opponent.
We are ready to make history for Vietnamese football. Adelaide will be under more pressure when considered the favorite and playing at home," coach Polking said.
Besides the story at Hanoi Police, coach Polking also shared about the opportunity for Vietnamese football to participate in the World Cup. Having led the Thai team against the Vietnamese team, he assessed that FIFA increasing the number of teams participating in the World Cup opens up more opportunities for Southeast Asian teams.
The World Cup has increased the number of teams, I hope that in the next 2-3 tournaments, a Southeast Asian representative like Vietnam will go to the World Cup. The Vietnamese national team has a good force, but the worrying reality is that not many people have gone abroad to play. However, we can still raise the level of players by improving the quality of the national championship, by improving the quality and quantity of foreign players.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia has also reached the fourth qualifying round. Hopefully, the Vietnamese team will do better in the next World Cup qualifiers. Vietnamese people love football very much. It seems that the whole country is glued to the screen watching the national team every time they play. Attending the World Cup will be an extraordinary achievement for Vietnam," Mr. Polking assessed.
The match between Hanoi Police and Adelaide United takes place at 4:30 PM on August 11 (Vietnam time) in Australia.
